WASHINGTON, July 16, 2008 (AFP) - The Pentagon said Wednesday it has notified Congress of a possible sale of four littoral combat ships (LCS) to Israel valued at up to 1.9 billion dollars.

The LCS is a new generation of fast, maneuverable surface warship designed for coastal waters.

The US Navy has built two of the vessels, but cancelled contracts to build two more because of cost overruns.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Israel 'has rquested a possible sale of up to four Littoral Combat ships (LCS-1 variant),' which is built by Lockheed Martin.

'The total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as 1.9 billion dollars,' the agency said.

It said the proposed sale would not affect the basic military balance in the region.