LCS to get Hellfire ship-killers

The Defense Department’s proposed FY 2017 budget requests - which cuts $7 billion, a Littoral Combat Ship and plans for the loss of 6,300 sailors - is ramping up its surface fleet with major purchases of anti-ship and cruise missiles. Even the lesser-armed LCS is getting a ship-killer missile. The reason for the new push is China and Russia’s naval missiles’ modernization that can outrange U.S. ships. The Air Force and Navy want to throw $341.5 million into development and purchasing of an initial 30 Long-Range Anti-Surface Warfare Missiles. LRASM extends ships’ anti-surface range to 500 nautical miles. The Navy also wants to buy 100 Hellfire missiles for LCS’ anti-surface warfare mission package to add to its short-range 57-mm gun. To pay for things, the Navy cut one of its three planned LCS buys for FY-17. (Source: War Is Boring 02/10/16) Gulf Coast Maritime Note: Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Ala., builds the Independence class variant of LCS. Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City, Fla., works closely with the LCS program office on its mine-countermeasures warfare package.