WASHINGTON, the USA (BulgarianMilitary.com), 25 July 2018, Editor: Galina Zdravkova, Photo credit: Lockheed Martin

On Friday, 20th July 2018, Lockheed Martin came out with the news that the company will supply the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) with four Multi-Mission Surface Combatants (MMSCs). This step is part of a larger agreement between KSA and the United States for improvement of the global security and stimulation of the economic progress in both regions, learned BulgarianMilitary.com

The MMSCs, which have the interoperability needed for today’s joint and allied naval force manoeuvres, will be built at Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin.

The award of the MMSC contract is an important move in the relationships between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Lockheed Martin.

Read more: Saudi Arabia Is Closer to Finalizing Another Deal for BAE’s Typhoon Jets

The executive VP of Lockheed Martin International Richard H. (Rick) Edwards shared, “Lockheed Martin values our 50-year partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is committed to helping fulfil the Kingdom’s long-term vision.”

Read more: Boeing receives $3.2B US Army contract for Apache sales to Saudi Arabia

The MMSC is a highly manoeuvrable multi-mission surface combatant with range of 5,000 nautical miles, which is capable of littoral and open ocean operation. It is developed to confront modern maritime and economic security threats and features the COMBATSS-21 Combat Management System, which is built from the Aegis Combat System Common Source Library (CSL). Thanks to that anti-air and anti-surface capabilities are enabled in a small surface combatant platform. The Aegis CSL enables users to integrate quickly new capabilities and processes in a “build once, use many times” framework.

The VP of Lockheed Martin Small Combatants and Ship Systems Joe DePietro commented, “We are pleased the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has selected the Multi-Mission Surface Combatant to support its Royal Saudi Naval Forces fleet. The MMSC provides the Royal Saudi Naval Forces a lethal and highly manoeuvrable multi-mission surface combatant, which features the flexibility of the Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship steel mono-hull with expanded capabilities that include an integrated Mk41 Vertical Launch System, an increased range of 5,000 nautical miles and speeds in excess of 30 knots, making it capable of littoral and open ocean operation, and able to confront modern maritime and economic security threats.”

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