GE Marine has delivered two LM2500 marine aeroderivative gas turbines to Austal Mobile’s Alabama shipyard in support of the US Navy’s third Independence-variant littoral combat ship, USS Jackson (LCS 6).
The company was awarded a sub-contract by Austal to deliver 20 LM2500 gas turbines in support of the US Navy’s LCS programme.
It follows Austal being awarded a $3.5bn contract by the US Navy to build and deliver an additional ten LCSs to join USS Independence (LCS 2), which was commissioned in January 2010.
Recently, the second ship, USS Coronado (LCS 4), successfully completed its main engine light-off on two LM2500 gas turbines.
USS Jackson will be powered by two GE Marine-built LM2500 gas turbines equipped in a CODAG configuration with two diesel engines.
The LM2500 has been designed to maximise shipboard maintainability and parts replacement downtime, including split compressor casing, in-place blade and vane replacement, in-place hot section maintenance and accessible external fuel nozzles.
Based on GE’s CF6-6 aircraft engines, the LM2500 high-performance unit features a gas generator, a power turbine, attached fuel and lube oil pumps, a fuel control and speed governing system, as well as controls and devices for starting and monitoring engine operations.
Previously, GE delivered two pairs of LM2500 gas turbines to power the US Navy’s Austal-built LCS Independence and Coronado.
Austal is supported by General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems for the LCS programme and is responsible for design, integration and testing of the ship’s electronic systems for combat, networks, and seaframe control.
Manufacturing of the gas turbine engine will be carried out at GE’s Evendale facility in Ohio, US.
More than 700 LM2500 gas turbines have been delivered to the navy for operating onboard surface combat vessels, such as frigates and destroyers.
Image: US Navy’s Independence-class Coronado (LCS 4) ship. Photo: © Austal.
