MARINETTE, Wis., June 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lockheed
Martin (NYSE: LMT)-led shipbuilding team launched Littoral Combat
Ship (LCS) 21, the future USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul into the Menominee River at the
Fincantieri Marinette Marine Shipyard. Ship sponsor Jodi J. Greene, Deputy Under Secretary of the
U.S. Navy for Policy, christened LCS 21 just prior to launch.
"LCS is the second largest ship class in the U.S. Navy, and
Lockheed Martin is proud to deliver capability and added force
projection with each additional hull," said Joe DePietro, Lockheed Martin vice president and
general manager of Small Combatants and Ship Systems. "LCS is ready
to serve a variety of missions, and our team is working with the
Navy to add lethality and survivability enhancements to meet the
missions sailors will face in the future."
Unique among combat ships, LCS is designed to complete
close-to-shore missions and is a growing and relevant part of the
Navy's fleet.
- It is flexible—with 40 percent of the hull easily
reconfigurable, LCS can be modified to integrate capabilities
including over-the-horizon missiles, advanced electronic warfare
systems and decoys, and in the future, vertical launching systems
or laser weapon systems.
- It is fast—capable of speeds in excess of 40 knots.
- It is automated—with the most efficient staffing of any
combat ship.
- It is lethal—standard equipped with Rolling Airframe
Missiles (RAM) and a Mark 110 gun, capable of firing 220 rounds per
minute.
"Littoral combat ships are designed to operate in more areas
than a typical Navy ship, including shallow water near the
coastline," said the ship's sponsor and Northfield, Minnesota native Deputy
Undersecretary of the Navy Jodi Greene. "Consequently, LCS 21 is
going to bring the name 'Minneapolis-Saint Paul' all around the globe."
Lockheed Martin is in full-rate production and has delivered
eight ships to the U.S. Navy. There are eight ships in various
stages of production and test. This year, Lockheed Martin and
Fincantieri Marinette Marine will begin construction on two ships,
deliver two ships, complete sea trials for two ships and see three
ships commissioned (LCS 13, 15 and 17).
"We take great pride in building the future USS
Minneapolis-Saint Paul and all of
the freedom variant ships," said Jan
Allman, Fincantieri Marinette Marine president and CEO. "LCS
21 and her sister ships will soon represent the interests of
the United States where and when
needed."
A variety of multimedia resources are available for
download:
- Highlight video: https://vimeo.com/342477830
- B-roll video: https://vimeo.com/342476655
- Speaker
video: https://vimeo.com/342481053
-
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/143371902@N04/albums/72157709098021606/with/48068565331/
For more information, visit www.lockheedmartin.com/lcs.
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a
global security and aerospace company that employs approximately
100,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the
research, design, development, manufacture, integration and
sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.
This year the company received three Edison Awards for
ground-breaking innovations in autonomy, satellite technology and
directed energy.
About Fincantieri Marinette Marine
Fincantieri is the
leading western shipbuilder with a rich history dating back more
than 230 years, and a track record of building more than 7,000
ships. Fincantieri Marine Group is the American subsidiary of
Fincantieri, and operates three Great Lakes Shipyards: Fincantieri
Marinette Marine, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, and Fincantieri ACE
Marine. Fincantieri Marine Group's more than 2,100 steelworkers,
craftsman, engineers and technicians in the United States specialize in the design,
construction and maintenance of merchant ships and government
vessels, including for the United States Navy and Coast Guard.
About Gibbs & Cox
Gibbs & Cox, the nation's
leading independent maritime solutions firm specializing in naval
architecture, marine engineering and design, is headquartered in
Arlington, Virginia. The company,
founded in 1929, has provided designs for nearly 80 percent of the
current U.S. Navy surface combatant fleet; approaching 7,000 naval
and commercial ships have been built to Gibbs & Cox
designs.
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SOURCE Lockheed Martin