The US Navy's next Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) has been named as Beloit, the navy announced on 9 October.
The future USS Beloit, LCS 29, will be constructed by Lockheed Martin with Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wisconsin.
The 387ft vessel will have a beam length of 57.4ft and will be able to travel at speeds in excess of 40kt. The Freedom-class LCS is a highly manoeuvrable, lethal and adaptable vessel designed to support missions including surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare and mine countermeasures.
The navy has accepted delivery of 16 LCS vessels to date. Including recent contract modifications, a total of 32 LCS have been procured with ten ships under construction.
RTX’s solution for DARPA’s Pulling Guard programme is intended to provide advanced maritime defence technologies to protect platforms against uncrewed surface vehicles and other threats.
The Spanish Navy’s Alvaro de Bazan-class of air defence frigates will receive the latest Aegis Weapon System technology among other modernisations to extend the service life to 2045.
Shipbuilders are saying the programme is going ahead on time as the government estimates 7.7 million tonnes of steel are needed for 2026 infrastructure projects.
In an exclusive interview with Shephard, Raytheon’s VP of Shipboard Missiles disclosed what improvements the company plans to offer for the Sea Sparrow NSV.
Delays in the construction of the Polar Security Cutter – the future substitute for the Polar Star – are likely to prolong the ageing icebreaker’s service time even more, putting the USCG in a risky position.
The adaptable design of Babcock’s Arrowhead 140 frigate, already selected by the UK Royal Navy and Poland, has led to more orders from Indonesia while other countries continue to weigh it up.
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