Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri Marinette Marine marked the construction of Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) 29, the future USS Beloit, with a keel laying ceremony at the Marinette facility on 22 July.
To date, four Freedom-variant LCS have deployed to support US Navy presence and peacekeeping missions, with LCS 7 (USS Detroit, pictured) partnering with a US Navy destroyer to serve interdiction missions in the US Southern Command Area of Responsibility in May this year.
The vessel is the fifteenth Freedom-variant LCS and will join a class of more than 30 ships in service. The Beloit is one of six LCS in various stages of construction and test at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard.
The Freedom-variants are designed to deliver capability in ASW, ASuW and mine countermeasure missions.
In addition, some LCS are being upgraded with the Naval Strike Missile to increase lethality, with future installations of improved EW and ECM under development.
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