US Navy names LCS 29
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.
More from Naval Warfare
-
Industry sees opportunity in Australia’s shift to networked undersea warfare
Australia’s new defence innovation strategy indicates a shift from platform-centric to network-centric undersea warfare, with Ocius and Anduril Industries pointing to fast-growing opportunities for local industry.
-
Asia-Pacific emerges as the largest export market for US-made USVs
Asian customers have placed one of the largest known international purchases of US-built uncrewed surface vessels, highlighting accelerating regional demand for autonomous maritime capabilities and distributed naval operations.
-
RTX confirms US Marine Corps and US Navy acquire Hadalus UUV
RTX told Shephard that the Hadalus UUV has been procured by the US Marine Corps and the Office of Naval Research for operational experimentation as the company prepares additional demonstrations with the US Navy, NATO and AUKUS partners.
-
The UK joins the movement towards joint procurement
The UK will spend an estimated US$3.89 billion over the next decade in joint naval programmes, a lot of which will be in cooperation with Norway.
-
Rheinmetall’s GMF 140: Ambitious frigate or market misfit?
Rheinmetall has unveiled its first next-generation frigate design, showing ambitions to compete as a surface combatant prime contractor. While the company is targeting North America, analysts believe the concept may be better positioned for future European programmes.