USN Issues Full Funding for LCS "Cooperstown"
As part of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), the US Navy has awarded to the consortium which includes Fincantieri, through its subsidiary Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM), and Lockheed Martin Corporation, the amount of $ 279 million related the completion of the construction of "Cooperstown" (LCS 23). A significant portion of this amount will be attributable to Fincantieri.
The financing of the US Congress keeps unchanged the cost and schedule of the ship. As announced on 16 April 2015, the Congress had previously approved advance funding of 79 million dollars (advanced procurement funding) for this unit.
This ship is the last of the 10 units of the class "Freedom" program, awarded in 2010 to FMM in the partnership between Fincantieri and Lockheed Martin, number one in the defense sector in the United States. The other nine ships are: "Milwaukee" (LCS 5), officially entered the US Navy fleet a few days ago, "Detroit" (LCS 7), "Little Rock" (LCS 9), "Sioux City" (LCS 11) , "Wichita" (LCS 13), "Billings" (LCS 15), "Indianapolis" (LCS 17) and "St. Louis "(LCS 19) and" Minneapolis / St. Paul "(LCS 21).
The LCS program is one of the main programs of shipbuilding for the US Navy and involves the supply of a new generation of multi-role medium-sized ships, particularly innovative and suitable to be used both for surveillance and coastal defense for water operations Deep in different types of missions in the defense from threats "asymmetric" such as mines, quiet diesel submarines and fast surface craft.