The LX(R) class (formerly LSD(X) class) is a class of amphibious warfare ships under development for the United States Navy, to be contracted from 2020, as a replacement for the current and dock landing ships.[1]
The LX(R) is expected to enter service by 2025 or 2026.[2] It will complement existing Whidbey Island-class and Harpers Ferry-class ships in U.S. service, eventually replacing these ships by 2039.[3]
The LX(R) was previously referred to as the LSD(X). The designation was changed to LX(R) in 2012 to signal that the replacement for the existing and ships (LSD-41/49 class) would be an amphibious warfare ship that would meet the needs of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, regardless of whether that turned out to be a ship that might be designated as a dock landing ship (LSD).[1]
In 2013 and 2014 the Navy conducted a review of various design alternatives for the LX(R), including: adopting the existing design as-is, adopting a modified version of the San Antonio-class design with reduced capability and reduced cost, creating a brand new "clean-sheet" design, or adopting an existing foreign design.[1] In early 2014, Huntington Ingalls Industries suggested a modified version of the San Antonio-class hull for the Navy's LX(R) amphibious warfare ship, which they designated as "LPD Flight IIA". This design modified the San Antonio class by removing some of its higher-end capabilities, resulting in a design that had improved command and control features compared to the existing LSDs, half the medical spaces of the San Antonio class, a smaller hangar for stowing two MV-22 tilt rotor aircraft, no composite masts, two main propulsion diesel engines instead of four, two spots for Landing Craft Air Cushion hovercraft or one Landing Craft Utility boat, and a reduced troop capacity.[4]
In October 2014, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus signed an internal memo recommending that the LX(R) amphibious warfare ship be based on the existing San Antonio-class design. This modified San Antonio-class design was selected over a foreign variant and an entirely new design in order to meet required capability, capacity, and cost parameters.[5] On 25 June 2015, the Navy solicited the design of LX(R) based on a modified San Antonio-class design.[1] Huntington Ingalls was awarded the majority of the contract for the design of the LX(R).[6] [1] On 15 September 2016 Huntington Ingalls was awarded a $19.1 million contract for design acceleration of the LX(R).[7]
Since the LX(R) is based on the San Antonio-class design, some of the design innovations and cost-reduction strategies developed for the LX(R) will be applied to, allowing it to be built at reduced cost.[1] This will make Fort Lauderdale a "transitional ship" between the current San Antonio-class design and future LX(R) ships.[8] [1] In April 2018 the U.S. Navy announced that the forthcoming LX(R) amphibious warfare ship will be designated as San Antonio-class Flight II, that LPD-29 will be an additional transitional ship between the end of the San Antonio program and the beginning of LX(R), and that the first San Antonio-class Flight II ship will be LPD-30.[9]
On 6 April 2018 the U.S. Navy announced that they had selected Huntington Ingalls Industries subsidiary Ingalls Shipbuilding to build the first LX(R), a San Antonio-class Flight II with LPD-30 as the lead ship.[10] On 26 March 2019, Huntington Ingalls announced the award of a US$1.47 billion, fixed-price incentive contract for LPD 30 (the 14th ship, and first of Flight II). On 10 October 2019, its name was announced as after Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the state's capital.[11] The U.S. Navy intends to award the contract for the second in 2022, followed by one each year after that, for a total of a 13-ship class.[1]
The LX(R) design is a less expensive and, in some ways, a less capable derivative of the design of San Antonio class.[1] It is considerably larger than the two LSD classes it replaces.[1] Some of the higher-end capabilities of the San Antonio class have been removed, resulting in a design that has improved command and control features compared to the existing LSDs, half the medical spaces of the San Antonio class, a smaller hangar for stowing two MV-22s, conventional steel masts instead of composite masts, two main propulsion diesel engines instead of four, two spots for LCACs or one LCU, and a reduced troop capacity.[12] LX(R) will use the AN/SPY-6 Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR) volume air search radar.[13] The s starting with and the s starting with will also have this radar. LX(R) will incorporate a high temperature superconductor-based ship mine protection degaussing system built by American Superconductor to reduce the magnetic signature of the ships.[14]