Austal USA recently delivered the fourth “Independence” class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) to the US Navy. The ship named USS Mobile is the 13th “Independence” class LCS and the 4th delivered to the US Navy this year. 

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The four LCSs are currently under various stages of construction at the Austal Alabama Shipyard. The future USS Savannah (LCS 28) is being prepared for naval trials, while the assembly for the future USS Canberra (LCS 30) and USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32) is underway. Parts of the future USS Augusta (LCS 34) are also under construction at the Austal USA shipyard. 

LCSs are high-speed, flexible platforms designed to support a wide range of missions such as littoral and open ocean operations. They are designed to defeat asymmetric anti-access threats such as mines, small and silent submarines and fast surface vessels such as rockets. 

The US Navy has commissioned two companies to build two different LCSs. One of them, the Freedom class, is developed by Lockheed Martin, and the second, the Independence class, is designed by General Dynamics’ Bath Iron Works (BIW), while Austal USA, a subsidiary of Austal Australia, builds the 127-meter aluminum trimaran.

The first order for the “Independence” prototype was assigned to BIW and Austal LCS in October 2005, while a second contract was assigned to BIW and Austal LCS in May 2009. In December 2010, Austal, as the main contractor, received a contract worth more than of $ 3.5 billion to build up to 10 additional “Independence” class LCSs with a total purchase of 19 vessels. 

According to the manufacturer, at any given time, at least six LCSs are under various stages of construction at Austal’s advanced facility in Mobile, Alabama. 

Specifications of “Independence” class LCS: 

• Autonomy: 4000 nautical miles at a speed of 14 knots
• Length: 127.10 meters 
• Draft: 4.5 meters
• Flight deck capability: 2 x SH-60 helicopters
• Crew: 40 people 
• Missions: ASW (Anti-submarine warfare), SUW (surface warfare), MIW (mine warfare)
• Main engines: 2 x GE LM2500
• Speed: Up to 40 knots 
• Hangar: Two MH-60 helicopters or one MH-60 helicopter and three unmanned aerial vehicles (M-8B UAVs)

Equipment and sensors

The ship features a Raytheon SeaRAM defence system, installed on the roof of the hangar, and a 57 mm Mk110 gun from BAE Systems as well as four 0.50” machine gun stations. In addition, it features 24 Hellfire 114L missiles, the ability to launch NSM missiles to hit targets at distances up to 185 km and the Nulka decoy system (similar to “Freedom” class LCS).

The “Independence” class ships feature, among others, 3D Sea Giraffe radar, a FLIR SeaStar Safire system and a Northrop Grumman combat system. 

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