MARINETTE, Wis., Aug. 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT)-led industry team delivered the nation's seventh Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), the future USS Detroit, to the U.S. Navy on Aug. 12.

The future USS Detroit is the fourth Freedom-variant LCS delivered to the U.S. Navy by Lockheed Martin and is scheduled to be commissioned in Detroit on Oct. 22.

"Team Freedom is proud to deliver another capable LCS to the Navy," said Joe North, vice president of Littoral Ships and Systems. "Once commissioned, the USS Detroit will represent the interests of the United States where and when needed, with a level of force that will deter and defeat threats."

The Lockheed Martin-led industry team is currently in full-rate production of the Freedom-variant, with six ships under construction at Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) and three more in long-lead material procurement. The ship's modular design and plug-and-play architecture enables the U.S. Navy to achieve increased capacity and capability at a fraction of the cost of other platforms.

"We are proud to deliver another proven warship that allows our Navy to carry out its missions around the world," said Jan Allman, FMM president and CEO. "We look forward to working with the U.S. Navy to continue building these highly capable ships for the fleet."

LCS 7 will be the sixth U.S. Navy ship named USS Detroit. Previous ships to bear the name included a Sacramento-class fast combat support ship, an Omaha-class light cruiser, a Montgomery-class cruiser and two 19th century sloops of war.

The Lockheed Martin-led LCS team is comprised of shipbuilder Fincantieri Marinette Marine, naval architect Gibbs & Cox, and more than 500 suppliers in 37 states. The Freedom-variant's steel monohull is based on a proven, survivable design recognized for its stability and reliability. With 40 percent reconfigurable shipboard space, the hull is ideally suited to accommodate additional lethality and survivability upgrades associated with the Freedom-variant Frigate.

For additional information, visit our website: www.lockheedmartin.com/lcs

About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 125,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.

About Fincantieri Marinette Marine
Founded in 1942, Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) is located on the Menominee River flowage into Green Bay. The largest shipyard in the Midwest, FMM has delivered more than 1,300 vessels to the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and commercial customers, including the technologically advanced Littoral Combat Ship Freedom variant for the U.S. Navy. In 2008, FMM along with several sister shipyards also based in the Great Lakes region, became part of FINCANTIERI, one of the world's largest shipbuilding groups and number one by diversification and innovation, with almost 19,000 employees, of whom more than 7,800 in Italy, 20 shipyards in 4 continents.  FINCANTIERI operates in the United States through its subsidiary Fincantieri Marine Group, serving both civilian and government customers. Over the past five years, FINCANTIERI invested more than $100 million in both capital infrastructure and its resources to support FMM's transformation into what is now one of the best shipyards in the United States. Employing approximately 1,500 employees, today FMM is a state-of-the-art, full service new construction shipyard.

About Gibbs & Cox
Gibbs & Cox, the nation's leading independent maritime solutions firm specializing in naval architecture, marine engineering and design, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. The company, founded in 1929, has provided designs for nearly 80 percent of the current U.S. Navy surface combatant fleet; approaching 7,000 naval and commercial ships have been built to Gibbs & Cox designs.

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SOURCE Lockheed Martin