The Lockheed Martin-led industry team delivered the nation's third Littoral Combat Ship, Fort Worth (LCS 3), to the U.S. Navy two months ahead of schedule.

The delivery followed the ship's successful Acceptance Trials on Lake Michigan in May.

"By delivering Fort Worth early and performing so successfully at Acceptance Trials, this team has reached milestones rarely seen this early in a new ship class," said U.S. Navy LCS Program Manager Rear Admiral (Select) John Neagley.

"Going forward, we intend to remain on schedule and on cost, while we continue incorporating lessons learned and drive down costs," said Joe North, vice president of Littoral Ship Systems at Lockheed Martin's Mission Systems and Sensors business.

The ship will remain at the Marinette Marine Corporation shipyard in Marinette, Wis., until later this summer as the Navy crew moves aboard in preparation for transiting down the East Coast on its way to commissioning in Galveston, Texas, in September.

The Lockheed Martin-led LCS team includes ship builder Marinette Marine Corporation, a Fincantieri company, naval architect Gibbs and Cox, as well as domestic and international teammates.