WASHINGTON, March 18 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy has contracted a U.S. industry team led by Lockheed Martin to construct the country's seventh Littoral Combat Ship.
The fixed-price-incentive-fee contract, worth $376 million, provides funding for the second of 10 ships the Navy awarded to the Lockheed Martin team in December.
The contracts for the remaining eight ships will be awarded through 2015.
Wisconsin's Marinette Marine Corp., a Fincantieri company, will construct the ship and naval architect Gibbs and Cox will provide engineering and design support.
"As the Lockheed Martin team constructs this next ship, we will remain focused on performance and cost," said Joe North, vice president of Lockheed Martin's Littoral Ship Systems business. "The Navy's 10-ship award provides stability to this program, allowing industry to more efficiently meet the customer's need for an affordable, multi-mission surface combatant."
The Lockheed-led team designed and constructed the first LCS, USS Freedom, which was commissioned in 2008.
LCS 3, the future USS Fort Worth and Lockheed Martin's second LCS, is more than 85 percent complete and was christened and launched in December.
