WASHINGTON \u2014\u00a0Saudi Arabia has turned down a US Navy offer to build four frigates based on the Lockheed Martin littoral combat ship (LCS) design, sources familiar with the situation said, but the move is thought to be part of a continuing negotiation over price and schedule, not a rejection of the overall deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Saudis were responding to a Nov. 22\u00a0US Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LoA) that contained more specific details of the deal, which was announced by the US Department of State on Oct. 20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ships are known as the Multi-Mission Surface Combatant (MMSC), based on the LCS but armed with surface-to-air missiles and a more robust combat system. The MMSC is the largest element of the Saudi Naval Expansion Program II (SNEP 2), a major effort to replace and modernize the kingdom’s eastern fleet that operates in the Persian Gulf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The country’s western fleet, based in the Red Sea, is supplied primarily by France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The SNEP 2 plan features four larger surface warships \u2013 the MMSC \u2013 along with six smaller corvette-sized ships, all operating Lockheed Martin Sikorsky MH-60R helicopters. A $1.9 billion deal to purchase the helicopters was announced in May. A number of smaller vessels and aircraft also are in the plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n