Article Posted on : - Mar 19, 2012

WASHINGTON (BNS): The US Navy has awarded contracts to Lockheed Martin and Austal USA to build four more Littoral Combat Ships (LCSs) for it.

The contract, announced on March 16, is the third funding increment for each contractor under their previously awarded, fixed-price incentive "block buy" contracts for the design and construction of up to 10 ships.

The latest contract provides for the acquisition of a total of up to 20 littoral combat ships from 2010 to 2015, according to the Navy.

While Lockheed has received $715 million to build two LCSs, Austal USA has received $691.5 million to build two such ships.

The LCS, being developed in two variants, has been envisioned by the US Navy as a versatile, networked, agile, surface combatant capable of defeating anti-access and asymmetric threats in the littorals.

While Austal is building the Independence-class aluminum trimaran LCSs, Lockheed is developing the Freedom-class semi-planing mono-hull ships.

Lockheed has already built LCS 1, USS Freedom, for the Navy which was commissioned in 2008. The construction work for LCS 3, USS Fort Worth, is presently going on and the ship is expected to be delivered to the Navy in June, 2012.

Austal has built and delivered LCS 2, USS Independence, to the Navy in 2010, and is presently constructing LCS 4, Coronado, which is expected to be delivered in early 2013.

The US Navy intends to procure a total of 55 Littoral Combat Ships for multi-mission support.