Lockheed Martin has announced that the company has completed acceptance trials for its Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) 21, the future USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul, in Lake Michigan, Lockheed Martin reported on Monday. 

"LCS 21 joins a fleet of sister ships delivering unique flexibility and capability to the U.S. Navy," said Joe DePietro, Lockheed Martin vice president and general manager, Small Combatants and Ship Systems. "On LCS 21's acceptance trials, we successfully tested the ship's maneuverability, automation and core combat capability."

Lockheed Martin’s LCS 21 underwent a full-power run, maneuverability testing and surface and air detect-to-engage demonstrations of the ship's combat system. The company presented innovative systems and features, including aviation support, small boat launch handling and recovery and machinery control and automation. 

With the successful trial, Lockheed Martin will complete final outfitting and fine-tuning of LCS 21 before delivery to the U.S. Navy.LCS 21 is the eleventh Freedom-variant LCS designed and built. The company has a projected delivery date of early 2021.

The focused-mission LCS will support mine countermeasures, anti-submarine and surface warfare missions. The Freedom-variant LCS has integrated several unique features, including flexibility, lethality, automation and power. 

Forty percent of the hull is easily reconfigurable, able to integrate Longbow Hellfire Missiles, 30 mm guns, manned and unmanned vehicles designed to meet mission demand. LCS is standard equipped with Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAM) and a Mark 110 gun, capable of firing 220 rounds per minute.

LCS has gas turbines, diesel engines and water jets that together generate 114 thousand horsepower making LCS capable of speeds in excess of 40 knots, and has developed the most efficient staffing of any combat ship.

"I am pleased to see another successful acceptance trials on Lake Michigan," said Jan Allman, CEO of Fincantieri Marinette Marine. "Together with our partners, Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy, our proud shipbuilding team puts in long hours to deliver a proven warship for the fleet." 

About Lockheed Martin

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 110,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.

The executive committee of an interagency council focused on election security has released a joint statement on the group’s commitment to implementing a unified and coordinated approach to the 2020 elections.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said Thursday that the statement comes after the Election Infrastructure Government Coordinating Council (GCC) facilitated a virtual meeting on how the federal, state and local governments must prepare for Election Day.

According to the GCC executive committee, the federal government is “actively monitoring for threats” against U.S. systems including foreign disinformation campaigns. They added that intrusion detection sensors have already been deployed across the country to protect election infrastructure.

GCC also enlisted the help of cybersecurity professionals in the public and private sectors in addition to conducting a tabletop exercise with over 2,100 participants, the committee noted.

“Elections will look different this year, but we want voters to know our election community is ready and taking active measures to ensure every ballot is counted as cast,” according to the committee.

Members of the GCC executive committee include Bob Kolasky, assistant director of CISA; Benjamin Hovland, chair of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission; Paul Pate, immediate-past president of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS); Lori Augino, president of the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED); and David Stafford, Supervisor of Elections at Escambia County, Fla.