The US Navy's (USN) littoral combat ship (LCS) program me, one of the largest defence contracts in Wisconsin-USA, remains afloat even as critics say planned changes aren't enough to make the vessels more suitable for warfare. The USN wants the high-speed warships as fast as they can be built, Joe North, Vice President of littoral ships and systems for Lockheed Martin, said.
Currently, the Marinette Marine shipyard in Marinette employs about 1,500 people building the combat vessels designed for a variety of missions including shallow, coastal waters. Working together, Lockheed Martin and Marinette Marine have delivered two of the ships, the USS FREEDOM and USS FORT WORTH, to the USN. Six more of the vessels are in various stages of construction at the shipyard north of Green Bay. Two of the ships are being readied for testing. The programme has been a mainstay of employment at the shipyard and hundreds of its suppliers, including companies in the Milwaukee area.
Last month, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel approved a USN proposal to buy 20 modified LCS after 2019 with improved armour and more capable weapons. The decision was a reprieve for Lockheed Martin and Marinette, because some critics wanted to scuttle the programme. But last week, a Pentagon official said the modifications approved by Hagel weren't sufficient and only a new ship or a "major modification" to the existing blueprint would make the vessels much more resistant to combat damage.
The USN has said it's satisfied with the LCS, including a different design built by Austal in Mobile, AL.
The USS FORT WORTH was delivered to the Navy in 2012 and has since traveled more than 40,000 nautical miles. The warship carries a Sikorsky SEAHAWK helicopter, rigid-hull inflatable boats, and sonar gear. With its shallow draft, it can navigate through reefs and other places a bigger vessel couldn't reach. The 377ft ships have interchangeable modules that enable them to hunt for submarines, search for underwater mines or conduct surface warfare. Earlier, critics said the modules couldn't be changed fast enough for use in combat. But the goal was to be able to change them in 72 hours, and it's been done in less time than that, according to North.
The next version of the lLCS is expected to be less modular, although it will retain some of those capabilities, according to USN insiders. It's expected to have additional armour, improved defence systems, an improved air surveillance radar, and more powerful weapons, including surface-to-surface missiles.
Currently, the Marinette Marine shipyard in Marinette employs about 1,500 people building the combat vessels designed for a variety of missions including shallow, coastal waters. Working together, Lockheed Martin and Marinette Marine have delivered two of the ships, the USS FREEDOM and USS FORT WORTH, to the USN. Six more of the vessels are in various stages of construction at the shipyard north of Green Bay. Two of the ships are being readied for testing. The programme has been a mainstay of employment at the shipyard and hundreds of its suppliers, including companies in the Milwaukee area.
Last month, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel approved a USN proposal to buy 20 modified LCS after 2019 with improved armour and more capable weapons. The decision was a reprieve for Lockheed Martin and Marinette, because some critics wanted to scuttle the programme. But last week, a Pentagon official said the modifications approved by Hagel weren't sufficient and only a new ship or a "major modification" to the existing blueprint would make the vessels much more resistant to combat damage.
The USN has said it's satisfied with the LCS, including a different design built by Austal in Mobile, AL.
The USS FORT WORTH was delivered to the Navy in 2012 and has since traveled more than 40,000 nautical miles. The warship carries a Sikorsky SEAHAWK helicopter, rigid-hull inflatable boats, and sonar gear. With its shallow draft, it can navigate through reefs and other places a bigger vessel couldn't reach. The 377ft ships have interchangeable modules that enable them to hunt for submarines, search for underwater mines or conduct surface warfare. Earlier, critics said the modules couldn't be changed fast enough for use in combat. But the goal was to be able to change them in 72 hours, and it's been done in less time than that, according to North.
The next version of the lLCS is expected to be less modular, although it will retain some of those capabilities, according to USN insiders. It's expected to have additional armour, improved defence systems, an improved air surveillance radar, and more powerful weapons, including surface-to-surface missiles.