The US Navy decommissioned Middle East minesweepers last year. Here’s what they did. (Thanks to Graydon for this one)
“The [littoral combat ship] MCM mission package is a sophisticated suite of manned and unmanned systems designed to locate, identify, and neutralize sea mines, at a safer distance from minefields than the Avenger-class MCMs,” a Navy official told Military Times on the condition of anonymity.
Unlike the minesweepers, which have a long history of being battle-tested, the LCS with the MCM package has never been deployed in combat.
The fundamental difference between the two is that the LCS operates outside the mine threat zone and deploys counter-mine devices, while the minesweepers can operate near or directly inside the mine-threat zone.
