U.S. Navy Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords LCS 10 launches a Naval Strike Missile as part of shipboard operational testing and evaluation.
The USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10) is an Independence-class littoral combat ship that entered into service with the United States Navy in December 2016.
Littoral combat ships are fast, agile and networked surface combatants, optimized for operating in near-shore environments. With mission packages allowing for tailored capabilities to meet specific mission needs and unique physical characteristics, LCS provides operational flexibility to combatant commanders.
She can reach a top speed of 40 knots (74 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 4,300 nautical miles (8,000 km) at a speed of 20 knots (37 km/h). The ship has a displacement of 3,104 tons, a length of 127.4 m, a beam of 31.6 m, and a draft of 4.27 m.
The armament of the USS Gabrielle Giffords consists of one BAE Systems Mk 110 57 mm gun, four .50 cal (12.7 mm) heavy machine guns, one SeaRAM 11-cell surface-to-air missile launcher, eight RGM-184A Naval Strike Missiles, an anti-ship and land-attack missile and two Mk44 Bushmaster II Mission modules. The Naval Strike Missile is a long-range, precision strike weapon that can find and destroy enemy ships at distances up to 100 nautical miles away. The missile flies at sea-skimming altitude has the terrain-following capability and uses an advanced seeker for precise targeting.
