General Dynamics Littoral Combat Ship
The General Dynamics LCS concept features an innovative, high-speed trimaran hull that delivers one of the largest useable payload volumes of any US Navy surface combatant afloat today. Its very large and stable flight deck that rests higher above the water than any US Navy surface combatant will support near-simultaneous operation of two SH-60 helicopters, one H-53 helicopter or multiple unmanned aerial vehicles. Coupled with the inherent stability of the trimaran hull form, the ship is capable of conducting operations in Sea State 8 conditions and performing full flight operations through Sea State 5. The Littoral Combat Ship is a key element of the Navy's plan to address asymmetric threats. Intended to operate in coastal areas of the globe, the ship will be fast, highly maneuverable and geared to supporting mine detection/elimination, anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare, particularly against small surface craft. The General Dynamics approach features an innovative trimaran hull that enables the ship to reach sustainable speeds of nearly 50 knots and range as far as 10,000 nautical miles with an unmatched interior volume and payload. The ship is designed to allow a crew of fewer than 40 sailors to fully operate, maintain and defend it.
Key characteristics of the ship proposed by the General Dynamics team include:
- Capable of supporting several missions simultaneously.
- Open-architecture information systems enable over-the-horizon surveillance and reconnaissance, global networking and coordinated air, surface and undersea tactical picture.
- Incorporation of stealth technologies increases ship and crew survivability.
- Shallow draft allows operations near the shore.
- More payload per ton of displacement than any previous U.S. warship.
- Huge interior volume delivers enhanced mission capabilities and endurance.
- Supports concurrent and simultaneous operation of two large (H-60) helicopters.
General Dynamics Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) trimaran hull concept vastly improves performance on a wide range of sea conditions enabling extended warfighting availability to the US Navy. The slender center hull and two smaller side hulls gives the smaller ship the operational characteristics of a larger craft providing greater stability in rough seas and combat conditions. Further improving performance, the aluminum structure and selective use of steel provides huge advantages of stability and buoyancy, improved damage protection, reduced magnetic signature (quieter operations) and significant increases in the ship's usable interior space compared to a monohull design. The General Dynamics LCS design has the performance to bring more warfighting capability to the mission front. Modular launch systems and an extended flight deck provide maximum flexibility and enable rapid deployment of UAV, sensors and mission personnel. The General Dynamics LCS solution has the speed and capacity to traverse the changing seas of today's asymmetric threats, providing wider operation envelope (sea keeping, speed, endurance, stability), concurrent helicopter and UAV operations, and quick mission module change
Growth margin is a basic principle on which the General Dynamics Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) is built. Growth margin allows the ship to be tailorable to future missions, whatever the U.S. Navy may find it needs. Beyond today's planned missions, the General Dynamics LCS has the capacity and flexibility to support new Joint Operational Concepts. Joint seabasing will become a critical element of the national defense strategy. Due to the growth margin of the General Dynamics LCS, the ship could provide larger, new joint combat mission packages and serve as a high-speed transport and maneuver platform. In a single lift, the General Dynamics LCS can carry multiple Strykers, armored Humvees, and their associated troops at speeds in excess of 40 knots. The General Dynamics LCS Solution has the cargo space and weight capacity to hold mission systems of today and tomorrow to provide maximum flexibility for the U.S. Navy's future warfighting needs.
The General Dynamics approach features an innovative trimaran hull that enables the ship to reach sustainable speeds of nearly 50 knots and range as far as 10,000 nautical miles with an unmatched interior volume and payload. The ship is designed to allow a crew of fewer than 40 sailors to fully operate, maintain and defend it. With a focus on affordability, LCS will provide the Navy with the capability to defeat terrorist swarm boats, mines, and diesel submarines prevalent in coastal waters around the world.
The General Dynamics approach significantly drives down Navy lifecycle costs for LCS. By using a powerful mix of modern computing technologies and commercial middleware solutions, the General Dynamics design eliminates dependence on legacy infrastructures, provides significant flexibility for the sailor, dramatically reduces manpower requirements through the use of General Dynamics' any-display-anywhere technology, and makes LCS a seamless member of the Navy's network-centric warfare vision.
The General Dynamics Littoral Combat Ship trimaran hull is based on a proven Austal (Henderson, Australia) design that is currently operating at sea. It will have one of the largest usable payload volumes of any US Navy surface combatant afloat today - providing the flexibility to carry out one mission while a separate mission module is in reserve. The General Dynamics LCS's large flight deck sits higher above the water than any U.S. Navy surface combatant and will support near-simultaneous operation of two SH-60 helicopters or multiple unmanned vehicles. The ultra-stable trimaran hull allows for flight operations in high sea conditions. In addition, the deck is suitable for landing much larger H-53 helicopters, should that become a future requirement.
General Dynamics' fully open, published interface design makes it easy to incorporate new products and technologies from across industry. In combination with the expansive power supply capabilities and large volume created by General Dynamics' unique ship design, this approach will help keep LCS technology current and costs down by using an open business model to constantly solicit, evaluate and rapidly insert worldwide hardware and software technologies into the LCS design.
The General Dynamics Team has designed a technical infrastructure that is not bound by proprietary systems. The result is a flexible information technology backbone that uses strict industry standards, commercially available products and published interfaces to ensure the Navy will not be locked into a proprietary system that will limit access to alternatives. The open architecture design eliminates dependencies on any specific hardware and software products thereby making it possible for the Navy to take advantage of rapidly changing advancements in the market place.
The General Dynamics Littoral Combat Ship's open architecture electronics suite significantly contributes to the ship's ability to facilitate a wide range of missions, while incorporating stealth technology to increase crew and ship survivability. General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems and its team have developed the LCS core mission systems infrastructure - a flexible information technology backbone that allows "plug and play" integration of both the core systems and the LCS mission modules. The approach builds upon General Dynamics' highly-flexible total ship computing environment that meets Navy open architecture requirements and is exclusively built upon published industry standards and non-proprietary interfaces. It allows for future growth and seamlessly integrates both domestic and foreign combat components to create a core mission systems solution that dramatically lowers acquisition and lifecycle costs.
General Dynamics Littoral Combat Ship Developments
Six 90-day concept studies were awarded in November of 2002 for the Focused Mission High Speed Ship (FMHSS) study. General Dynamics led one of those studies. Proposals were submitted for the seven-month preliminary design phase.
Three awards were made in mid-July of 2003 and General Dynamics was again selected for the next phase of the project. On July 17, 2003 the US Navy awarded General Dynamics Bath Iron Works a $9 million contract to develop a preliminary design for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). The team will further develop its trimaran concept based upon Austal's innovative, high-speed commercial ship design. The flexibility, speed, endurance, volume, seakeeping, payload capacity, and maneuvering characteristics of the trimaran, coupled with modular mission packages and other modifications to address military-specific requirements, provide an optimal solution for the Navy's LCS requirements. These same characteristics make the BIW-led team's trimaran concept applicable to a wide variety of other domestic and international navy, coastal defense, and high-speed logistics support programs.
The US Navy announced May 27, 2004 that a team led by Bath Iron Works, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics, was awarded a $79 million option to an existing contract to continue development of its proposed solution for the U.S. Navy's newest class of ships, the Littoral Combat Ship. Two teams, the General Dynamics team and one other, were selected from a field of three to proceed into this stage of development for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). Those three teams had previously been down-selected from a field of six. This continued development was to complete detail design, and has the provision for construction of a prototype of this new high-speed surface ship for delivery in [December 2006].
On June 29, 2004 General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics, announced the formation of the team of industry-leading companies that will contribute to the open-architecture core mission systems functions for the General Dynamics design of the U.S. Navy's Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems is the core mission systems integrator and has designed a core mission systems architecture that enables the most progressive, proven technologies and capabilities to be integrated into one system. For nearly two years, General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems and its team had been developing the core mission systems infrastructure, a flexible information technology backbone that allows "plug and play" integration of custom-designed, robust mission modules. The approach builds upon General Dynamics' highly flexible total ship computing environment that not only meets Navy open architecture requirements, but leverages industry standards and non-proprietary interfaces to create a low-cost core mission system solution.
Monday, April 11, 2005 the US Navy announced today that Bath Iron Works, a subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), was awarded a $16 million modification to the previously awarded Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Final System Design contract to procure required Long Lead Material in support of the LCS Program. Long Lead Material is being procured under the Final System Design contract in order to meet the requirements of the anticipated Flight 0 production contract.
The US Navy on October 14, 2005 awarded a Bath Iron Works-led team a $223 million contract for the detailed design and construction of an innovative, trimaran-hull Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) as part of its newest ship class. The team will complete the design and construct a high-speed, networked, 127-meter surface combatant ship for delivery to the Navy in October 2007. This award is an option of a contract awarded in July 2003. Bath Iron Works is a subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).
On January 19, 2006 the General Dynamics Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) team signified the ship's transition from concept to reality with a keel laying ceremony in Mobile, Ala. Honored U.S. Navy guests and representatives of the Alabama Congressional delegation, along with members of the General Dynamics LCS team, were on hand to witness the event, including Dr. Delores M. Etter, Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, Rear Adm. Charles S. Hamilton, II, program executive officer for ships, Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and Congressman Jo Bonner (R-Mobile).
On 06 April 2006 Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter named the Navy's newest Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), built by General Dynamics, Independence. "Independence, along with USS Freedom, are going to be great 21st century ships. Their speed and agility are widely recognized. I believe that their modular approach yields tremendous flexibility for employing these ships and for taking the fight right to the enemy's shoreline," Winter said. The name Independence recognizes the cornerstone of our nation's foundation that so many Americans have fought and died to ensure. Five previous ships have also had that name.
General Dynamics Littoral Combat Ship Contractor Team
Bath Iron Works is the prime contractor on the program. Austal USA, of Mobile, Ala., a subsidiary of Australian shipbuilder Austal Ships, supported final design efforts for the team's aluminum and steel trimaran warship. General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, of Arlington, Va., is leading the ship's open-architecture based Core Mission System design and integration from its Pittsfield, Mass. facility. Other team members include L3 Communications Marine Systems of Leesburg, VA; CAE of Leesburg, Va.; BAE Systems, Rockville, Md.; Maritime Applied Physics Corporation, Baltimore, Md.; Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems, Baltimore, Md.; and three other General Dynamics companies: Armament and Technical Products (Burlington, Vt.), Electric Boat (Groton, Conn.) and General Dynamics Canada (Ottawa, Ontario).
The General Dynamics LCS core mission systems team includes BAE Systems, Inc., Rockville, Md.; CAE USA, Inc., Marine Systems, Leesburg, Va.; Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems, Baltimore, Md.; General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, Charlotte, N.C.; and General Dynamics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. BAE Systems is responsible for the ship's internal and external communications systems, as well as topside antenna modeling and mission module interface coordination. CAE USA Inc., Marine Systems, is responsible for the ship automation and control system. Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems is responsible for the Integrated Combat Management System (ICMS). General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products is responsible for all of the weapons and effectors. General Dynamics Canada is responsible for the above- and below-water sensors. Crew 40 Cruise Speed 51 kts Length 115.2 m 378-ft Max Range 18,600 km 10,043 nm Max Speed 60 kts Full Displacement 2,800 tons Span 17.4 m 57-ft Equipment Component Parts AN/WLD-1 1 Electronic Gear TRS-3D 1 Guns Mk 110 Mod 0
