New Freedom-Variant Littoral Combat Ship Delivered to US Navy

Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) and Lockheed Martin have delivered “St.Louis” Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) to the United States Navy.

“Within the Littoral Combat Ship Program (LCS), the consortium consisting of Fincantieri, through its subsidiary Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM), and Lockheed Martin Corporation, has delivered St. Louis (LCS 19) to the US Navy at FMM’s shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin,” Fincantieri said in a statement last week.

The contract for Littoral Combat Ships was signed in 2010. The team has delivered ten ships to the navy so far, while six more are currently in various stages of construction.

The LCS is a set of two classes of relatively small surface vessels designed for operations near shore. The Freedom-class and the Independence-class are the first two LCS variants. The automated combat ship is capable of speeds in excess of 40 knots and is equipped with Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAM) and a Mark 110 gun, capable of firing 220 rounds per minute. It is enabled with the COMBATSS-21 Combat Management System, built from the Aegis Common Source Library, which drives commonality among the fleet.

The Freedom-variant LCS is designed to integrate modular weapons, as well as manned and unmanned vehicles to deliver critical warfighting capability to the fleet in mine counter measures, anti-surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare.