The littoral combat ship USS Montgomery (LCS 8) enters dry dock for Post Shakedown Availability (PSA) at San Diego Ship Repair on May 19, 2017. US Navy photo.
The Navy could reach a 355-ship fleet 10 to 15 years faster than current plans allow if it extended the service life of today’s surface ships by five or 10 years each, effectively cutting in half the time it would take to complete the fleet buildup, the commander of Naval Sea Systems Command said today. Read More
The following is the May 19, 2017 Congressional Research Service report, Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS)/Frigate Program: Background and Issues for Congress. Read More
The following is a May 12, 2017 letter from Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) to President Donald Trump on preserving the production of the Littoral Combat Ship. Read More
USS Jackson (LCS 6) successfully completed the first of three scheduled full ship shock trials June 10. US Navy photo.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Full ship shock trials on both variants of the Littoral Combat Ship proved the ships are survivable and will only need “relatively minor modifications,” according to Navy written testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee, but the Pentagon’s top operational tester warned in his written testimony that the shocks were performed at reduced severity due to concerns about excessive damage to the ships. Read More
Sailors assigned to Surface Warfare Mission Package Detachment 2 prepare to be hoisted out of the water by the littoral combat ship USS Coronado’s (LCS 4) twin-boom-extensible crane following a visit, board, search and seizure training exercise on Aug. 15, 2015. US Navy photo.
The path to a 350-ship fleet supported by President-elect Donald Trump will not be any easy one in the face of continued sequestration. Read More
Assistant Secretary of the Navy Research, Development and Acquisition Sean J. Stackley visits Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head, Md. US Navy Photo
The Navy is doing “the best we can do for the dollars we have” but has developed its attack submarine acquisition plan, cruiser modernization plan and Littoral Combat Ship/frigate downselect plan based on funding shortfalls rather than strategic needs, Navy acquisition chief Sean Stackley told the House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee. Read More
USS Freedom (LCS-1), left, and USS Independence (LCS-2) in 2012. US Navy Photo
The senior leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) took aim at almost every aspect of the Littoral Combat Ship program in letter issued last week to the heads of the U.S. Navy. Read More
An artist’s conception for variants of the Freedom-class LCS design provided to USNI News. Lockheed Martin Image
A potential bright side for Lockheed Martin — if Secretary of Defense Ash Carter’s proposed trim of Littoral Combat Ship and frigates goes through – is its Wisconsin shipyard could have more flexibility to build four planned ships for the Royal Saudi Arabian Navy, a Lockheed official told reports on Monday. Read More
USS Jackson (LCS-6) during its christening ceremony at Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Ala. in 2014. US Navy Photo
The sixth littoral combat ship – USS Jackson (LCS-6) – was commissioned on Saturday in a ceremony in Gulfport, Miss. Read More
A Lockheed Martin concept for variations of the Freedom-class LCS design from corvette to Frigate sized hulls. Lockheed Martin Photo
Saudi Arabia is leaning toward buying a variant of the Lockheed Martin Littoral Combat Ship as a key component of a long-awaited multi-billion dollar refresh of its Eastern Fleet in a deal that could close as early as year’s end, according to press reports confirmed by USNI News. Read More
