According to current planning, this schedule would allow the first vessel to enter service in 2029. The U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps foresee a requirement for about 35 ships, and to accelerate progress and limit costs they do not intend to introduce major changes to Damen’s baseline design.
Adjustments are expected only where U.S. standard solutions are needed and to ensure compatibility with the equipment, armament and aircraft used by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The first contract, covering engineering and design work, may be signed later this year.
At the time of the December announcement, an agreement was concluded for the purchase of design rights worth 3.3 million U.S. dollars. This will allow the Department of the Navy to select shipyards for each phase of the programme, covering construction, maintenance and later upgrades, with the aim of involving as many yards as possible.
The LSM class is intended to enable the efficient movement of Marine Corps combat groups across the Pacific between small islands and atolls. Their technical and tactical characteristics are expected to allow safe operation in areas exposed to potential adversary weapons, complementing the larger amphibious transport docks that form the core of expeditionary groups.
