The US Navy’s newest Independence variant littoral combat ship (LCS) will be named as USS Kansas City (LCS 22), according to navy secretary Ray Mabus.
The LCS 22, set to be the second commissioned naval ship to be named after Kansas City, is designed to defeat growing littoral threats and provide access and dominance in the coastal waters, as well as execute the US Department of Defense’s (DoD) Strategy.
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The 419ft-long fast, agile surface combatant, which will be capable of cruising at a speed of more than 40k, will be built by Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama.
The LCS is among the first of new family of surface ships for the US Navy. The vessel is specialised variant of the family of US future surface combat ships called DD(X).
Claiming to offer the required fighting capabilities with operational flexibility, the vessel could be deployed for a range of missions, such as, mine warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and surface warfare.
The shipbuilders will put in place a modular design with mission packages capable of being altered to suit the combat requirements in keeping with regional settings.
Backed by detachments, the ship can aid in deployment of both manned and unmanned vehicles and carry sensors to operate in mine, undersea, and surface warfare missions.
The US Navy’s ninth littoral combat ship (LCS), the future USS Little Rock, was recently christened and launched at the Marinette Marine Corporation (MMC) shipyard in Wisconsin.
