LCS Lives: They still count in Age of Frigates

[Haijun watcher]

Breaking Defense

LCS Lives: They Still Count In Age Of Frigates
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. on August 07, 2017 at 5:46 PM

Yes, the Navy has cut short its Littoral Combat Ship program and started work on a bigger, tougher, better-armed frigate. But the small ships will still be big part of the future fleet, experts we spoke to agreed, and the frigate will carry on much of the LCS legacy.

It�s true the Navy�s needs have changed, because the world has changed, with rising threats from major powers eclipsing Third World pirates � but the Littoral Combat Ship has changed as well. In particular, an LCS design conceived during the days of the �peace dividend� is being upgunned with both short- and long-range missiles that increase its relevance for major war.

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[Jack Ray]

Frigates remain the "bonne � tout faire" for all blue water navies.

Jack

[Haijun watcher]

Curtiss-Wright Selected By Raytheon to Provide Sonar Handling System for US Navy LCS

Navy Recognition - 22 September 2017

Curtiss-Wright�s Defense Solutions division announced that it has been selected by Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems to provide its innovative winch system technology for use in a new Variable Depth Sonar (VDS) for the U.S. Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) class. Raytheon recently announced that it had been awarded a contract by the U.S. Navy to develop the VDS, a mission-critical anti-submarine warfare asset that will be deployed from the LCS to locate and track submarines. Curtiss-Wright joins Raytheon's agile, dedicated team of industry experts committed to advancing the design to a full Pre-Production Test Article, expected to be complete in late 2018.

Curtiss-Wright will provide the handling system for the VDS of the Littoral Combat Ships - Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Mission Package. Curtiss Wright image.

[Haijun watcher]

Lockmart continues to promote the LCS despite the dissatisfaction among US officials that led to the FFG(X) program:

Defence-Blog

Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri Marinette Marine awarded contract to build LCS 27

By Dylan Malyasov -
Oct 9, 2017


The U.S. Navy awarded the Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) team a contract to build an additional LCS. The contract value is under the 2017 congressional cost cap of $584 million per ship.

LCS 27 will be built at Fincantieri Marinette Marine, the Midwest�s only naval shipyard, and is the 14th Freedom-variant LCS ordered by the U.S. Navy to date.

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[Haijun watcher]

SAAB RECEIVES FOLLOW-ON ORDER FOR SEA GIRAFFE AMB IN SUPPORT OF THE U.S. NAVY�S LCS PROGRAM

Saab

November 23, 2017

This order highlights Saab�s continued growth in the U.S. market. Sea Giraffe AMB�s U.S. military designation is AN/SPS-77. The work will take place at Saab in Syracuse, NY, U.S. and Gothenburg, Sweden. ...

To date, Sea Giraffe has been installed on the U.S. Navy�s Littoral Combat Ships LCS 2 (USS Independence), LCS 4 (USS Coronado), LCS 6 (USS Jackson), LCS 8 (USS Montgomery), LCS 10 (USS Gabrielle Giffords) and LCS 12 (USS Omaha). Additional systems are in various stages of manufacturing and testing to meet LCS construction schedules. Saab has also received an additional contract from General Dynamics with options for delivery of another 11 systems in the program through 2024.

In October 2017, the U.S. Navy announced it will deploy Sea Giraffe AMB on the U.S. Coast Guard�s newest class of ship, the Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC). Additionally, Saab is developing a derivative of Sea Giraffe AMB, known as AN/SPN-50, to meet the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command�s air traffic control requirements on aircraft carrier and amphibious assault class ships.

[Haijun watcher]

Navy Recognition

US Navy Commissioned Independence-class LCS USS Omaha (LCS 12)

February 2018
Posted On Sunday, 04 February 2018 16:30

The U.S. Navy commissioned the Austal-built Independence-class littoral combat ship (LCS) USS Omaha (LCS 12), during a ceremony Saturday, Feb. 3, in San Diego, California.

USS Omaha, designated LCS 12, is the 11th littoral combat ship to enter the fleet and the sixth of the Independence-variant design. It is the fourth warship named for the Nebraska city. The first ship was a propeller-driven sloop-of-war. The second ship was a light cruiser and the third Omaha was an attack submarine.

LCS is a modular, reconfigurable ship, designed to meet validated fleet requirements for surface warfare (SUW), anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and mine countermeasures (MCM) missions in the littoral region. An interchangeable mission package is embarked on each LCS and provides the primary mission systems in one of these warfare areas. Using an open architecture design, modular weapons, sensor systems and a variety of manned and unmanned vehicles to gain, sustain and exploit littoral maritime supremacy, LCS provides U.S. joint force access to critical areas in multiple theaters.

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[InchHigh]

Nothing illustrates how broken USN procurement is as well as the LCS fiasco.

[Haijun watcher]

Defense News

New data link to allow LCS to simultaneously get imagery from more than one aircraft
By: Valerie Insinna ? 2 hours ago

WASHINGTON � Today, a littoral combat ship can only receive surveillance data from one aircraft at a time. That is about to change due to new communications gear that will be fitted on LCS 25, 26 and 28, officials from L3 Technologies told Defense News.

The Navy has selected L3 to provide its Maritime Surface Terminal aboard Freedom-class LCS Marinette and Independence-class LCSs Mobile and Savannah, John Van Brabant, L3�s vice president of business development for Navy programs, said during an April 10 interview at the Navy League�s Sea-Air-Space Exposition.

L3 beat out competitor Cubic for the opportunity, and the company is moving into contract negotiations with Naval Air Systems Command with an award expected sometime this summer.

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[Haijun watcher]

LCS vessels as USCG cutters? Perhaps there should be a swap of NSC/Legend/Bertholf class cutters for the LCS with the USN getting the former.

Defense News

The Pentagon is poised to send the LCS to thwart narcos
By: Joe Gould and David B. Larter ? 4 minutes ago

WASHINGTON � The military is poised to decide whether it will use the Littoral Combat Ship to stop illegal drug shipments from South and Central America to the United States.

The move, amid pressure from lawmakers and the military command covering the Southern Hemisphere, signals a new intensity in combating the importing of illegal drugs amid a tidal wave of opioid deaths in the U.S. It also means a program that has seen near-constant churn as the Navy has struggled to integrate the ship into the fleet may have more change on the horizon--if it does have to gear up for a new mission.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joe Dunford told lawmakers at an April 12 hearing that the Pentagon was reviewing what role the littoral combat ship could play in supporting counter-narcotics operations in U.S. Southern Command, something SOUTHCOM boss Adm. Kurt Tidd has asked for.

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[Haijun watcher]

Portsmouth Herald/Military.com

Seasoned Female Officer Will Command Newest Littoral Combat Ship
Portsmouth Herald, N.H. 21 May 2018 By Hadley Barndollar

PORTSMOUTH -- The strength and force of the 608-ton, 421-foot future USS Manchester is undeniable. But perhaps one of the most historic aspects of the U.S. Navy's newest littoral combat ship is the clout of the women behind it.

USS Manchester Cmdr. Emily Bassett has made five deployments, earned two master's degrees and held leadership positions on four U.S. Navy vessels.

U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., had her initials welded onto the hull of the USS Manchester during the keel laying ceremony. A member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, Shaheen is the official sponsor of the ship that honors New Hampshire's Queen City. She is also considered a permanent honorary crew member.

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[Haijun watcher]

Fair seas and smooth sailing, Cdr. Basset!

Associated Press/Military.com

USS Manchester Departs New Hampshire After Commissioning

The Associated Press 30 May 2018

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. � The U.S. Navy's newest warship that was commissioned over the weekend has departed New Hampshire.

The USS Manchester was commissioned Saturday in Portsmouth after a week of events. WMUR-TV reports the ship, along with its 70 crew members, departed on Tuesday for its new home port of San Diego, California.

Officials say its first mission will be to help train deploying Navy crews.

Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen is a sponsor of the USS Manchester and one of its many connections to the state. The ship is named for New Hampshire's largest city.

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[Haijun watcher]

US Naval Institute

Raytheon Awarded LCS Over-the-Horizon Anti-Surface Weapon Contract; Deal Could be Worth $848M
By: Sam LaGrone
May 31, 2018 5:22 PM � Updated: May 31, 2018 5:50 PM

The Norwegian-designed Naval Strike Missile has been officially selected to serve as the Littoral Combat Ship�s over-the-horizon anti-ship weapon, according to a Thursday Pentagon contract announcement.

The $14.8 million contract awarded to Raytheon will purchase the first round of missiles that will be incorporated on to the Freedom and Independence variants of the Littoral Combat Ships as part of Fiscal Year 2018 funds for OTH weapon research and development. The value could grow to $847.6 million if all contract options are exercised.

The award calls for the delivery of the Kongsberg designed, �encanistered missiles loaded into launching mechanisms; and a single fire control suite.� The contract did not specify how many missiles were paid for in the contract, but USNI News understands the Thursday award buys about a dozen missiles.

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[pgollin]

.

So with all these LCS in the fleet have the navy decided which is better , or will they cravenly give in to politicians and jeep building both types.

.

[maxim]

Is that not too late? I.e. the number of LCS is already reduced compared to the original plans, but ships of both classes are built.

Freedom class:
Planned: 14
On order: 1
Building: 8
Completed: 5


Independence class:
Planned: 15
On order: 2
Building: 6
Completed: 7

I.e. there are only three ships still on order. The next ships will be not LCS, but ships of the still to be chosen FFG(X) design. Or are there still plans for additional LCS!?

[Haijun watcher]

From last week:

Associated Press/Military.com

US Navy Designates New Fighting Ship USS Cleveland

The Associated Press 9 Oct 2018
CLEVELAND � The United States Navy has designated a new ship as the USS Cleveland, the fourth since World War I.
Under Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly made the announcement on Monday, saying the ship will be a littoral combat ship meant for coastline missions. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports Modly made the announcement at the USS Cod Submarine Memorial in Cleveland.

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[Haijun watcher]

Giving the LCS more teeth?


Defense News

The US Navy�s new ship-killer missile slated to make its fleet debut much sooner than expected
By: David B. Larter ? 51 minutes ago

PARIS � The U.S. Navy is pushing to deploy its new over-the-horizon anti-ship missile by the late next year, months ahead of its original target date, according to industry executives familiar with the initiative.

The service selected Kongsberg and Raytheon�s Naval Strike Missile as its first new anti-ship missile in decades earlier this year for it littoral combat ship over-the-horizon missile, giving the LCS much-needed teeth as it operates inside Russian and Chinese anti-access envelopes. With the first major deployments of the ships in years planned for 2019, the surface Navy is in a full-court press to accelerate its integrate the new missile on the ship, months ahead of its original target date.

[Haijun watcher]

A belated update on the newest member of the class:

Military.com

USS Sioux City Heads for Annapolis Ahead of November Commissioning

The Navy combat ship soon to be commissioned at the Naval Academy next month is officially underway for Annapolis.
The littoral combat ship to be named USS Sioux City left Marinette, Wisconsin on Oct. 23 and is making its way to Annapolis, where it will dock at Dewey Field on Nov. 10 for its commissioning on Nov. 17.(EDITED)

[Haijun watcher]

From last week:

Military.com

USS Sioux City Commissioned in Annapolis in Front of 4,000 People
19 Nov 2018
Capital (Annapolis) | By Chase Cook
Most history majors read about it rather than make it.
Not Lt. Cmdr. Timothy Orth, a 2007 Naval Academy graduate who made history Saturday alongside the other crew members and leaders of the USS Sioux City. It is the first Freedom-class warship commissioned at the Naval Academy and the first naval ship to take the name of the fourth largest city in Iowa.
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[Haijun watcher]

Military.com

Navy Brass Optimistic as Littoral Combat Ship Readies to Deploy After Hiatus
16 Jan 2019
Military.com | By Patricia Kime
Without delving into specifics, Vice Commander of Naval Operations Adm. Bill Moran said Tuesday that the Navy is "rightfully optimistic that littoral combat ships will deploy this year "100 percent fit and 100 percent full."
Vice Adm. Richard Brown, commander of Naval Surface Forces, said last week that the service plans to deploy three LCSs this year -- two from the West Coast and one from the East Coast. The deployments would mark a return to the sea for the ships for the first time in nearly two years.
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[Haijun watcher]

MIlitary.com

Navy Prepares to Add New Ship-Killer Missile to LCS
23 Jan 2019
Military.com | By Patricia Kime
The U.S. Navy is moving ahead with plans to bolster the firepower of its littoral combat ships, adding new capabilities to the vessels that will improve their lethality and survivability in a conflict, a Lockheed Martin executive said Jan. 17.
Plans are underway to equip the LCS with the Naval Strike Missile, an over-the-horizon anti-ship missile made by the Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence and Raytheon that Joe DePietro, Lockheed's vice president of small combatants and ship systems, described as having a "long-range surface-to-surface capability that exceeds what the [Boeing-made] Harpoons can do today on current surface combatants."
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