The Navy's new DD(X) program is the centerpiece a family of three surface combatant ships, including a destroyer, a cruiser and a smaller craft for littoral operations. The DD(X) contract, to be awarded in 2005, could end up totaling $100 billion for some 70 warships in the DD(X) family: destroyers, cruisers, and a downsized seagoing killer called LCS, short for littoral combat ship. The cruiser and destroyer are expected to share a common hull design. The Littoral Combat Ship will most likely have an advanced hull designed for high speed and a shallow draft
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