LCS ops test rescheduled to fall

The Littoral Combat Ship program could begin final mine countermeasures mission (MCM) package testing in November, according to Navy officials. Reliability concerns have delayed the Gulf of Mexico testing for several months. The MCM package was originally supposed to finish its initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) in September in order to reach initial operational capability by Sept. 30. Several reliability issues popped up during the summer’s technical evaluation aboard USS Independence (LCS-2), LCS mission modules program manager Capt. Casey Moton said in July. Problems ranged from issues from LCS’ ship frame to mission package components failing or not properly integrating with other components. The Navy has taken the time off to focus on fixing procedures and improving equipment reliability, says Naval Sea Systems Command spokesman Chris Johnson. IOT&E is tentatively scheduled to begin in November “pending a decision to proceed,” said Johnson. The Navy’s Commander of the Operational Test and Evaluation Force makes the decision to proceed, but he wouldn’t say when that would happen. (US Naval Institute News 09/15/15) Gulf Coast Shipbuilding and Maritime Note: Independence Class LCS are built at Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Ala. USS Independence was home-porting at NAS Pensacola, Fla., during Gulf of Mexico tests.