The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program has completed tests to assess the vessel’s ability to withstand blasts and fire caused by weapons, the Navy said Aug. 11.
The tests, which occurred at the U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center in Maryland and ended June 30, involved placing charges in several compartments of the Multi Compartment Surrogate (MCS) module, a replica of part of the Independence-class variant. Testers also set controlled fires in the module to see how flames would affect the aluminum structure. Austal USA [ASB] built the module.
The announcement came less than a month after the USS Jackson (LCS-6), an Independence-class ship built by Austal, underwent its third and final underwater blast test off the coast of Florida.
“The MCS testing allows us to test our simulations in a real-world and safe environment,” said Capt. Tom Anderson, LCS program manager. “This analysis, along with the recent successful completion of [the underwater] trials, will serve to support future survivability assessments of the Independence variant.”