The Naval Sea Systems Command on Monday awarded Lockheed Martin [LMT] a $451 million modification for the long-lead-time and detail design to support building four Multi Mission Surface Combatant (MMSC) ships for a sale to Saudi Arabia.
The MMSC is based on the Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) hull, built at Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Wisconsin. Lockheed describes it as using that proven hull to meet international navies’ maritime needs.
Previously the U.S. Navy awarded Lockheed Martin $481 million for long-lead-time material to support building the ships (Defense Daily, March 9).
This ship is part of a $460 billion 10-year arms sale to Saudi Arabia agreed to by the Trump administration last year. That deal had eight letters of acceptance and a memorandum of intent for $110 billion, one of which covers the MMSC. Lockheed specifically had a memorandum of understanding with the Saudi Arabian Military Industries to build domestic manufacturing capability for the multi mission surface combatants (Defense Daily, May 22, 2017).
The company said the MMSC has a range of 5,000 nautical miles, can reach speeds of 30 knots, has a 118-meter long hull, and uses the LCS’ diesel and gas propulsion system. For armaments the MMSC is planned to use the COMBATSS-212 Combat Management System, leveraging LCS integration of the BAE Systems 57mm MK110 deck gun, the Raytheon [RTN] SeaRAM anti-ship missile defense system, Over-The-Horizon surface-to-surface missiles, port and starboard 20mm remote guns, a forward centerline eight cell MK 41 Vertical Launch System with Raytheon RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles.
The Navy said the MMSC “is a lethal and highly maneuverable surface combatant capable of littoral and open ocean operation.”
The contract work will largely be performed in various locations in the U.S. and is expected to be finished by Oct. 2025. Foreign Military Sales funds of $225 million is being obligated at award time.
Members of Congress from Michigan and Wisconsin put pressure on the Navy this past spring to build more Freedom-variant LCSs under the threat that Marinette Marine may otherwise lay off large parts of its workforce. They said in an April letter that the shipyard’s expected MMSC work is not enough to guarantee the jobs and even under the most optimistic timeline will not start constructing the ship until Oct. 2019 (Defense Daily, April 19).
Lockheed Martin spokesperson Joann Grbach told Defense Daily that the MMSC should not be perceived as a shipyard gap filler at the Marinette shipyard or an alternative for the award of a second Freedom-class LCS in FY ’18 or funding for an FY ’19 LCS.
Marinette’s production is tied to building two ships per year to support efficiencies and maintain stable shipyard jobs, Grbach added.
She underscored the first MMSC is set to start production in the second half of 2019 then the following ships will start work in six-month increments starting in late 2020. All four vessels are scheduled to be delivered by 2025.
Grbach said while the government of Saudi Arabia has expressed interest in additional hulls in general, Lockheed Martin would be happy to support it if they decide on more MMSCs. She said Lockheed Martin believes the MMSC is the best choice for interoperability with U.S. forces.
This article has been updated with comments from Lockheed Martin.