Contractors market LCS boats to Navy

[unhappycamper]

The littoral combat ship Freedom, shown moored to the pier at Naval Station Norfolk in December, was commissioned in Nov. 2008.


Contractors market LCS boats to Navy
By Philip Ewing - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Feb 2, 2009 6:52:15 EST

The Navy’s first littoral combat ship, the Freedom, has only been in commission for a little more than three months, but contractors are already aspiring to add new boats and accessories to go with the “pickup truck” warship.

Defense giants Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman each used the mid-January Surface Navy Association symposium outside Washington to showcase designs for experimental, modular boats that could potentially deploy from an LCS close to shore and venture up shallow lakes and rivers. Although the Navy hasn’t asked for new LCS equipment beyond the three mission packages it has already designed — for mine countermeasures, surface and anti-submarine warfare — contractors believe someday there’ll be a need for the new boats they’re pitching.

“Truth in advertising: I can’t tell you there’s a market now, but we believe in time, it’ll happen,” said Ronald Harris, director of requirements and customer solutions for Lockheed Martin.

Navy Secretary Donald Winter and Marine Commandant Gen. James Conway have both mused about LCS becoming a “mini-gator,” a way to ferry ashore Marines or special operators. Plus, Navy planners have said they want LCS to take on diplomatic and military-to-military training missions, showing the flag in shallow-water ports where today’s deeper-draft ships can’t go.


Rest of article about this $600 million POS at: http://navytimes.com/news/2009/02/navy_newlcsboats_020209/%2e

[unhappycamper]

1. Kicking because this is still the #1 story on Navy Times.

:kick: