US Navy to commission LCS 18
The US Navy is set to commission its eighth Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), the future USS Charleston (LCS 18), at Columbus Street Terminal in Charleston, South Carolina, on 2 March.
The ship will be homeported in San Diego, California.
The future USS Charleston has been designed to support operations in near-shore environments as well as in the open ocean. The vessel is capable of countering asymmetric anti-access threats such as mines, quiet diesel submarines and fast surface craft.
The LCS class consists of two variants, the Freedom variant and the Independence variant, designed and built by two industry teams. The Independence variant team is led by Austal USA, Mobile, Alabama.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Five years on: where could opportunities emerge next for AUKUS Pillar II?]()
Five years on: where could opportunities emerge next for AUKUS Pillar II?
Payload commonality, combat systems and electronic warfare are emerging as likely priorities as the trilateral partnership balances building submarines with sharing industrial ecosystems.
-
![From the Baltic to the Gulf: where USV procurement is heading next]()
From the Baltic to the Gulf: where USV procurement is heading next
Saildrone’s new Copenhagen base is one sign of a larger shift, as navies globally turn to uncrewed vessels for surveillance and mine clearance.
-
![Quantum sensing gathers pace as navies eye undersea advantage]()
Quantum sensing gathers pace as navies eye undersea advantage
As AI dominates defence conversations, industry increasingly points to quantum sensing as the technology set to change submarine and uncrewed underwater vehicle operations.
