NAVYPEDIA

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Freedom 2008

Ships

No	Name	Yard No	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Comm	Fate
LCS1	Freedom	403	Marinette Marine, Manitowoc	2.6.2005	23.9.2006	8.11.2008	in service (2020)
LCS3	Fort Worth	450	Marinette Marine, Manitowoc	11.7.2009	4.12.2010	6.8.2012	in service (2020)
LCS5	Milwaukee	465	Marinette Marine, Manitowoc	27.10.2011	18.12.2013	21.11.2015	in service (2020)
LCS7	Detroit	467	Marinette Marine, Manitowoc	8.11.2012	18.10.2014	22.10.2016	in service (2020)
LCS9	Little Rock	469	Marinette Marine, Manitowoc	27.6.2013	18.7.2015	16.12.2017	in service (2020)
LCS11	Sioux City	471	Marinette Marine, Manitowoc	19.2.2014	30.1.2016	17.11.2018	in service (2020)
LCS13	Wichita	473	Marinette Marine, Manitowoc	9.2.2015	17.9.2016	12.1.2019	in service (2020)
LCS15	Billings	475	Marinette Marine, Manitowoc	2.11.2015	1.7.2017	3.8.2019	in service (2020)
LCS17	Indianapolis	477	Marinette Marine, Manitowoc	18.7.2016	18.4.2018	26.10.2019	in service (2020)
LCS19	St. Louis	479	Marinette Marine, Manitowoc	17.5.2017	15.12.2018	2020	building (2020)
LCS21	Minneapolis-Saint Paul	481	Marinette Marine, Manitowoc	22.2.2018	15.6.2019	2020	building (2020)
LCS23	Cooperstown	483	Marinette Marine, Manitowoc	14.8.2018	19.1.2020	2021	building (2020)
LCS25	Marinette	485	Marinette Marine, Manitowoc	27.3.2019	2020	2021	building (2020)
LCS27	Nantucket	487	Marinette Marine, Manitowoc	9.10.2019	2021	2022	building (2020)
LCS29	Beloit		Marinette Marine, Manitowoc	2020	2021	2022	building (2020)
LCS31	Cleveland		Marinette Marine, Manitowoc	2021	2022	2023	authorized (2020)

Technical data

Displacement standard, t	2135
Displacement full, t	2860
Length, m	118.1
Breadth, m	17.6
Draught, m	4.30
No of shafts	4 Kamewa waterjets
Machinery	CODAG: 2 Fairbanks Morse Colt-Pielstick 16PA6B STC diesels / 2 Rolls-Royce MT-30 gas turbines
Power, h. p.	17400 / 98000
Max speed, kts	45
Fuel, t	gas turbine oil
Endurance, nm(kts)	3550(18)
Armament	1 x 21 RAM SAM (21 RIM-116), 1 x 1 - 57/70 Mk 110 Mod. 0, 4 x 1 - 12.7/90, 2 x 1 - 7.6/90, 2 helicopters (MH-60R/S) or 1 helicopter (MH-60R/S) + 3 UAV (MQ-8B) also one of three mission modules: MIW: support of the MH-60S helicopter (with AQS-20A minehunting sonar, ALQ-220 Oasis minesweeping gear, AES-1 laser mine mine detection system, AQS-235 mine neutralization system), 1 MQ-8 UAV (with Cobra laser mine detection system), WLD-1 RMS minehunting system with USV surface drone with USSS minesweeping gear or BPAUV Bluefin-1 mnehunting USV ASuW: 3 x 15 Griffin SSM (45 AGM-176), 2 x 1 - 30/80 Mk 46, support of the 1 MH-60R helicopter (with Hellfire ASMs), 2 MQ-8B UAV (with APKWS ASMs), 2 USV surface drones (with 1 30mm gun and RGES system) ASW: CAPTAS towed sonar, TB-37 MFTA towed array, torpedo defence system, 1 MH-60R helicopter, 2 MQ-8B UAVs
Electronic equipment	Sperry Bridgemaster, TRS-3D radars, Dorna E/O director, WBR-2000(Argon), MFEW simplfied ECM suite, 2x Terma DLS Mk II DL-12T decoy RL, COMBATSS-21 CCS also if used with ASW module: CAPTAS towed sonar, TB-37 MFTA towed array
Complement	75

Standard scale images

Graphics

Project history

One outcome of the cancellation of the DD21-class destroyer in 2001 was the initiation of a program to study the possible acquisition of what began as a class of 1250-2500t "Littoral Combat Ship" for use in coastal waters and to combat "asymmetric" threats. The class incorporates numerous signature-reduction features and is designed to be able to defend itself, conduct intelligence, surveillance and recoinnassance operations and interdict hostile or unknown vessels. Marinette Marine was awarded to built Freedom class units under the Lockheed Martin design.

Freedom class design includes a semiplaning steel monohull with a scalable/reconfigurable design. It is shorter and heavier but with a shallower draft than LCS2 class. The LCS1 design features 480m² flight deck, 435m² helicopter hangar and 605m² mission bay as well as the capability to launch and recover RIBs, small boats and unmanned surface/subsurface craft from the ship's stern and starboardside. Flight deck is equipped with Trigon landing assistance system. Core crew consisted of 40 seamen, 20 additional crew serve in an aviation detachment, about 35 more men are required to the mission module. Each two LCSs have three crews to be operational at all times. LCS1 became a prototype, LCS3 and later ships have 3.7m additional length to the flight deck, mission bay and transom with 12% additional fuel. LCS5 and later ships received new improved waterjets and new shaft seals.

Modular reconfigurable payload can be carried as dictated by mission requirements. A mission package consists of mission modules, mission crew detachments and support aircraft. First three modules used by LCS, are mine-countermeasures (MIW, Mine Interdiction Warfare), delivered by 2012, surface-warfare (ASuW, AntiSUrface Warfare), delivered by 2012 (Griffin missiles will be added to package in the post-2017 time), and anti-submarine warfare (ASW, AntiSubmarine Warafre), delivered by 2016. Navy plans to have 16 anti-submarine, 24 mine-countermeasures and 24 surface warfare mission packages.

Three additional types of mission modules are on developing stage. There are: IW (Irregular Warfare) for disaster relief after nature catastrophes, MSM (Maritime Security Module) for reaction to asymmetrical threats and 2 variants of SOF (Special Operations Forces) module.

Aegis version with SPY-1F radar and SM-2, SM-3 and ESSM missiles is offered for Saudi Arabia.

Planned life time of the ships is 25 years.

Modernizations

future planned: + Hellfire SSMs, 2 x 1 - 30/80 Mk 46 guns, SQR-20 towed sonar

Naval service

No significant events.