The LCS is conceived as a "small, fast, affordable ship", capable of operating at low speeds for littoral mission operations, transit at economical speeds, and high-speed sprints, which may be necessary to avoid/prosecute a small boat or submarine threat, conduct intercept operations over the horizon, or for insertion or extraction missions. Lockheed Martin received a contract for the first ship, LCS 1, in December 2004. LCS 1 will be built at the Marinette Marine shipyard in Wisconsin and is scheduled for commissioning in 2007. It will also build LCS 3, to commission in 2008. General Dynamics will receive orders in 2006 and 2007 for the build of LCS 2 and LCS 4, which are scheduled for commissioning in 2008 and 2009. In addition, orders will be placed for nine Flight 1 (second generation) LCS ships during 2008 and 2009, for ship commissioning during the period 2010 to 2012. Over the long term, the overall number of ships currently projected for the U.S. Navy totals 57 for the class.
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