Lockheed Team Submits LCS FY10 Proposal

The Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) -led industry team submitted its proposal for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) fiscal year 2010 contract to the U.S. Navy on July 31.

The Program Executive Office, Ships, is expected to award a contract this coming fiscal year for additional Littoral Combat Ships. The U.S. Navy is proceeding with a limited competition with winners of the Flight 0 phase of the program, Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics.

The U.S. Navy awarded the Lockheed Martin team a fixed price incentive fee contract in March 2009 to build the Navy's third LCS. LCS 3, the Navy's future USS Fort Worth, is being built in Marinette, Wis., with more than half of the ship's modules currently under construction. Its keel laying took place July 11 and the ship is scheduled for delivery to the Navy in 2012.

USS Freedom (LCS 1) was delivered to the fleet in only six years from initial concept, half the time of traditional shipbuilding programs. In May, it successfully conducted its second and final round of U.S. Navy acceptance trials off the Virginia coast. The trials - which were a coordinated effort between the Navy and the Lockheed Martin team - included operational testing of the vessel's propulsion, communications, navigation and mission systems, as well as all related support systems. Freedom recently completed successful structural test firings; the 57-mm gun was fired 70 times; Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) fired two rounds; Terma Soft Kill Weapons System (decoys) and 50-cal machine guns.

(www.lmlcsteam.com)