LCS Kansas City Completes Trials
The future USS Kansas City (LCS 22) successfully completed acceptance trials in the Gulf of Mexico. LCS 22 is the 11th Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS), built by Austal USA in Mobile, to reach this milestone.
Acceptance trials involve the execution of intense comprehensive tests by the Austal USA-led industry team while underway, which demonstrate to the Navy the successful operation of the ship’s major systems and equipment. This the last significant milestone before delivery of the ship. LCS 22 will be the third ship Austal delivers to the Navy in 2019.
The Independence-variant LCS is a high-speed, shallow-draft focused-mission ship capable of operating independently or in a group. These ships are designed to defeat growing littoral threats and provide access and dominance along coastal waters. A fast, maneuverable and networked surface-combatant, LCS provides the required warfighting capabilities and operational flexibility to execute focused missions such as surface warfare, mine warfare and anti-submarine warfare. USS Montgomery (LCS 8) and USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) were recently deployed to Singapore and seven other Independence-variant LCS are homeported in San Diego.
The LCS program is at full rate production and continuing its momentum at Austal USA, with six ships currently under construction including Kansas City. The future USS Oakland (LCS 24) has launched and is preparing for trials. Final assembly is well underway on the future USS Mobile (LCS 26) and USS Savannah (LCS 28). Modules for the future USS Canberra (LCS 30) and the future USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32) are under construction in the module manufacturing facility.