Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress

The Littoral Combat Ship LCS is a relatively inexpensive Navy surface combatant equipped with modular plug-and-fight mission packages. The basic version of the LCS, without any mission packages, is referred to as the LCS sea frame. The Navy wants to field a force of 55 LCSs. The first two LCS-1 and LCS-2 were procured in FY2005 and FY2006 and were commissioned into service on November 8, 2008, and January 16, 2010. Another two LCS-3 and LCS-4 were procured in FY2009 and are under construction. Two more LCS-5 and LCS-6 were procured in FY2010. The Navys FY2011-FY2015 shipbuilding plan calls for procuring 17 more LCSs in annual quantities of 2, 3, 4, 4, and 4. The Navys proposed FY2011 budget requests 1,231.0 million in procurement funding for the two LCSs that the Navy wants to procure in FY2011, and 278.4 million in FY2011 advance procurement funding for the 11 LCSs that the Navy wants to procure in FY2012-FY2014. The Navys proposed FY2011 budget also requests procurement funding to procure LCS module weapons and LCS mission packages, and research and development funding for the LCS program. There are currently two very different LCS designs-one developed and produced by an industry team led by Lockheed, and another developed and produced by an industry team led by General Dynamics. LCS-1 and LCS-3 use the Lockheed design LCS-2 and LCS-4 use the General Dynamics design.