연안전투함 미해군, 더이상 LCS를 퇴역시키지 않을 것

[위종민]

미해군 수상함 숫자를 유지하기 위해 LCS 퇴역을 멈추고 계속 운영할 것이라고 합니다.이 결정으로 미해군은 프리덤급 5척, 인디펜던스급 2척의 퇴역이 취소되고, 총 28척의 LCS를 운영할 예정이네요.

결국은 FFG-62급 취소되고 LCS 계속 쓰고 FF(X)로 채울 모양이네요. 

해군 관계자들에 따르면, 해군은 더 이상의 연안전투함을 퇴역시키지 않을 것이라고 밝혔다
샘 라그론
2026년 1월 27일 오후 4시 27분

인디펜던스급 연안전투함 USS 털사(LCS-16)가 2025년 7월 10일 일본 사세보의 함대 활동 사령부 사세보(CFAS) 아카사키 연료 저장소에 접안할 준비를 하고 있다. 미 해군 사진

버지니아주 알링턴 — 미 해군이 예상된 복무 수명 이전에 선체를 퇴역시키려던 계획을 보류함에 따라, 수상 전력은 총 7척의 연안전투함(Littoral Combat Ship, LCS)을 추가로 유지하게 될 것이라고 USNI 뉴스가 확인했다.

이달 초 수상해군협회(Surface Navy Association)에서 발언한 해군 관계자들은 해군이 프리덤급 5척과 인디펜던스급 2척의 LCS를 퇴역시키려던 계획을 되돌렸다고 밝혔다.

LCS 프로그램의 직무대행 관리자 제이 융거리치는 USNI 뉴스에, 자신의 사무실은 더 큰 해군의 기조에 따라 7척의 함정을 퇴역시키는 절차를 진행할 계획이 없다고 말했다.

“지금으로서는 신호가 없다”고 융거리치는 말했다. “함정이 더 많아지는 거죠, 그렇죠?”

이 7척을 유지함으로써 해군은 총 28척의 소형 수상 전투함을 보유하게 된다.

수상전력 사령관 브렌던 맥레인 중장은 회의 기간 중 짧은 인터뷰에서, 미 제5함대에서 수행된 인디펜던스급 3척의 기뢰대응(MCM) 임무 성과에 대해 해군이 만족하고 있다고 USNI 뉴스에 밝혔다.

LCS의 MCM 임무는 해상 기뢰를 탐색하고 제거하기 위해 초기 개발된 세 가지 임무 패키지 가운데 가장 복잡한 것이었다. 10년이 넘는 중단과 재개를 거친 끝에, 해군은 지난해 인디펜던스급 LCS 3척 — USS 캔버라(LCS-30), USS 털사(LCS-16), USS 산타바버라(LCS-32) — 에 탑재된 최초의 완성된 패키지를 바레인의 미군 기지에 배치했다.

이달 초에는 대형 수송선이 바레인에서 남아 있던 어벤저급 MCM 함정 4척 — USS 센트리(MCM-3), USS 데버스테이터(MCM-6), USS 글래디에이터(MCM-11), USS 덱스트러스(MCM-13) — 을 미국으로 이송해 해체하도록 했다.

수상해군협회에서 LCS 임무 모듈의 직무대행 프로그램 관리자 조지 사로치는, 현재까지 4개의 MCM 임무 패키지가 해군에 인도되었으며 나머지 3개 패키지는 올해 말 인도될 예정이라고 말했다.

어벤저급이 바레인을 떠나면서, 마지막으로 배치돼 있던 4척의 MCM 함정은 일본 사세보의 미군 기지에 있으며, 이들은 인디펜던스급 LCS로 대체될 예정이다.

MCM 패키지 외에도, LCS는 해군 타격 미사일(NSM), 30mm 기관포, 그리고 AGM-114L 헬파이어 미사일을 발사하는 모듈을 포함한 수상전 임무 패키지를 운용한다.

해군은 또한 LCS를 함정의 치명성을 높이는 다른 체계를 시험하는 플랫폼으로 활용해 왔다고 밝혔다. 해군은 가상화된 이지스 전투체계와 항공 탐색 레이더 시스템을 사용해 표준 미사일-6과 토마호크 지상공격 미사일을 모두 발사할 수 있는 록히드마틴의 MK 70 타이폰 미사일 발사기를 시험했다.

MV 시웨이 호크가 2026년 1월 20일, 퇴역한 미 해군 어벤저급 기뢰대응함 USS 데버스테이터, USS 덱스트러스, USS 글래디에이터, USS 센트리를 수송하며 페르시아만을 항해하고 있다. 이 선박은 USS 캔버라(LCS-30)의 호위를 받고 있다. 미 해군 사진

LCS를 유지하는 데 대한 근거의 일부는 해군이 무인 체계라고 부르는, 새롭게 부상하는 로봇 자율 시스템(RAS)과 연관돼 있다. LCS는 프리덤급과 인디펜던스급 모두에서 RAS 지원을 위한 시험 플랫폼이 돼 왔다.

“그 임무 격납공간은 항상 — 특히 인디급에서는 — 매우 큰 장점이자 강점이었습니다”고 맥레인은 USNI 뉴스에 말했다. “그 안에 온갖 것들을 넣을 수 있습니다.”

특히 LCS는 텍스트론의 고정익 무인항공체계 에어로손드와, 블랙 시 글로벌 자율 정찰정이라는 소형 무인 수상정을 시험해 왔다.

“우리는 인디급과 프리덤급 양쪽에서 소형 무인수상정의 발사·회수와 통합을 진행해 왔습니다”고 사로치는 말했다. “그 작업은 계속 진행 중입니다. 그 능력을 함대 전반으로 더 확대하는 데 분명한 관심이 있습니다.”

샘 라그론
샘 라그론
샘 라그론은 USNI 뉴스의 편집장이다. 그는 2009년부터 해군 관련 입법, 획득, 작전을 취재해 왔으며, 미 해군, 미 해병대, 캐나다 해군과 함께 승함 취재를 수행한 바 있다.
@samlagrone 팔로우

Navy Won’t Decommission More Littoral Combat Ships, Officials Say - USNI News

Navy Won’t Decommission More Littoral Combat Ships, Officials Say

Sam LaGrone

January 27, 2026 4:27 PM

The Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Tulsa (LCS-16) prepares to moor at Commander, Fleet Activities Sasebo (CFAS) Akasaki Fuel Depot in Sasebo, Japan, July 10, 2025. US Navy photo

ARLINGTON, Va. — The surface force will net a total of seven Littoral Combat Ships after the Navy shelved plans to decommission the hulls ahead of their expected service lives, USNI News has learned.

Service officials speaking earlier this month at the Surface Navy Association said the Navy had reversed plans to decommission five Freedom-class and two Independence-class LCS.

Acting LCS program manager Jay Iungerich told USNI News his office wasn’t planning on moving ahead with decommissioning the seven ships, taking their cues from the larger Navy.

“No signals right now,” Iungerich said. “More ships, right?

Retaining the seven ships will leave the Navy with 28 small surface combatants.

Surface Forces commander Vice Adm. Brendan McLane told USNI News in a short interview during the conference the service was pleased with the three ship Independence-class performance mine countermeasure missions in U.S. 5th Fleet.

The MCM mission for LCS was the most complex of three mission packages that were initially developed for the ships that would hunt for and destroy sea mines. After more than a decade of stops and starts, the sea service deployed the first completed package to the U.S. base in Bahrain last year aboard three Independence-class LCS — USS Canberra (LCS-30), USS Tulsa (LCS-16) and USS Santa Barbara (LCS-32).

Earlier this month, a heavy lift ship transported the four remaining Avenger-class MCM ships — USS Sentry (MCM-3), USS Devastator (MCM-6), USS Gladiator (MCM-11) and USS Dextrous (MCM-13) — from Bahrain back to the U.S. to be dismantled.

Four of the MCM mission packages have been delivered to the Navy with the next three mission packages set to deliver later this year, George Saroch, the acting program manager for the LCS mission modules said at SNA.

With the departure of the Avengers from Bahrain, the last four deployed MCMs are at the U.S. base at Sasebo, Japan, and are set to be replaced by Independence-class LCS.

In addition to the MCM package, LCS field a surface warfare mission package that includes the Naval Strike Missile, 30 mm guns and a module that fires AGM-114L Hellfire missiles.

LCS was also pushed as a platform for testing other systems that add to the lethality of the ships, the Navy has said. The Navy has tested the Lockheed Martin MK 70 Typhon missile launcher capable of firing both Standard Missile 6s and Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles using a virtualized Aegis Combat System and an air search radar system.

MV Seaway Hawk sails in the Persian Gulf while transporting decommissioned U.S. Navy Avenger-class Mine Countermeasures Ships, USS Devastator, USS Dextrous, USS Gladiator and USS Sentry, escorted by USS Canberra (LCS-30) on Jan. 20, 2026. US Navy photo

Part of the justification for keeping the LCS is tied to the emerging robotic autonomous systems, the Navy’s current term for unmanned systems. LCS has become a test bed for RAS support with both Freedom and Independence classes of ships.

“That mission bay was always — particularly in the Indy — such a great and strength,” McLane told USNI News. “You can put all kinds of stuff in there.”

In particular, LCS has tested the Textron fixed-wing Aerosonde unmanned aerial system and the Black Sea Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft small unmanned surface vessel.

“We have been integrating launch recovery and integrating small USVs from both the Indy and the Freedom variants,” Saroch said. “That work continues forward. There’s obviously a lot of interest in bringing that capability further into fleet.”

Sam LaGrone

Sam LaGrone is the editor of USNI News. He has covered legislation, acquisition and operations for the Sea Services since 2009 and spent time underway with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the Canadian Navy.
Follow @samlagrone