(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Navy has awarded a Lockheed Martin-led team, which includes Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM), a $1.3 billion order for the construction of four multi-mission surface combatants ships as part of the country’s Foreign Military Sales program. These ships will be built in Marinette, Wis., for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The multi-mission surface combatant is a highly maneuverable ship that features the flexibility of the Freedom-variant littoral combat ship steel monohull, built by the same team for the U.S. Navy; 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 the ability to confront modern maritime and economic security threats.
Lockheed Martin and FMM, together with the naval architect Gibbs & Cox and over 800 suppliers in 42 states, are already cooperating for the Navy’s LCS program, one of the most ambitious in the world for surface ships.
Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG), which owns Fincantieri Marinette Marine and two more yards again in the Great Lakes region, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and Fincantieri Ace Marine, since 2008 has invested more than $180 million to modernize the Wisconsin shipyards, hiring and training more than 1,000 people, with a total workforce in the three sites of about 2,500 people and more than 350 contractors.