US Navy Christens Littoral Combat Ship Billings
The Navy has christened its newest Freedom-variant littoral combat ship, USS Billings (LCS 15), in Marinette, Wisconsin.
The future USS Billings honors the largest city in Montana. It will be the first ship of its name in naval service.
The LCS class consists of two variants, the Freedom variant and the Independence variant, designed and built by two industry teams.
The Freedom variant team is led by Lockheed Martin (for the odd-numbered hulls, e.g. LCS 1). The Independence variant team is led by Austal USA (for LCS 6 and the subsequent even-numbered hulls).
Each LCS is outfitted with a single mission package made up of mission modules containing warfighting systems and support equipment.
A dedicated ship crew will combine with aviation assets to deploy manned and unmanned vehicles and sensors in support of mine countermeasures, anti-submarine warfare or surface warfare missions.
