The US Navy is to commission its newest Freedom-variant littoral combat ship (LCS), the future USS Little Rock (LCS 9) during a ceremony to be held on Saturday, December 16, at the Canalside waterfront in Buffalo, New York.
The future USS Little Rock, designated LCS 9, is the tenth littoral combat ship to enter the fleet and the fifth of the Freedom-variant design. It is the second warship named for the Arkansas state capital and will be commissioned alongside the first USS Little Rock (CL 92), which serves as a museum at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park.
LCS is a modular, reconfigurable ship, designed to meet validated fleet requirements for Surface Warfare (SUW), Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), and Mine Countermeasures (MCM) missions in the littoral region.
An interchangeable mission package is embarked on each LCS and provides the primary mission systems in one of these warfare areas. Using an open architecture design, modular weapons, sensor systems, and a variety of manned and unmanned vehicles to gain, sustain, and exploit littoral maritime supremacy, LCS provides US joint force access to critical areas in multiple theatres.
Secretary of the Navy, Richard V. Spencer, said: “The future USS Little Rock represents much more than the state capital of Arkansas, it represents service. This ship would not exist without the dedicated service of the men and women of Marinette Marine, who can be proud of the accomplishment of putting another warship to sea. Once commissioned, this ship will provide presence around the globe for decades to come.”
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