Thea Loise Woodward
The U.S. Navy has formally placed a Lockheed Martin-built littoral combat ship, called USS Indianapolis, in active service during a commissioning event that took place Saturday in Burns Harbor, Ind.
LCS 17 is the service branch's ninth Freedom-class vessel designed to support anti-submarine, surface warfare and mine countermeasures missions, the company said Saturday.
The ship features a reconfigurable hull, can travel at a speed of more than 40 knots and is equipped with rolling airframe missiles as well as a Mark 110 gun system that works to fire 220 rounds per minute.
"Indianapolis' speed, flexibility and lethality bring a unique set of capabilities to the fleet," said Joe DePietro, vice president and general manager of small combatants and ship systems at Lockheed.
"She is equipped and ready for today's threats and can easily integrate new capabilities for tomorrow's threats."
Lockheed works with Fincantieri Marinette Marine to produce and deliver Freedom-variant ships to the Navy. Production and testing of seven vessels are underway at Fincantieri's facility in Wisconsin.
