LCS Team Confirms Seaframe Design

The Lockheed Martin-led Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) team has confirmed its semi-planing seaframe design performance in preparation for the program's final design contract. The team, consisting of ship builders Bollinger Shipyards and Marinette Marine, naval architect Gibbs & Cox, and prime Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT), has developed a fast, maneuverable and highly capable seaframe. "We are very confident in the performance of our offering," said Fred Moosally, president of Lockheed Martin's Maritime Systems & Sensors. "Through a paradigm-changing development process, we are poised to deliver LCS on time and on budget." Carol Hulgus, vice president of programs for Lockheed Martin's MS2, further confirmed the team's confidence that it is positioned to meet the Navy's LCS needs. "Through extensive testing and analysis, the Lockheed Martin team has confirmed that it has a very credible, high performance, and deliverable LCS design. The high speed, efficient and highly reconfigurable seaframe, combined with shipyards that deliver on cost and on schedule, give us high confidence we can meet the Navy's significant expectations for the program." The U.S. Navy awarded the Lockheed Martin-led Littoral Combat Ship team a $10 million contract last July for preliminary design of this important naval combatant. Proposal submissions for LCS final design are due later this month, with a final design selection by the Navy in May, 2004. LCS is the Navy's number one budget priority and is a key element of its Sea Power 21 strategic vision and would play key supporting roles in fulfilling the Chief of Naval Operation's vision. The ship's design and primary missions are tailored to dominate the shallow waters surrounding an enemy's shores -- one of the greatest challenges facing the Navy.