Each mission package will be manned by a detachment
of 15 Sailors, who will report to the LCS Class Squadron
in San Diego. The aviation detachments from helicopter
squadrons will be manned by 23 personnel.
The mission systems and support container packages are designed to be transportable by truck, cargo
aircraft, rail car or sealift, according to Baribeau, for
staging to ports for swap-out.
Surface warfare mission package engineering testing on Freedom is scheduled for late 2009, followed by
ASW engineering testing in 2010. MCM developmental testing and operational assessment and surface
warfare and ASW development testing are scheduled
for 2010 through early 2011.
Operational testing for all three mission packages
will start in 2011, continuing into 2012, Baribeau
said. For Independence, ASW mission package engineering testing is scheduled for late 2009, followed by
surface warfare engineering testing in 2010.
Moosally is concerned about the delay in contract
awards for the LCS and the detrimental effects it may
have on the work force at the Marinette Marine ship-
yard. Bollinger Shipyards Inc. in Lockport, La., also
remains part of Lockheed Martin’s plan for production
of the LCS.
“We need another contract soon,” he said. “The LCS
contracts will be fixed-price and [do] not even allow
for inflation. This is where you start running into
issues.”
The 2009 defense budget being legislated by
Congress at press time may provide some relief for
inflation. Congress previously set a cost cap of $460
million per ship.
Moosally was upbeat with the announced acquisition of Manitowoc Marine Group by Fincantieri,
Trieste, Italy, one of the world’s biggest shipbuilders.
Fincantieri is expected to invest $100 million in the
Marinette Marine shipyard, a subsidiary of Manitowoc.
Regarding potential international sales, Lockheed
Martin is studying how to adapt its LCS design for the
Israel Navy and the combat system that such a ship
would require. Lockheed Martin also is in discussions
with Saudi Arabia about the LCS replacing 12 ships in
the kingdom’s eastern fleet. ■
