Lockheed Martin has announced the appointment of independent naval architect and marine engineer Gibbs & Cox in support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Multi-Mission Surface Combatant (MMSC).
Previously, Lockheed Martin’s MMSC was chosen to fulfil the Royal Saudi Naval Forces multi-mission surface combatant requirement.
In May of last year both the United States Navy and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia penned a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) for four MMSCs. Crucially, this agreement represents the first sale of a US-built surface combatant to another nation in over four decades.
For Gibbs & Cox the appointment is big news and signifies yet another contract win with Lockheed Martin.
“We are pleased to continue our long-standing relationship with Lockheed Martin and extend our partnership to a new derivative and customer,” said Chris Deegan, Gibbs & Cox President and CEO.
“G&C’s 85 years of surface combatant design experience has supported many of the world’s navies via Foreign Military Sales. We look forward to working with Lockheed Martin to design the Multi-Mission Surface Combatant to meet the needs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
The Multi-Mission Surface Combatant is a lethal and highly maneuverable multi-mission surface combatant capable of littoral and open ocean operation. It was designed from the keel up to confront modern maritime and economic security threats.
The MMSC has a range of 5,000 nautical miles and can reach speeds upwards of 30 knots. It will be based on the Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship’s 118 meter hull and will utilize the same combined diesel and gas propulsion system.
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