The Littoral Combat Ship was designed for operations close to shore. Its modular design allows the Navy to adapt the ship to different missions. Speed, automation, and flexibility define its role.

A LUCAS drone launches from the USS Santa Barbara in the Arabian Gulf. (Photo courtesy of the Navy) The crew of the USS Santa Barbara and personnel from U.S. Naval Forces Central Command successfully ...

Personnel assigned to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet (NAVCENT/C5F) successfully launched a one-way attack drone from a ship at sea for the first time on Dec. 16. (Navy) The U.S. Navy ...

A Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System one-way attack drone, like those shown here on a tarmac at a US Central Command base, was launched from a littoral combat ship. (US Department of Defense) ...

An elementary school teacher from Italy who was vacationing on a cruise around Africa fell and died in a freak accident after her ship collided with another tourism vessel on the Nile River on Sunday.

A Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) was launched from the flight deck of littoral combat ship USS Santa Barbara while operating in the Persian Gulf on Dec. 16, 2025. In a press release, ...

In a major follow-up to three of our recent stories on China’s weapons developments, we can now report that what appeared to be a modular, road-mobile, electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) ...

Santa Barbara’s namesake warship just made history by launching a one-way attack drone at sea in the Middle East. The USS Santa Barbara, an Independence-class littoral combat ship, launched the drone ...

The U.S. Navy has decided to step back from its Constellation-class frigate program in favor of faster-to-build vessels and a new, American-designed frigate. That means the cancellation of four ...

A commander described it as a milestone in the effort to deploy cheap drones. The launch comes as the Pentagon tries to keep pace with new technology in modern warfare. A US Navy warship operating in ...

On Tuesday, the Navy conducted the first successful launch of a one-way attack unmanned aerial system from a warship at sea. The USS Santa Barbara, an Independence-class littoral combat ship, launched ...