Littoral Combat Ships (LCS)

Well I would say that Hellfire is a proven missile system and I guess they don't want to try something too much different on these LCS as they are already learning the new missions on these ships and the are under threat from getting a cut in numbers even further from 52 units to 32

Once upon a time, there was a Boat called the Littoral Combat Ship.
The navy loved these little boats and hoped to build lots and lots of them. The Navy wanted to protect its precious LCS with a missile system it was going to Buy from the Army. The Army's Non-Line Of Sight Launch System. These missiles two of a kind were vertically launched from a container that could be prestaged in the AOR. It had two missiles a Loitering kamikaze UAV missile and a conventional strike missile. But you see it was not to be. The NLOS-LS was part of the Future Combat System program and the Wicked witch of the Budget smote the FCS to death for being over budget.
and much did the people rejoice as they did fail too see any reason for FCS and were told of it being obsolete well failing to realize that there were salvageable parts.
The navy did bemoan, and set to seeking another missile. There came into the lands Raytheon who offered the navy the Griffin. Griffin was developed for the Marine Corps harvest Hawk and the Air Forces drone and Gun ships. It was farther developed to launch from Helicopters and even Army Common Remote Operated Weapons Stations. Griffin was shown to the navy but it was laser and GPS guided. Still the navy did buy. Calling it the MK 60 The navy did plan to fit Griffin missiles to ships in Littoral waters for close in anti surface threats. But not strikes. then Came MBDA into the land and with them the Sea Spear Brimstone missile. But wow the Navy did worry so that if it bought such it would face protests, yet Brimstone may still rise said a wise man.
And so did the Navy settle upon the Hellfire, for the LCS did use a radar thus designed for it.
and the people did rejoice and feed upon the sloths and the anchovies

TerraN_EmpirE said:

Once upon a time, there was a Boat called the Littoral Combat Ship.
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TE, you sure have a sense of humor ... but the LCS is not a fairy tale:
"The US Navy’s current shipbuilding plan envisions building 32 littoral combat ships and 64 mission modules until about 2040. Technically, only 45 LCS ships would count toward Navy fleet totals. Because these ships are assumed to have a service life of 25 years, the 10 or fewer ships bought from 2036 – 2040 would be replacements for the original ships of class. Even so, that number of LCS ships is likely to make up 20% of the Navy or more."
I quoted from

Navyreco put this on Facebook today Some Korean design of 1800 tons with the NSM AShM

EDIT
the same source: a Chinese 3000 tons with a Thales 3D radar! for Algeria

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World Maritime News said:

U.S. Navy and Austal USA held a keel laying ceremony for the future USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10), the Navy’s tenth littoral combat ship (LCS), in Mobile, Ala., April 16.

Austal Lays Keel for U.S. Navy’s 10th LCS
Posted on Apr 17th, 2014 with tags Austal, Keel Laying, Littoral Combat Ship, Maritime, Naval, News by topic, Shipbuilding, U.S. Navy, USS Gabrielle Giffords.

U.S. Navy and Austal USA held a keel laying ceremony for the future USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10), the Navy’s tenth littoral combat ship (LCS), in Mobile, Ala., April 16.

The ship’s namesake, former Representative Gabrielle Giffords, authenticated the keel by having her initials welded into a sheet of the ship’s hull.

“It is a special day for all of us on the Gulf Coast to have the ship’s namesake, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, here with us for the keel laying ceremony of LCS 10, the future USS Gabrielle Giffords,” said Capt. Joseph Tuite, Supervisor of Shipbuilding (SUPSHIP) Gulf Coast.

“This is an important milestone for the Navy. I look forward to closely following the completion of the future USS Gabrielle Giffords, as well as her sister ships, as we bring this tremendous capability to the fleet.” said Rear Adm. Brian Antonio, program executive officer, Littoral Combat Ships.

USS Gabrielle Giffords will be approximately 420 feet in length, have a waterline beam of about 103 feet, displace approximately 3,000 tons, and make speed in excess of 40 knots. The construction will be led by Austal Shipbuilding in Mobile, Ala. This is the sixteenth ship to be named for a woman and the thirteenth ship to be named for a living person since 1850.

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USS Gabrielle Giffords will be the 5th Independence Class, adding to the five Freedom Class LCS. Two Freedom class LCS have been commissioned and a 3rd launched in December 2013. Two Independence Class LCS have been commissioned and the third lauinched in December 2013. So right now, six are in the water.

LCS 7 and LCS 8 are under construction, and LCS 9 and LCS 10 (the Gabrielle Gifford) have recently had their keels laid and are also under construction.

Jeff Head said:

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LCS 7 and LCS 8 are under construction, and LCS 9 and LCS 10 (the Gabrielle Gifford) have recently had their keels laid and are also under construction.

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The press release mentioned "a living person" so since I googled her: (hope you won't consider this off-topic

"USN LCS related" part of NAVAL AVIATION VISION 2014 -- 2025 (PDF made easily available by Jeff:
http://www.sinodefenceforum.com/world-armed-forces/us-military-news-thread-170-1547.html#post278267

Successful joint and combined operations will increasingly depend on our ability to gain and sustain access to the littorals in the face of unpredictable and asymmetric threats. The anti-access threats challenging our naval forces in this environment include quiet diesel submarines, mines, and small, highly maneuverable surface-attack craft -- all of which could be employed by many less-capable countries or non-state actors to prevent access by U.S. forces to littoral areas. The LCS is a key element of Navy's future force and is optimized to defeat these anti-access threats. Using an open-architecture design, modular weapons and sensor systems, and a variety of manned and unmanned vehicles to gain, sustain, and exploit littoral maritime supremacy, the LCSs will capitalize on emerging technologies to deliver focused-mission capability in mine countermeasures, surface warfare, and anti-submarine warfare. Aviation -- manned and unmanned -- will be an integral part of the LCS' organic capabilities in the form of detachments of MH-60R and MQ-8B/C aircraft.

[video=youtube;jcYPEd0vH30]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcYPEd0vH30[/video]

navyreco said:

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As always NavyReco, GREAT info, and great interviews and material.

The exisitng US vessel could be significantly upgraded if the US Navy desired to do so with the 32 Mk-41 cells and even adding a 76mm gun. Those VLS cells could also later hold the LRASM, so the ASM punch would be significanty enhanced too.

PACIFIC OCEAN (April 23, 2014) The littoral combat ships USS Independence (LCS 2), left, and USS Coronado (LCS 4) are underway in the Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photos by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Keith DeVinney/Released)

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