US Navy Names First LCS Ship

First Littoral Combat Ship Honors Freedom

(Source: US Department of Defense; issued May 9, 2005)

Secretary of the Navy Gordon England has selected the name 'Freedom' for the Navy’s first new Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).

The future USS Freedom acknowledges the enduring foundation of our nation and honors American communities from coast to coast which bear the name Freedom. States having towns named Freedom range from New York to California, and include Indiana, Maine, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

“These new, fast and capable ships will increase the effectiveness of our naval forces and provide us with an ability to operate in the littoral areas of the world where the enemies of freedom seek to operate and hide” England said. “The USS Freedom and her crew will defend the noble cause for which they are named,” he added.

LCS is an innovative combatant designed to counter challenging shallow-water threats in coastal regions, specifically mines, submarines and fast surface craft.

LCS ships will be fast, agile, and networked surface combatants and will utilize focused-mission packages that deploy manned and unmanned vehicles to execute a variety of missions.

In May 2004, the Department of Defense awarded both Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics - Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, separate contract options for final system design with options for detail design and construction of up to two LCS ships.

In December 2004, the Department of Navy awarded Lockheed Martin Corp., Maritime Systems & Sensors, Moorestown, N.J., a contract for detail design and construction of the first LCS. Lockheed Martin’s teammates include Gibbs & Cox, Arlington, Va.; Marinette Marine, Marinette, Wis.; and Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, La.

A keel laying ceremony is scheduled for June 2, 2005, at Marinette Marine, Marinette, Wis.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Sgt_Schlappy,

Keel Laid for First Littoral Combat Ship

(Source: Lockheed Martin; issued Jun 2, 2005)

MARINETTE, Wis. --- Today the keel was laid for FREEDOM (LCS 1), marking a significant milestone in production of the U.S. Navy's first Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). LCS is a new class of surface combatant, designed to defeat enemy threats in shallow coastal waters. FREEDOM is under construction at Marinette Marine and will be delivered to the Navy in late 2006.

"It was barely three years ago that we dared to dream of a new vision for our Navy's future," said Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vern Clark. "Today that vision of American seapower will be welded into the keel of the very first Littoral Combat Ship - and that ship shall be called the United States Ship Freedom."

"This is a rewarding day for the entire LCS team and signifies a major milestone in the LCS program," said Fred Moosally, president of Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems & Sensors. "We are proud to be the team bringing FREEDOM to the U.S. Navy fleet."

Before more than 200 guests, Birgit Smith, the ship's sponsor, and Clark authenticated the keel, assisted by veteran Marinette Marine welder Jim Renner. Smith was selected as sponsor for FREEDOM (LCS 1) by Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England. She is the widow of Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery and gallantry above and beyond the call of duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

LCS, a revolutionary naval combatant designed to dominate the world's coastal waters, provides the Navy with fast, maneuverable and shallow draft ships aimed at maximizing mission flexibility. The ship's first missions will include mine warfare, anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare.

The Lockheed Martin team design, a proven semi-planing steel monohull, provides outstanding agility and high-speed maneuverability with known seakeeping characteristics to support launch and recovery operations of manned and unmanned vehicles, mission execution and optimum crew comfort. The team designed a low-risk, affordable solution that provides the Navy with a maneuverable, flexible, networked surface combatant.

The Lockheed Martin team was awarded a contract for final design in May 2004, with options for up to two Flight 0, or initial production, ships.

The Lockheed Martin-led team includes naval architect Gibbs & Cox, ship builders Marinette Marine, a subsidiary of The Manitowoc Company, Inc., and Bollinger Shipyards, as well as best-of-industry domestic and international teammates to provide a low-risk, affordable LCS solution.

Here's two links to Lockheed's LCS design:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/ima...CS_LM_prelimnary.jpg

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/images/lm-lcs-side-001.jpg

And General Dynamics design:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/images/bi-lcs-001.jpg

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/images/gd-lcs-side-001.jpg

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/ima...BIW_preliminary2.jpg

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/ima...BIW_preliminary3.jpg

Lockheed Martin Completes Combat Management System Software For LCS

(Source: Lockheed Martin; issued July 6, 2005)

MOORESTOWN, NJ --- Lockheed Martin recently completed the core combat management system software development for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program, roughly a year before the ship is scheduled to be launched.

“LCS is a high-speed ship on a high-speed schedule,” said Dave Broadbent, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems & Sensors’ Littoral Ships & Systems line of business. “Early completion of the core combat management software is one example of minimizing risk in this new shipbuilding program.”

The Lockheed Martin LCS team’s Flight 0 ships will be equipped with COMBATSS-21, a component-based, total ship system that uses a battle-proven command and control core. It provides LCS with an open architecture core combat management system that supports the Navy’s FORCEnet initiative to field a fully-netted force.

“Our framework provides a common core capability to meet the mission requirements across the Navy’s family of ships,” said Broadbent. “COMBATSS-21 not only meets or exceeds all of the U.S. Navy requirements, but it is low-risk, affordable and completely scalable, making this system architecture very attractive for any class of naval ship domestically and internationally.”

Through the use of an open business model, Lockheed Martin will continually evaluate new components for COMBATSS-21. In addition, COMBATSS-21 reuses proven components from Lockheed Martin, the US Navy, domestic industry and international industry. This approach provides the U.S. Navy with a low total ownership cost and ensures ongoing capability improvements throughout the ship’s lifetime. For example, by leveraging off-the-shelf components Lockheed Martin achieved greater than 95 percent software reuse and completed the Flight 0 COMBATSS-21 software well ahead of ship installation and below budget.

Lockheed Martin is now performing the integration and testing work in a new lab, the Mission Systems Integration Center (MSIC), in Moorestown, NJ. The MSIC includes a full scale model of the mission control center that is designed to maximize human systems integration and enable high fidelity testing. In addition, the new lab provides the ability to conduct interoperability testing with other systems, such as U.S. and international versions of the Aegis Weapon System, and Deepwater and DD(X) combat management systems.

“The ongoing testing and integration is a critical step in ensuring that COMBATSS-21 fully enables network centric operations across the navy and joint forces, well before installation on LCS 1,” said Broadbent.

The first LCS, FREEDOM (LCS 1), is currently under construction at Marinette Marine in Marinette, WI, and will be delivered to the Navy in late 2006.

LCS Crew to be Hybrid Sailors

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS050712-06
Release Date: 7/12/2005 12:00:00 PM

By Lt. Susan Henson, Naval Personnel Development Command Public Affairs


NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- Four Naval Personnel Development Command Learning Centers have been working since November to build a training program for the first crew members of the Navy’s first Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), USS Freedom, who started arriving for duty in January.

The Center for Surface Combat Systems (CSCS) is the lead Learning Center of Excellence for LCS and is working in conjunction with the Center for Naval Engineering (CNE), Center for Service Support (CSS) and Center for Information Dominance on individual schoolhouse training issues. To identify the skills needed to operate the ship, Human Capital Objects (HCO), a detailed description that identifies all work, including watches and collateral duties.

“LCS is the first ship on which manning and training requirements were determined based on the development of Human Capital Objects, leveraging the significant work accomplished in Job/Task Analysis and skills-based assessment,” said CSCS Commanding Officer Capt. Rick Easton.

With a total projected crew of 75, the optimally manned Freedom requires that its crew members have skills in more than just their rating. They will have a blend of skills from several ratings, which is creating a new, or hybrid, Sailor.

“Today you have a billet on a ship that’s ascribed to an Engineman second class. That means you have a stovepipe you can only put an enginemen in that billet that does enginemen type work based on occupational standards and things of that nature,” explained CNE 5 Vector Model Manager Roy Hoyt. “When you want to build a hybrid Sailor, what you’re doing now is mixing and matching the flavor of work contained within that billet that becomes your Human Capital Object.”

As a result, some of the LCS work requirements such as some scheduled maintenance and repairs are being moved ashore.

“The LCS Task Force that built the Navy's first HCOs selected, based on the approved Concept of Operations, those functions critical to mission accomplishment and then moved remaining functions ashore to be provided through Distance Support,” Easton said.

Regardless of rating, the added skills will be reflected in the Sailor’s 5 Vector Model.

“Sailors on this Littoral Combat Ship are going to attain various certifications, qualifications, knowledge, skills and abilities that will be resident on their 5 Vector Model, so that in the future when they want to move to another Human Capital Object that is created, they can compare their resume against that position and in many cases may fit better than their contemporaries,” he said.

“LCS is without doubt an advanced combat platform that provides significantly expanded opportunity in both operational and technical responsibilities outside of traditional Navy Rating boundaries,” Easton added. “Part of the Revolution in Training vision is to expand opportunities for Sailors to grow beyond traditional constructs of today’s ratings. LCS provides that opportunity unlike any other platform in today's Navy.”

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/200...mil-050712-nns04.htm

Lockheed Martin Opens New Facility to Integrate and Test LCS Mission Systems

(Source: Lockheed Martin; issued Oct. 6, 2005)

MOORESTOWN, N.J. --- Lockheed Martin today opened a new facility to support the integration and test of mission systems for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). The Mission Systems Integration Center (MSIC) is a full scale version of the LCS mission control center with live equipment, combat management system software and simulations of combat systems equipment.

"The MSIC enables Lockheed Martin to integrate and test the entire LCS mission system at an accelerated pace and at an affordable price with minimal risk," said Fred Moosally, Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems & Sensors president. "This state-of-the-art facility also provides the Navy with the ability to thoroughly operate and exhaustively test the LCS mission systems before the first ship launches."

The MSIC supports the LCS mission systems throughout their entire life cycle including development, integration and testing, and maintenance once the ships are deployed. The facility also provides opportunities for crew familiarization and training before going to sea.

The MSIC is one of several Lockheed Martin maritime-based facilities that together create a collaborative environment for leveraging integration and test resources across multiple programs. The labs connect to the company's classified network, expanding the reach of the MSIC to U.S. Navy labs and industry partners throughout the country. This capability also enables interoperability testing between LCS and other systems such as Aegis, sea-based missile defense, DD(X) and the Coast Guard's Deepwater program.

The COMBATSS-21 combat management system, which will be installed aboard the LCS, serves as the foundation of the systems that will be tested and integrated at the MSIC. COMBATSS-21's open architecture and extensive reuse of software and components from other systems enables cross-platform collaboration.

"The LCS team has successfully leveraged and reused existing capabilities and assets to reduce program cost and risk," said Dave Broadbent, vice president and general manager, Littoral Ships & Systems at Lockheed Martin. "COMBATSS-21 is a significant example of this work, with more than 95 percent software reuse and a flexible, open architecture design."

LCS is a new class of surface combatant for the U.S. Navy, designed to defeat enemy threats in the shallow coastal waters. The Lockheed Martin team's LCS is a low cost, affordable solution that provides the Navy with a maneuverable, flexible, networked surface combatant. The keel was laid for the nation's first LCS, Freedom, on June 2 in Marinette, WI.

Navy Awards Contract for LCS Construction

(Source: US Naval Sea Systems Command; issued Oct. 14, 2005)

The Navy has awarded General Dynamics – Bath Iron Works today a $223,262,430 option exercise contract modification for detailed design and construction of the second Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).

“This contract award is a testament to the strong resolve of both the Navy and industry to get these highly capable ships into the water as quickly as possible,” said RADM Charlie Hamilton, the Program Executive Officer for Ships. “LCS will introduce unprecedented speed, agility and flexibility into the littoral battlespace. The rapid acquisition of these modular warships sets a new standard for procurement in support of the warfighter.”

The General Dynamics team will begin construction in October and ship delivery is scheduled for 2007.

The Navy plans to build four Flight 0 LCS. The Navy has an option to build another from General Dynamics. Under a separate contract, Lockheed Martin will also build up to two of its LCS variant.

General Dynamics – Bath Iron Works is the prime contractor. Major subcontractors who will perform part of the effort include Austal USA, in Mobile, AL; Maritime Applied Physics Corporation (MAPC) in Baltimore, MD; General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems (AIS) in Pittsfield, MA; and BAE in Baltimore, MD.

LCS is an innovative combatant designed to combat challenging shallow-water threats in coastal regions, specifically mines, diesel submarines and fast surface craft. Operational experience and analyses indicate that potential adversaries will employ these kinds of “asymmetric capabilities” to attempt to deny U.S. and allied forces access in critical regions to include strategic chokepoints and vital economic sea lanes.

A fast, agile, and networked surface combatant, LCS will utilize focused-mission packages that deploy manned and unmanned vehicles to execute a variety of missions. The ships are being designed with flexibility to accommodate current and future generations of helicopters and unmanned air, surface and sub-surface vehicles. The ships’ modular, focused-mission design will provide Combatant Commanders the required warfighting capabilities and operational flexibility to ensure maritime dominance and access for the joint force.

LCS will also perform Special Operations Forces (SOF) support, high-speed transit, Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO), Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), and Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection (AT/FP). While complementing capabilities of the Navy’s larger multi-mission surface combatants, LCS will also be networked to share tactical information with other Navy aircraft, ships, submarines, and joint units.

LCS will be able to deploy independently and remain on station for extended periods. They will also operate with Carrier Strike Groups, Expeditionary Strike Group or in LCS squadrons.

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Navy to Base First Littoral Combat Ship in San Diego

(Source: US Navy; issued Dec. 2, 2005)

WASHINGTON --- The U.S. Navy announced Dec. 2 that USS Freedom (LCS 1), the first littoral combat ship of the LCS 1 class, will be homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.

Freedom is expected to be delivered to the Navy in December 2006 and arrive in San Diego in early 2007.

Freedom-class ships are designed to counter challenging shallow-water threats in coastal regions, specifically mines, diesel submarines and fast surface craft. A fast, agile, and high-tech surface combatant, they will utilize mission-focused packages that deploy manned and unmanned vehicles to execute a variety of missions.

On May 27, 2004, the Department of Defense awarded both Lockheed Martin Corp. Maritime Systems & Sensors in Moorestown, N.J., and General Dynamics - Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, separate contract options for final system design, with options for detail design and construction of up to two Flight 0 LCSs.

Lockheed Martin Corp. was awarded the contract option on Dec. 15, 2004, for detail design and construction of the first Flight 0 LCS. Lockheed Martin’s teammates include Gibbs & Cox in Arlington, Va.; Marinette Marine, Marinette, Wis., where the ship was built; as well as Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, La.

The homeports of future Freedom-class ships have not yet been determined.

Littoral Combat Ship Mission Package Integration Contract Awarded

(Source: US Navy; issued Jan. 9, 2006)

WASHINGTON --- The Navy has awarded a 10-year, cost plus award fee/award term contract with a potential dollar figure of $159 million to Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Bethpage, N.Y. Jan. 4, for the mission package integrator (MPI) for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Mission Modules program, strengthening the production team that will deliver the first mission packages in Fiscal Year (FY) '07. The FY '06 portion of the contract award is $4,477,824.

The integrator's role is to work closely with the government's Mission Package Integration Laboratory at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City, Fla., to produce and deliver capabilities according to the technical architectures developed by the LCS Mission Modules Program Office (PMS 420).

"The MPI contract is a significant step forward in our effort to deliver modular, plug-and-fight capability for the fleet," said Capt. Walt Wright, Mission Modules Program manager. "Together with industry we will produce integrated packages of mission systems-for Mine Warfare (MIW), Anti-submarine Warfare (ASW) and Surface Warfare (SUW)-that will go to sea aboard LCS."

The Navy has defined the role of the mission package integrator as a system-engineering partner responsible for bringing the systems and technologies of the mission modules together under the integration and interface requirements established by PMS 420 and the LCS program office. The integrator also will act as a conduit for technology to be harnessed and incorporated into the LCS's seaframe and mission module architectures.

PMS 420 packages a variety of technologies, many of which are produced by other program offices and delivered as elements of a particular mission module.

"We are bringing together the best available technologies from a variety of programs to meet the focused mission requirements of the LCS program," Wright noted.

For example, the MIW module brings together several systems developed by the Mine Warfare program office (PMS 495). The MIW module includes the AN/WLD-1 Remote Minehunting System; the AN/AQS-20A Sonar Mine Detecting Set; the Organic Airborne Surface Influence Sweep; the Airborne Laser Mine Detection System; and the Airborne Mine Neutralization System, among other systems.

At the heart of the ASW module is the Advanced Deployable System (ADS), which is developed by the Maritime Surveillance Systems program office (PMS 485). The ADS is a bottom array that may be deployed from LCS at high speed, providing high-quality acoustic surveillance data. Additionally, the ASW module includes acoustic sensors such as a multifunction towed array, and a remote towed active source, along with other detection systems and weapons designed for use aboard the MH-60R helicopter and unmanned surface vessels.

The SUW module includes weapons such as a 30mm cannon (the same as is used in the Mine Warfare program offices Rapid Airborne Mine Clearance System, and the U.S. Marine Corps' Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle), and a version of the U.S. Army's Non-Line of Sight - Precision Attack Munition missile system.

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US Navy Names First Littoral Combat Ship

(Source: US Navy; issued April 4, 2006)

WASHINGTON --- Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter has named the Navy's newest Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) – Independence.

“Independence, along with USS Freedom, are going to be great 21st century ships. Their speed and agility are widely recognized. I believe that their modular approach yields tremendous flexibility for employing these ships and for taking the fight right to the enemy’s shoreline," Winter said.

The name Independence recognizes the cornerstone of our nation’s foundation that so many Americans have fought and died to ensure. Five previous ships have also had that name. The first Independence was a 10-gun sloop that served during the War of Independence. The second Independence, the first ship of the line in the Navy, was launched in 1814 as a 74-gun ship, but later refitted to a 54-gun frigate. The third Independence served with the Naval Overseas Transportation Service (NOTS) following the end of World War I. The fourth Independence (CVL 22), a small aircraft carrier commissioned in 1943, earned eight battle stars during World War II. The fifth Independence (CV 62) was an aircraft carrier commissioned in 1959 and decommissioned in 1998.

In developing capability to overcome access denial threats from surface and subsurface threats in the littoral, the Navy sought improved mine warfare capability, an effective counter to small, fast, highly-armed boats, and a ship better suited against quiet diesel submarines. These capabilities highlighted the need for a high-speed, shallow-draft vessel with endurance. The littoral combat ships are designed to meet that need.

The littoral combat ships are the first Navy vessels to separate capability from hull form and provide a robust, affordable, mission-focused warship designed to provide assured access for our joint forces. Independence will have the size, speed, endurance, and connectivity to deploy as a member of carrier strike groups, expeditionary strike groups or surface strike groups.

Independence will carry some core capabilities, such as self-defense and command and control; but its true war-fighting capability will come from its innovative and tailored mission modules. Like its sister ship, LCS 2 will be configured for one mission package at a time, consisting of modules, manned aircraft, unmanned vehicles, off-board sensors, and mission-manning detachments, all in an open-systems architecture.

In May 2004, the Department of Defense awarded both Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics separate contract options for final-system design with options for detail design and construction of up to two LCS ships. The future USS Independence (LCS 2) is the General Dynamics’ lead hull in that ship design.

In October 2005, the Department of Navy awarded General Dynamics - Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, a contract for detail design and construction of their first LCS. General Dynamics - Bath Iron Works teammates include Austal USA of Mobile, Ala. and General Dynamics – AIS of Pittsfield, Mass. A keel laying ceremony was held Jan. 19, 2006, at Austal USA Shipyard in Mobile, Ala.

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Raytheon's SeaRAM to Go Aboard General Dynamic's Littoral Combat Ship

(Source: Raytheon Co.; issued April 4, 2006)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. --- Raytheon Company will install the SeaRAM anti-ship missile defense weapon system on General Dynamics' Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). SeaRAM is the latest addition to Raytheon's world-class ship self-defense suite combining the Phalanx Block 1B close in weapon system and the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) guided missile weapon system.
SeaRAM is a low-cost spiral development of the proven Phalanx Block 1B and RAM, the latter produced jointly by Raytheon and RAMSYS of Germany. Intended to enlarge Phalanx's keep-out range against sea-skimming anti-ship missiles, SeaRAM utilizes enhanced Phalanx sensors and replaces the M61A1 20 mm gun with an 11-round RAM missile guide. In addition, SeaRAM will likely bring the first U.S. Navy implementation of the RAM Block 1A Helicopter, Aircraft, and Surface (HAS) capability to the fleet.

In May 2004, the U.S. Navy announced General Dynamics would develop a detailed LCS design, with the provision for construction of a prototype of this new high-speed surface ship for delivery in 2006. The General Dynamics LCS features an innovative trimaran hull enabling the ship to reach sustainable speeds of nearly 50 knots and range as far as 10,000 nautical miles.

"SeaRAM provides a self-contained ship defense capability that leverages Phalanx's proven multi-spectral sensors with the demonstrated lethality of the RAM missile," said Troy Oberg, Raytheon's SeaRAM program manager in Tucson, Ariz. "Raytheon will work with General Dynamics to integrate SeaRAM with the LCS's combat management system in order to provide proven and highly lethal self-defense capability to the ship as well as the new HAS technology."

In 2001 Raytheon provided an engineering model of SeaRAM to the United Kingdom's Royal Navy for suitability testing. In 2002 Raytheon, in conjunction with the U.S. Navy, successfully launched four blast test vehicles, which measured rocket motor forces. The launches also confirmed SeaRAM's forward-looking infrared sensor can withstand multiple launches without damage.

Navy to Base First Four Littoral Combat Ships in San Diego

(Source: US Department of Defense; issued April 27, 2006)

The Navy announced today that the first four Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) will be homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.

Key in the success of implementing these new concepts is the ability to collocate these ships to achieve readiness alignment and economy of scale. This collocation is especially important for the first ships in the class as waterfront facilities, infrastructure, training and maintenance efficiencies are developed. San Diego was chosen as the initial homeport because of the Navy’s increased emphasis on the Pacific theater based on the Quadrennial Defense Review.

“Homeporting the first four ships in San Diego will enable us to establish synergy between the ships and with local commands,” said Vice Adm. Terry Etnyre, commander, Naval Surface Forces, based in Coronado, Calif. “With the Undersea Warfare Command here in San Diego and the Mine Warfare Command moving here soon, the undersea warfare and mine warfare mission packages will have direct coordination and representation locally.”

LCS will carry some core capabilities, such as self-defense and command and control; but its true war-fighting capability will come from its innovative and tailored mission modules. These ships will be configured for one mission package at a time, consisting of modules, manned aircraft, unmanned vehicles, off-board sensors, and mission-manning detachments. This will operate within open-systems architecture giving it the capability to reconfigure mission modules and ship systems to tailor it for specific warfighting missions.

The Littoral Combat Ships are the first Navy vessels to separate capability from hull form and provide a robust, affordable, mission-focused warship designed to provide assured access for our joint forces. LCS will have the size, speed, endurance, and connectivity to deploy as a member of carrier strike groups, expeditionary strike groups or surface strike groups.

The innovative concepts in LCS do not end with its modularity. LCS will operate with a quarter of the crew normally assigned to ships this size through a combination of technology and process improvements for maintenance, logistics, training and administration.

The keel for the first Littoral Combat Ship, to be named USS Freedom (LCS 1), was laid on June 3, 2005 and the second, to be named USS Independence (LCS 2), on Jan. 19, 2006.

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Lockheed Wins Contract for 2nd LCS Ship

(Source: US Department of Defense; issued June 27, 2006)

Lockheed Martin Corp. Maritime Systems & Sensors, Moorestown, N.J., is being awarded a $197,644,515 cost-plus-incentive-fee/award-fee modification under a previously awarded contract to exercise an option for construction of one Flight 0 Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).

The LCS will be a networked, agile, and high-speed surface combatant with versatile war-fighting capabilities optimized for littoral missions.

Work will be performed in Lockport, La. (63 percent); Moorestown, N.J. (36 percent); and Arlington, Va. (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by January 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.

The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (ends)


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U.S. Navy Awards Lockheed Martin Team $198 Million for Construction of Next Littoral Combat Ship

(Source: Lockheed Martin; issued June 27, 2006)

WASHINGTON --- The U.S. Navy awarded a Lockheed Martin-led team nearly $198 million for construction of the Navy's third Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). This is the second LCS awarded to the Lockheed Martin team.

The Lockheed Martin team will begin construction in the first quarter of 2007 at Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport, LA. The ship will be delivered to the U.S. Navy in 2009. The U.S. Congress authorized and appropriated the funds for this additional ship in the fiscal year 2006 Department of Defense Appropriations Act.

"We are excited to continue our partnership with the U.S. Navy on the revolutionary Littoral Combat Ship program," said Dave Broadbent, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin's Littoral Ships & Systems business. "The team is committed to the LCS program and ready to begin work on our second ship. We continue to make tremendous progress on our first ship as we look forward to its christening this fall. This award enables our team to continue the Navy's vision for building its transformational fleet."

Bollinger Shipyards has already played an active role in the LCS program. During the construction of the first LCS, Freedom (LCS 1), Bollinger constructed one of the ship's stern modules, giving their Lockport workforce the opportunity to train on LCS processes and further demonstrating the strength and integration capabilities of the Lockheed Martin team.

Freedom, the nation's first LCS, is currently under construction at Marinette Marine in Marinette, WI. The Lockheed Martin team was awarded the contract for Freedom in December 2004, began construction of the ship in February 2005 and laid its keel in June 2005. The ship will be christened this fall and delivered to the U.S. Navy in 2007.

The Lockheed Martin team design for LCS is a survivable, semi-planing steel monohull that provides outstanding maneuverability with proven sea- keeping characteristics to support launch and recovery operations, mission execution and optimum crew comfort. The LCS will be the first surface combatant to be classed under the new Naval Vessel Rules by the American Bureau of Shipping.

The Lockheed Martin-led team includes naval architect Gibbs & Cox, ship builders Marinette Marine, a subsidiary of The Manitowoc Company, Inc., and Bollinger Shipyards, as well as best-of-industry domestic and international teammates to provide a flexible, low-risk warfighting solution.

Sea TALON Passes Testing Milestones

(Source: Lockheed Martin; issued July 10, 2006)

RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. --- Lockheed Martin's Sea TALON (Tactical Littoral Ocean Network) system successfully completed several significant testing milestones in its development as an Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) mission module for the U.S. Navy's Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).

Sea TALON is a unique undersea surveillance system that uses a Remote Towed Active Source (RTAS), a multi-band transducer networked with a Remote Towed Array (RTA), to provide search, detection and localization of quiet submarines in the littorals. Each array is towed by an unmanned, semi-autonomous, semi-submersible Remote Multi-Mission Vehicle (RMV), an ASW-variant of Lockheed Martin's AN/WLD-1 Remote Minehunting System. The RMV, launched and controlled remotely from a forward-deployed LCS, will provide the Navy's first unmanned, organic, real-time ASW capability, significantly enhancing ship and crew safety.

Recent testing conducted offshore of Lockheed Martin's Riviera Beach, FL facility verified two important parameters for the Sea TALON program's capabilities to serve aboard the LCS. The tests demonstrated that the RTAS and RTA could achieve the necessary depth for the best acoustic performance and that the RMV's stability was not affected during the towing of the active source and passive receiver at various speeds and depths.

"This marks another key milestone in the life of this essential program, which will provide an important new offboard ASW capability in the littoral battlespace at lower risk to ships and Sailors," said Captain Walt Wright, program manager at the U.S. Navy's LCS Mission Module Program Office (PMS-420) of the Program Executive Office for Littoral and Mine Warfare (PEO LMW). "Sea TALON successfully leverages several important Navy programs and technologies, including towed array development, use of common software baselines to achieve efficient use of computer programming resources, plus the unmanned vehicle and architecture from RMS. Its rapid development and maturity will enable successful delivery to the first LCS ASW Mission Package in 2008."

"We are delighted with the results of our array testing at sea, as well as the rapid progress of the overall program," said Jim Weitzel, vice president of Lockheed Martin's business unit in Riviera Beach. "Our teammates from the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Panama City, FL; the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, RI; and the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center in San Diego, CA have played a key role in the success of this program."

Further in-water testing is scheduled for late 2006 at the Navy's test facility at Seneca Lake near Syracuse, NY. Final integration and test will be conducted in 2007 at Lockheed Martin's Riviera Beach, FL facility.

Navy Awards Contract for Littoral Combat Ship Missile System

(Source: Raytheon Co.; issued Aug. 29, 2006)

DALLAS and TUCSON, Ariz. --- NetFires LLC, a limited liability company established by Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Company, has received a $54.8 million U.S. Navy contract for System Design and Development for the Non Line-of-Sight-Launch System for the Navy Littoral Combat Ships.

"This contract action brings a truly joint effort between the Army, Navy and the LLC to develop a common launcher that can fire the Precision Attack Missile and later accept future missile variants to meet current and future requirements for both services," said Col. Doug Dever, Non Line-of-Sight-Launch System project manager. The Non Line-of-Sight-Launch System is the Precision Attack Missile fired from a vertical launcher that can be deployed by air, ground or sea assets to quickly engage an enemy target.

"The NetFires LLC is committed to producing a system that will serve our forces well in those defining moments at sea or on the battlefield," said Ric Magness, president of NetFires LLC.

The Non Line-of-Sight-Launch System, consisting of the Precision Attack Missile and Container Launch Unit, has been selected as a surface warfare weapon for the Littoral Combat Ships, the Navy's next generation surface combatant. The Precision Attack Missile and Container Launch Unit will be the ship's premier engagement capability against surface threats such as small moving boats. The Navy expects to build in excess of 50 Littoral Combat Ships with the first ship, USS Freedom, being commissioned in fiscal year 2007. The Non Line-of-Sight-Launch System is slated for integration into the USS Independence in 2008.

The Precision Attack Missile is a low-cost direct attack missile that is seven inches in diameter and weighs about 117 pounds, and will provide a wide range of support up to 40 kilometers. It will include a variable thrust solid rocket motor, dual-mode uncooled infrared/semi-active laser seeker, and a multi-mode warhead. Two-way data links on the Precision Attack Missile will provide for re-tasking while in-flight and down-linking of images.

"Non Line-of-Sight-Launch System provides immediate, precise and responsive fires on high payoff targets with real time target acquisition and battle effects," said Scott Speet, NetFires LLC vice president. "This advanced weapon system now provides the U.S. Navy and its allies with the ability to have a single system solution to counter the asymmetric swarm attack threat that exists today, while supporting troops ashore with precision engagement and minimization of collateral damage. By leveraging our companies' expertise in targeting, command and control and precision attack, we can provide the Navy and the Army with cutting-edge solutions."

Northrop Wins Order for LCS Mission Packages

(Source: US Department of Defense; issued Oct. 13, 2006)

Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, Bethpage, N.Y., is being awarded a $15,467,183 cost-plus-award-fee modification under previously awarded contract (N00024-06-C-6311) to exercise an option to provide integration services for mission packages that will deploy from and integrate with the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).

The Navy's plan is to use spiral development to improve mission capability in identified mission areas. LCS mission packages will be optimized for flexibility in the littorals. Mission package capabilities are currently focused on primary mission areas of mine warfare emphasizing mine countermeasures, littoral anti-submarine warfare, and littoral surface warfare operations including prosecution of small boats.

The LCS mission packages are developed and acquired separately from the LCS Sea Frame.

Work will be performed in Washington, D.C. (43 percent); Bethpage, N.Y. (32 percent); Panama City, Fla. (19 percent); Hollywood, Md. (2 percent); San Diego, Calif. (2 percent); Dahlgren, Va. (2 percent), and is expected to be completed by January 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.

The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

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General Dynamics Awarded $13 Million USV Contract for LCS Mission Module

(Source: General Dynamics Robotic Systems; issued Oct. 19, 2006)

WESTMINSTER, Md. --- The U.S. Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SSC, San Diego) San Diego, Calif., has awarded General Dynamics Robotic Systems a $12.7 million contract for four Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) for the Littoral Combat Ship Anti-Submarine Warfare Mission Module. General Dynamics Robotic Systems is a part of General Dynamics Land Systems (Sterling Heights, Mich.), a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics.

As the prime contractor General Dynamics will provide the Navy with an 11- meter USV that is capable of long endurance missions while being highly efficient. General Dynamics will use its experience and expertise in design, development and integration to provide the command and control and systems integration.

The USV will employ towed arrays, dipping sonar sensors and acoustic sources as payloads to carry out its Anti-Submarine Warfare mission.

"We are honored to have been given the opportunity to design, integrate and deliver the Navy's premiere USV. We are excited at the prospect of incorporating our proven cutting-edge robotic technologies in a state-of-the- art unmanned surface vehicle platform," said Scott Myers, president of General Dynamics Robotic Systems.

General Dynamics' teammates include Navatek, Ltd. (Honolulu, Hawaii), Alion Science and Technology (Boulder, Colo.), Signal Systems Corporation (Severna Park, Md.), International Logistics Systems (Glen Rock, Pa.), and Chesapeake Sciences Corporation (Millersville, Md.).

Lockheed to Develop Minehunting Vehicle for LCS

(Source: US Department of Defense; issued Oct. 20, 2006)

Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems and Sensors (MS2) Electronics Park, a division of Lockheed Martin Corporation, Syracuse, N.Y., is being awarded a $13,155,945 cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price modification under previously awarded contract (N00024-05-C-6327) for level of effort engineering services in the development, demonstration and integrating of the Remote Mine-hunting Vehicle (RMV), with anti-submarine warfare systems mission module as part of the Littoral Combat Ship Anti-Submarine Warfare mission package, and for production of four installation and checkout kits with supporting equipment for four RMV units.

The RMVs will be incorporated into the DDG 91 through DDG 96 and LCS Class ships.

Work will be performed in Syracuse, N.Y (80 percent) and Riviera Beach, Fla. (20 percent), and is expected to be completed by January 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.

The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

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US Navy Orders Second Trimaran Littoral Combat Ship

(Source: US Department of Defense; issued Dec. 8, 2006)

Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, is being awarded a $208,060,756 cost-plus-incentive-fee/ award-fee modification under previously awarded contract (N00024-03-C-2310) to exercise an option for construction of one Flight 0 Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).

The LCS will be a networked, agile, and high-speed surface combatant with versatile warfighting capabilities optimized for littoral missions. Work will be performed in Mobile, Ala. (55 percent); Pittsfield, Mass. (24 percent); and Bath, Maine (21 percent), and is expected to be completed by August 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.

The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (ends)


A view of the trimaran Littoral Combat Ship design offered by General Dynamics. (General Dynamics photo)

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LCS "Independence" Takes Shape

(Source: Austal; issued Dec. 11, 2006)

The option for a second Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) has now been confirmed following the announcement in October 2005 for the first General Dynamics / Austal LCS.

Based on the 127-metre advanced Austal trimaran seaframe, which forms the platform for the ship’s operational and combat systems, the new vessel will be built alongside “Independence” that is currently in an advanced stage of construction in Austal’s Mobile, Alabama, USA shipyard.

Recent Navy reports have speculated on an expanded acquisition strategy, from 4 to a possible 17, for the Flight 0 fleet of LCSs that also includes an alternate monohull ship design. Commenting in September, Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development, and Acquisition), Dr Delores Etter, told Reuters,

“The U.S. Navy hopes to finalize its acquisition strategy for a new class of shore-hugging combat ships by mid-December.”

“The Navy has not yet announced whether it will choose one or both designs for full production of some 55 ships over the next decade -- or who would build them.”

"By the end of fall, we will have a pretty good idea of where we want to go with this. Both ships are really exciting. Both ships are doing great."

Etter said she was "really optimistic" LCS would become an example of a new way of building ships, with a focus on making them more affordable and building them quickly.

In addition, the prospect of foreign military sales of the LCS is also gaining increased interest and US Navy emphasis as the first of fleet vessels increasingly near completion. A reported 26 potential buyers exist worldwide for the ship and its companion equipment with two near-term contenders and four others that have expressed active interest.

Austal’s revolutionary trimaran LCS design offers superior seakeeping (rough weather capabilities) via its long, slender central hull that combined with smaller side hulls allows unequalled beam (width) creating a voluminous internal mission deck with a high payload carrying capacity. Above this is an enormous flight deck capable of handling dual H-60 helicopter operations, a feature not available on similar size naval vessels.

Ahh my new ship wish me luck LOL