Littoral Combat Ship (LCS)

The Littoral Combat Ship (US hull symbols LCS) is a fast, shallow-draft US Navy surface combatant designed for near-shore operations using interchangeable mission modules for surface warfare, mine countermeasures, and anti-submarine warfare. Two designs were built: the steel monohull Freedom class (LCS-1, Lockheed Martin) and the aluminum trimaran Independence class (LCS-2, Austal), both capable of about 40 knots. First commissioned 2008. The mission-module concept underdelivered and the Navy began early decommissioning of Freedom-class hulls; the Constellation-class frigate now fills the small-combatant role.