Lockheed Martin Wins $450M Contract to Support Construction of Saudi Arabia’s Four Surface Ships

Lockheed Martin has won $450.7 million modification contract for long-lead-time material and detail design in support of the construction of four Multi Mission Surface Combatant ships. 

The Multi-Mission Surface Combatant is a lethal and highly maneuverable surface combatant capable of littoral and open ocean operation. This contract involves Foreign Military Sales to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United States department of defense said in a statement Monday.

Work is expected to be completed by October 2025.

Lockheed Martin MMSC is a derivative of the US Navy’s Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). It was selected for the Royal Saudi Naval Forces’ (RSNF) multi-mission surface combat ship requirement.

The US State Department approved a possible $11.25billion sale of four MMSCs and associated equipment to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in October 2015. A letter of offer and acceptance for the sale was signed by the US Navy and Saudi Arabia in May 2017.

The MMSC platform can be configured with a variety of sensors and weapons based on operational requirements of the naval customer. It also allows for interoperability with the US Navy and allied naval forces in joint operations.

The ship can counter a range of current and future maritime threats in both open sea and littoral zones. Its mission capabilities include anti-surface warfare (ASuW), anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-air warfare (AAW), mine warfare, electronic warfare, and special operations.