Foreign Littoral Combat Ship Interest Grows

International interest has picked up steam for an export version of Lockheed Martin’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) in the wake of the successful deployment of LCS-1 USS Freedom, according to Joe North, vice president of littoral ship systems at Lockheed Martin’s Mission Systems & Sensors business.

“Over 21 countries are interested,” North says. “From deployment on, it easily has doubled.”

Interest, he notes, does not always translate into future sales. Some countries simply lack the resources to ante up for such a relatively large-scale purchase. “There are a lot of people with interest, but not with a budget,” North says.

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