Fincantieri Marinette Marine and Lockheed Martin Deliver USS Little Rock (LCS 9)

Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri Marinette Marine delivered the future USS Little Rock (LCS 9) to the U.S. Navy on Sept. 25.

The future USS Little Rock, the fifth Freedom-variant LCS built by Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri Marinette Marine, is scheduled to be commissioned in Buffalo later this year. She will be the first U.S. Navy ship to be commissioned next to her decommissioned namesake.

LCS 9 completed acceptance trials last month with the highest score of any Freedom-variant LCS to date, earning a "clean sweep." During sea trials, the industry team also successfully demonstrated performance improvements, which will be incorporated into all future Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ships.

"Today's important milestone for LCS 9 was made possible by the investment and improvements made to our serial production line, which allowed us to realize our vision for a full flex shipyard," said Jan Allman, FMM president and CEO.  "Fincantieri Marinette Marine's shipbuilders are proud to deliver this proven warship, and we look forward to working with the U.S. Navy to continue building these highly capable ships for the fleet."

Named in honor of the patriotic and hardworking citizens of Little Rock, LCS 9 will be the second U.S. Navy ship to bear the name of Arkansas' largest city. Her homeport will be Naval Station Mayport, where she'll join USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) and USS Detroit (LCS 7).

The Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri Marinette Marine team is currently in full-rate production of the Freedom-variant of the LCS, and has delivered five ships to the U.S. Navy to date. There are seven ships in various stages of construction at Fincantieri Marinette Marine, with one more in long-lead production.

The Freedom-variant LCS team is comprised of Lockheed Martin, Fincantieri subsidiary Fincantieri Marinette Marine, naval architect Gibbs & Cox, and more than 800 suppliers in 42 states.

About Lockheed Martin

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 97,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.

About Fincantieri

Fincantieri is one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups and number one by diversification and innovation. It is leader in cruise ship design and construction and a reference player in all high-tech shipbuilding industry’s sectors, from naval to offshore vessels, from high-complexity special vessels and ferries to mega-yachts, ship repairs and conversions, systems and components production and after-sales services.

Headquartered in Trieste (Italy), the Group has built more than 7,000 vessels in over 230 years of maritime history. With more than 19,400 employees, of whom more than 8,200 in Italy, 20 shipyards in 4 continents, today Fincantieri is the leading Western shipbuilder. It has among its clients the major cruise operators, the Italian and the U.S. Navy, in addition to several foreign navies, and it is partner of some of the main European defense companies within supranational programmes. For more information, please visit www.fincantieri.com.