The first U.S. Navy Littoral Combat Ship, Freedom (LCS 1), the inaugural ship in an entirely new class of U.S. Navy surface warships, is seen conducting a speed run during Builders Trials. The ship is designed for littoral, or close-to-shore, operations and to provide access and dominance in coastal-water areas. (Photo provided courtesy Lockheed Martin /Released)The Navy will roll out its new anti-submarine warfare mission package for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) in a ceremony Sept. 19 at Naval Base Point Loma Naval Mine & ASW Command Complex, San Diego.
Vice Commander, Naval Surface Forces, Rear Adm. Mike Shatynski; Principal Civilian Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research and Development, Jim Thomsen; Deputy Director of Surface Warfare, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Rear Adm. Michael K. Mahon; Commander, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, Rear Adm. Michael C. Bachmann; Program Executive Officer for Littoral and Mine Warfare, E. Anne Sandel; and Commodore, LCS Class Squadron, Capt. Lewis Chris Nygard, are all scheduled to speak at the event.
"The delivery of the anti-submarine warfare mission package will provide the Navy with a persistent large area detection capability, through our advanced unmanned vehicles and bi-static ASW systems," said Sandel. "Tomorrow we will take a critical step forward in support of assured access in the littorals for U.S. Joint Forces."
LCS can be configured to deploy with any one of three interchangeable mission modules: the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) module; mine countermeasures (MCM) module and surface warfare (SUW) module also know as mission packages. The first ASW mission package (MP) will use several different vehicles -- MH-60R, unmanned air vehicle, unmanned surface vehicle -- and associated sensors -- towed array sonar, remote towed active source, USV dipping sonar, multi-static off-board source -- to detect, classify, localize, track and engage submarines in the littoral environment.
LCS is a new breed of U.S. Navy warship with versatile warfighting capabilities, capable of open-ocean operation but optimized for littoral and coastal missions. Operational experience and analyses indicate that future adversaries will employ asymmetric means to deny U.S. and allied forces access into critical coastal regions, such as strategic chokepoints and vital economic sea lanes.
The LCS seaframe and mission modules are specifically designed to defeat such "anti-access" threats, which include fast surface craft, quiet diesel submarines and various types of mines.