Littoral Ship Systems News

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.

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.

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…

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.

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.

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…

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.