First LCS completes acceptance trials

The US Navy’s first Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), USS Freedom (LCS 1), successfully conducted its second and final round of acceptance trials last month. The 378-foot Freedom, designed and built by a Lockheed Martin-led industry team, conducted the acceptance trials off the Virginia coast. The trials, which were a coordinated effort between the U.S. Navy and the Lockheed Martin team, included operational testing of the vessel’s propulsion, communications, navigation and mission systems, as well as all related support systems.

The completed trials featured a successful four-hour, full-power run and both surface and air detect-to-engagement demonstrations of the ship’s combat management system. During this second trial, major systems and features were demonstrated, including aviation support, small boat launch handling and recovery, and fin stabilizers, in addition to the full-power run and detect-to-engage sequences.

Reaching speeds well over 40 knots, the ship is a highly automated and networked surface combatant with operational flexibility to execute focused missions such as mine warfare, anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare and the potential for a wide range of additional missions, including maritime interdiction and humanitarian/disaster relief.