
The Navy has moved forward with the construction of Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), issuing contract modifications Monday to prime contractors Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Austal USA for four of the vessels. Each shipbuilder will construct two ships, with Lockheed Martin and partner Marinette Marine building the Freedom variant, while Austal USA is responsible for the Independence variant. The contract modification includes $699 million for Lockheed Martin and $684 million for Austal USA. The four vessels are part of a block…