Marines Eye LCS for Future Missions

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Marines Eye LCS for Future Missions
January 15, 2009
Marine Corps News

PANAMA CITY, Ha. - The Marine Corps is considering new ways in which it could employ the Navy's new littoral combat ships.

"We're working on an assessment of what we can put on the LCS," the chief of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Lt. Gen. George FIynn, told a recent Expeditionary Warfare conference. "There's a potential for maybe two or three mission modules."

The shallow-draft warship that sailors will employ in mine warfare, surface warfare and antisubmarine warfare missions still is in development and testing.

Flynn, who has been aboard both lead ships - the USS Freedom (LCS-I) built by Lockheed Martin Corp. and the USS Independence (LCS-2) built by General Dynamics, told reporters that it was important for him to "see the art of the possible."

He said the Marine Corps commandant asked him to think about putting a "box of rockets" aboard the ship, which would turn it into a naval surface fire platform. "We still need to talk to the Navy a little bit more about that, but there's a possibility here. You could use that ship for some of those missions," he said.


Rest of article about these $600 million wonders at: http://www.military.com/news/article/marine-corps-news/marines-eye-lcs-for-future-missions.html?col=1186032366495