Maritime security has become one of the top concerns for the US government. Millions of dollars have already been earmarked to address the challenges faced in protecting American ports and coastline. Current actions by the US Navy and the US Coast Guard reflect this new priority.
Maritime security has become one of the top concerns for the US government. Millions of dollars have already been earmarked to address the challenges faced in protecting American ports and coastline. Current actions by the US Navy and the US Coast Guard reflect this new priority.
The US Navy’s new Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), a revolutionary naval combatant designed to dominate the world’s coastal waters, is in the final design stage. The Lockheed Martin team has been awarded a final design contract. The $423 million contract includes options to build two “Flight 0” ships. The project itself could total 60 ships at roughly $12 billion.
Lockheed Martin is teamed with naval architect Gibbs & Cox and shipbuilders Bollinger Shipyards and Marinette Marine – all ShipConstructor users.
If all options are exercised, construction of the first LCS will begin in 2005 at Marinette Marine with the launch scheduled in late 2006. Construction of the second ship will be at Bollinger Shipyards beginning in 2006. The Navy is expected to announce a selection for additional LCS Flight 1 production in 2007.
“ARL (Albacore Research Ltd.) is proud that ShipConstructor is being applied to the LCS project by Gibbs & Cox, Marinette Marine and Bollinger Shipyards,” said Mr. Rolf G. Oetter, Founder and President of ARL.
“We are confident that the Lockheed Martin team will benefit from the new features added to ShipConstructor2005 under the NSRP Second-Tier Design Enhancement Program.”
“Together with ShipConstructor’s usage in the US Coast Guard’s Deepwater Program, it is evident that ShipConstructor is being entrusted for managing very complex national security projects involving close to 100,000 parts in a single project database,” Mr. Oetter added.
The Integrated Deepwater System Program is a multi-year, multi-billion dollar program to modernize and replace the US Coast Guard’s aging ships and aircraft, and improve command and control as well as logistics systems.
The Deepwater contract was awarded to Integrated Coast Guard Systems (ICGS), a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, a ShipConstructor user since late 2002. Up to 91 ships will be built under the Deepwater Project. The program’sv potential value is estimated at approximately $17 billion.
ShipConstructor is currently being used on the Deepwater’s Maritime Security Cutter Large (WMSL), formerly known as the National Security Cutter. A $140 million build contract was awarded in July 2004 to ICGS. At this time, more than 100 seats of ShipConstructor are applied to the WMSL.
The Maritime Security Cutter, Large (WMSL).
ShipConstructor will also be used for the Maritime Security Cutter, Medium (WMSM) – formerly called the Offshore Patrol Cutter – and the Fast Response Cutter. A design contract for the WMSM was issued to ICGS in July 2004.
