Lockheed Martin’s Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) are critical tools helping the U.S. Navy achieve its missions. Designed for operations in the littorals – or areas close to a coast – the resilient and flexible warships are designed from the bottom up to affordably take on new capabilities with speed, strength and versatility.
Here are a few examples of what this capable ship does while on deployment.
USS Little Rock supports multinational Operation Martillo
![LCS 9 USS Little Rock](/content/dam/lockheed-martin/eo/photo/USS%20Little%20Rock%20-%20LCS%209%20Deployment.png.pc-adaptive.full.medium.png)
USS Detroit successfully completes joint exercise with USS Gridley
USS Detroit (LCS 7) also deployed to support Operation Martillo.
During deployment, USS Detroit’s crew completed a joint exercise of division tactics and gunnery exercises with Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Gridley.
Division tactics are a series of tactical shipboard movements directed by a designated junior officer, acting in the position of commanding officer. This gives junior officers experience handling their own ships and working closely with other vessels.
![LCS ship](/content/dam/lockheed-martin/eo/photo/LCS_Gridley.png.pc-adaptive.full.medium.png)
USS Detroit sinks navigation hazard
While on deployment, USS Detroit had a chance to prove LCS packs a punch when it sunk an abandoned vessel posing a hazard to navigation in the western Atlantic.
The missiles onboard LCS are part of a surface warfare capability package that can be added to LCS. With 40% reconfigurable hull space, LCS can defeat today’s threats and evolve to meet future threats.
In addition to this show of firepower, LCS 7 completed drug interdiction operations in the Caribbean Sea. Rear Adm. Don Gabrielson, Commander U.S. 4th Fleet, remarked, “Detroit did a fantastic job while deployed, sending strong messages to our partners and our adversaries that the United States Navy operates globally and in all conditions.”
![LCS ship](/content/dam/lockheed-martin/eo/photo/ship%20in%20bay.jpg.pc-adaptive.full.medium.jpg)