Independence Class Littoral Combat Ships Show Off - Austal Promo

Austal shows off the Independence Class Littoral Combat Ships in this promo.

The Independence class is a class of littoral combat ships built for the United States Navy.

The hull design evolved from a project at Austal to design a 40 knot cruise ship. That hull design evolved into the high-speed trimaran ferry HSC Benchijigua Express and the Independence class was then proposed by General Dynamics and Austal as a contender for Navy plans to build a fleet of small, multipurpose warships to operate in the littoral zone. Two ships were approved, to compete with Lockheed Martin's Freedom-class design.

As of late 2015, the lead ship and two additional ships, Coronado and Jackson, have been commissioned. Despite initial plans to only accept one of the Independence and Freedom classes, in 2010 the Navy announced plans to order up to ten additional ships of each class, for a total 12 ships per class. Starting in 2019, ships of this class will be designated as fast frigates (FF) which will include increased firepower and heavier armor.

On March 31, 2016, Austal announced that construction of one additional Littoral Combat Ship was awarded to Austal by the U.S. Navy. Funding for LCS-26, the thirteenth Independence-class vessel to be built, has been confirmed by the Navy as not to exceed the congressional cost cap of $564 million.

This Austal built and designed Independence-class LCS combines superior seakeeping, endurance, and speed with the volume and payload capacity needed to support emerging missions enabling rapid response to ever-evolving missions, technologies and future threats.

Six Littoral Combat Ships along with four Expeditionary Fast Transports (EPF) – previously known as  Joint High Speed Vessels (JHSV) - are currently under construction in Austal’s Mobile, Alabama facility. Austal has delivered three LCS and five EPF to the US Navy to date. The US Navy took delivery of the future USS Jackson (LCS 6) in late July and she will sail away from Mobile in the coming weeks on her way to the Port of Gulfport, Mississippi to be commissioned. The future USS Montgomery (LCS 8) is preparing for acceptance sea trials in early 2016.

Austal is a global defense prime contractor and a designer and manufacturer of defense and commercial ships. For more than 27 years Austal has been a leader in the design, construction and maintenance of revolutionary ships for governments, navies and ferry operators around the world. More than 255 vessels have been delivered in that time.

Defense vessels designed and built by Austal include combatants, such as the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and military high speed vessels for transport and humanitarian relief, such as the Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) (previously known as the Joint High Speed Vessel or JHSV) for the U.S. Navy and High Speed Support Vessel (HSSV) for the Royal Navy of Oman. Austal also designs, constructs, integrates and maintains an extensive range of patrol and auxiliary vessels for government agencies globally, including the Cape Class Patrol Boat Program for Australian Customs and Border Protection. Defense vessels are designed and constructed in Mobile, Alabama and in Henderson, Western Australia.

Austal has been at the forefront of the high-speed ferry market since the early days of the industry. Our market-leading designs of high performance aluminum vessels have long been at the heart of Austal’s research and development. Today, commercial ship construction is centered on our shipyard in Balamban, Philippines. Austal has expertise in integrating complex systems into its ships, including ride control, ship management, and communication, sensors and weapon systems. Austal provides a wide range of support services, including through life support, integrated logistics support, vessel sustainment and systems support. These services are delivered through our global support network in the USA, Australia, Asia and the Middle East together with partner shipyards worldwide.

Source: http://www.austal.com/news/austal-launches-us-navy%E2%80%99s-twelfth-littoral-combat-ship

More Info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence-class_littoral_combat_ship

Music: Edit from Still Pluto - Rage (Feat. Vosmoy) from the album "Rage"/ Download: http://freemusicarchive.org/

More Navy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMAe12ThW7I&list=PLsWKNvuOwNpJCw45OUYZ6TIW7LRUdXXFl&index=5

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