Four More Littoral Combat Ships Ordered

The US Navy (USN) has awarded contract modifications worth USD1.38 billion in total to Austal USA and Lockheed Martin for the construction of four Littoral Combat Ships (LCS).

Austal has received USD684 million to build two more aluminium trimaran Independence-class vessels; Lockheed Martin was awarded USD699 million to build two steel monohull Freedom-class variants.

The awards are part of a dual 'block-buy' contract that was awarded by the USN in 2010 for the construction of 10 LCS by each contractor over the fiscal year (FY) 2010-2015 period.

In a statement released on 11 March, Australian shipbuilder Austal Limited said that the additional vessels will be the seventh and eighth warships it would build under its 10-vessel, USD3.5 billion contract.

The company currently has five LCS vessels under various stages of construction at its shipyard in Mobile, Alabama including USS Jackson (LCS 6), Austal's first as prime contractor. General Dynamics, in partnership with Austal, was the prime on lead ship USS Independence (LCS 2) and pre-commissioning unit Coronado (LCS 4), which is to commission on 5 April. Jackson was launched in December 2013 and is preparing for sea trials before scheduled delivery by the end of 2014. Montgomery (LCS 8) is scheduled for launch in the fourth quarter of 2014.

For Lockheed Martin, the award provides funds to construct the seventh and eighth Freedom-class ships under the block-buy arrangement. Indianapolis (LCS 17) and the yet-to-be-named LCS 19 will follow sister ships Little Rock (LCS 9), Sioux City (LCS 11), Wichita (LCS 13), and Billings (LCS 15), which are in various stages of construction at Fincantieri's Marinette Marine Corp yard in Marinette, Wisconsin.

Milwaukee (LCS 5), Lockheed Martin's first ship under the block-buy contract, was launched in December 2013, and is preparing for trials expected to begin by the fourth quarter of 2014.

"We hope to complete dock, sea, and acceptance trials before the end of the year," Joe North, Lockheed Martin's vice-president of littoral ships and systems, told IHS Jane's on 6 March. Detroit (LCS 7) is to be launched in mid-2014.

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