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Joe North News

08 Sep 2015

Lean Manufacturing Transforms Maker of US Navy Warships

Photo: Fincantieri Marinette Marine

Big investments, lean manufacturing techniques borrowed from the automotive industry, and a more engaged workforce have revamped the Wisconsin shipyard where Italy's Fincantieri SpA builds the Freedom variant of the U.S. Navy's coastal warships for prime contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. Fincantieri invested $100 million in recent years to transform the 1940s era shipyard into a state-of-the-art facility, where seven LCS ships are now under construction, including three that have already been launched into the river.

22 Aug 2015

Lockheed Welcomes US Plan to Use Its Combat System for Frigates

Lockheed Martin Corp on Friday welcomed the U.S. Navy's decision to use Lockheed's integrated combat system for future frigate-class ships to be built beginning in fiscal 2019, saying it would allow greater commonality across the entire Navy fleet. "It's great news," Joe North, vice president of Littoral Ships and Systems at Lockheed, told Reuters in a telephone interview. Neither the Navy nor Lockheed provided an estimate for the value of the combat system, but North said each system accounted for less than 10 percent of the cost of the ship. The last three ships ordered by the Navy ranged in price from $345 million to $441 million. The decision will make it easier for the future frigates that will succeed the current Littoral Combat Shipsp (LCS) to work together with U.S.

02 Apr 2015

U.S. Navy Issues Modification To Lockheed Martin Contract

Photo credit EagleHerald

The U.S. Navy has issued a Lockheed Martin-led industry team a contract modification for one fully funded 2015 Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) valued at $362 million, along with $79 million in advanced procurement funding for a second ship. The balance of the second ship will be funded by Dec. 31, 2015. The advanced procurement dollars approved by Congress provides the funding required to maintain the cost and schedule of the final block buy option. The award also includes a priced option for one additional fiscal year 2016 ship.

10 Feb 2015

Keel Laid on 13th US Littoral Combat Ship

Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin

The Lockheed Martin-led industry team officially laid the keel for the U.S. Navy's 13th Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), the future USS Wichita, in a ceremony held at Marinette Marine Corporation in Marinette, Wisconsin, today. Ship sponsor Kate Staples Lehrer completed the time-honored tradition and authenticated the keel of Wichita (LCS 13). Lehrer had her initials welded into a sheet of the ship's steel, which will ultimately be mounted in the ship throughout its entire service.

17 Oct 2014

USS Detroit to Be Christened, Launched Oct. 18

Photo: Lockheed Martin

The launch and christening ceremony of LCS 7 (the future USS Detroit) will take place Saturday morning, Oct. 18, at the Marinette Marine Corporation shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin, where the Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ships are built. The U.S. Navy and the Lockheed Martin-led industry team will launch the seventh Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Detroit at Marinette Marine Corporation (MMC). Before launching the ship into the Menominee River, ship sponsor Barbara Levin will christen the ship with the tradition of smashing a champagne bottle across the ship’s bow.

22 May 2014

Lockheed, Austal Respond to U.S. Navy Query on Small Warship Ideas

Lockheed Martin Corp and Australia's Austal on Thursday submitted their best ideas for the U.S. Navy's next small warship, as a Navy task force continues to reassess the future of its $34 billion Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program. The Navy last month asked U.S. and foreign weapons makers to submit cost and technical data on ship designs and weapons to inform the work of a task force that is due to report on various options by July 31, in time to help shape the Navy's fiscal 2016 budget request.

11 Mar 2014

U.S. Navy awards contracts to Lockheed, Austal for 4 more ships

File Photo: LCS hulls 4 & 6 alongside the pier at Austal Shipyard..

The U.S. Navy has awarded contracts worth nearly $1.4 billion to buy four more Littoral Combat Ships from Lockheed Martin Corp and Australia's Austal Ltd, the U.S. Defense Department said on Monday. Lockheed won a contract valued at $699 million to build two more of its steel monohull-design ships, while Austal won a contract worth $684 million to build two more of its aluminum trimaran design, the Pentagon said in its daily digest of major weapons contracts. Lockheed welcomed the contract…

28 Jan 2014

Multi-mission, Dual Design, Single Focus Littoral Combat Ships

(Credit: PRNews Foto/Lockheed Martin)

Last month marked the launch of two new Littoral Combat Ships: Milwaukee (LCS 5) launched by Marinette Marine into the icy Menominee River; and Jackson (LCS 6) launched by Austal into the far warmer waters found off of southern Alabama. While the two LCS variants and shipyard climates are a world apart, this innovate U.S. Navy ship production program has the common goal of fortifying U.S. defense interests while spurring investment in the creation of two state-of-the-art ship production facilities. Mid-December in Marinette, Wis., can be described with one word: cold.

08 Nov 2012

Lockheed Lay Seventh LCS Keel

USS Detroit Keel-laying Ceremony: Photo credit Lockheed Martin

Seventh Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) takes shape as Lockheed Martin team lays keel of the future 'USS Detroit'. The event was part of a time-honored keel laying ceremony that took place at the Marinette Marine Corporation shipyard in Wisconsin. The Lockheed Martin-led LCS team includes ship builder Marinette Marine Corporation, a Fincantieri company, naval architect Gibbs & Cox, as well as hundreds of domestic and international suppliers, including approximately 30 small businesses in Wisconsin and Michigan.

23 Oct 2012

Lockheed Martin Offer LCS Warships World-wide

USS Freedom: Photo credit USN

Leveraging on its USN Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) experience, Lockheed Martin offers a Multi-Mission Combatant for navies worldwide. With two Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) currently in the U.S. Navy fleet, two more in production and two others under contract, Lockheed Martin is leveraging experience gained through the LCS program to offer a Multi-Mission Combatant for navies worldwide. The Multi-Mission Combatant is an agile, modular vessel capable of speeds in excess of 40 knots. It provides the power of a larger platform with a smaller crew, similar to the core 40 sailors the U.S.

07 Jun 2012

USN LCS 'Fort Worth' Delivered Early

The Lockheed Martin-led industry team delivers the nation's third Littoral Combat Ship, 'Fort Worth' (LCS 3) to the U.S. The delivery followed the ship's successful Acceptance Trials on Lake Michigan in May. The Lockheed Martin-led LCS team includes ship builder Marinette Marine Corporation, a Fincantieri company, naval architect Gibbs & Cox, as well as domestic and international teammates. "Going forward, we intend to remain on schedule and on cost, while we continue incorporating lessons learned and drive down costs," said Joe North, vice president of Littoral Ship Systems at Lockheed Martin's Mission Systems & Sensors business. The ship will remain at the Marinette Marine Corporation shipyard in Marinette…

08 May 2012

Fort Worth (LCS 3) Completes Sea Trials

USS Fort Worth

Nation's Third Littoral Combat Ship Successfully Completes Acceptance Trials. The nation's third Littoral Combat Ship, USS Fort Worth (LCS 3), successfully completed its U.S. Navy acceptance trials and will be delivered to the Navy this summer. Fort Worth is the second surface combatant designed and built by a Lockheed Martin-led industry team. The trials, conducted in Lake Michigan from April 30 to May 4, included a four-hour full-power run and both surface and air detect-to-engage demonstrations of the ship's combat management system.

19 Mar 2012

Littoral Combat Ship Funding Boosted for Lockheed

Littoral Combat Ship: Photo credit US Navy

Contract modification is for construction of Little Rock (LCS 9) and Sioux City (LCS 11). Construction on the first and second ships awarded under this contract, Milwaukee (LCS 5) and Detroit (LCS 7), is already underway. Two ships awarded under previous contracts include USS Freedom (LCS 1), currently being prepared for her next deployment, and Fort Worth (LCS 3), scheduled to be commissioned in September. Marinette Marine Corporation, a Fincantieri company, is building the ships in Marinette, Wis., with naval architect Gibbs & Cox of Arlington, Va. providing engineering support.

25 Oct 2011

Third LCS Completes Builder's Trials

A Lockheed Martin-led industry team completed Builder's Sea Trials for Fort Worth, the nation's third littoral combat ship. The trials – a coordinated effort between the U.S. Navy and the Lockheed Martin team including Marinette Marine Corporation (MMC) – were conducted in the waters of Green Bay and Lake Michigan. They included operational testing of the vessel's propulsion, communications, navigation and mission systems, as well as all support systems. "Successful completion of Builder's Sea Trials means we are on track for the Navy's Acceptance Trials, putting us a big step closer to getting the Navy the ships it needs," said Joe North, vice president of littoral ship systems for Lockheed Martin's Mission Systems and Sensors business.

18 Mar 2011

Lockheed Martin Awarded $376m for LCS

The U.S. Navy awarded a Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT)-led industry team $376m to build the seventh Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). The fixed-price-incentive-fee contract provides funding for the second of 10 ships the Navy awarded to the Lockheed Martin team in December 2010. The contracts for the remaining eight ships will be awarded through 2015. Marinette Marine Corporation, a Fincantieri company, will construct the ships in Marinette, Wis., and naval architect Gibbs & Cox will provide engineering and design support. "As the Lockheed Martin team constructs this next ship, we will remain focused on performance and cost," said Joe North, vice president of Lockheed Martin's Littoral Ship Systems business.

08 Mar 2011

Marinette Marine Breaks Ground on New Facility

Marinette Marine Corporation, a member of the Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT)-led Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) industry team, broke ground for a new panel-line fabrication building to support construction of the U.S. Navy's LCS. The new building will improve the first stage of ship construction at Marinette Marine and decrease ship module travel distance throughout the LCS construction process. The building will feature automation to increase efficiency and provide the capacity for storage of steel and other raw materials. In addition to this groundbreaking, Marinette Marine also marked the opening of its professional center and the completion of a project to expand its main indoor ship construction building.

29 Jul 2008

Freedom (LCS 1) Begins Builder's Sea Trials

Freedom (LCS 1), starboard view.  Photo Credit:  Lockheed Martin

The nation's first Littoral Combat Ship, Freedom (LCS 1) was put to sea for the first time, marking the beginning of Builder's Sea Trials for the first-in-class coastal surface combatant. The 378-ft. Freedom, designed and built by a Lockheed Martin Lockheed Martin Corporation-led industry team, is conducting Builder's Sea Trials in Lake Michigan. The trials -- which are a coordinated effort between the U.S. Navy and the Lockheed Martin team -- will include operational testing of the vessel's propulsion, communications, navigation and mission systems, as well as all related support systems.