Crs Report for Congress: Navy Littoral Combat Ship (Lcs) Program: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress: September 30, 2009 - Rl33741

The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) is a relatively inexpensive Navy surface combatant that is to be equipped with modular "plug-and-fight" mission packages. The basic version of the LCS, without any mission packages, is referred to as the LCS sea frame. The Navy wants to procure a total of 55 LCSs. There are currently two LCS designs--one designed and produced by an industry team led by Lockheed, and one designed and produced by an industry team led by General Dynamics. The first ship in the program--LCS-1, funded in FY2005 and built to the Lockheed design--was commissioned into service on November 8, 2008. The second ship in the program--LCS-2, funded in FY2006 and built to the General Dynamics design--is to be delivered to the Navy later this year. LCS-3 (being built to the Lockheed design) and LCS-4 (being built to the General Dynamics design) were funded in FY2009 at a combined cost of $1,020 million and are under construction. The Navy's proposed FY2010 budget, submitted in May 2009, requested $1,380 million for the procurement of three more LCSs--an average of $460 million per ship, which is the unit procurement cost cap for LCSs procured in FY2010 and subsequent years. On September 16, ...