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LCS Troubles May Stem From Double Engine
"After two years of embarrassing breakdowns in both variants of the embattled Navy Littoral Combat Ship, there are worrying signs that a reliability problem is built into the design. At issue: the unhappy combination of an unusually small crew struggling with a uniquely complex propulsion system, one that yokes gas turbines and diesel engines together.That implies Vice Adm. Thomas Rowden's current stand-down to retrain LCS engineers -- and it's unprecedented to stand down an entire warship class -- will only solve part of the problem. A complete cure could require redesigning the engines. That's the kind of fundamental fix that would have to wait for the upgraded "frigate" model of the LCS and which couldn't be retrofitted to existing ships. "The Navy may want to...in the frigate design, for example...come up with ways to simplify the propulsion architecture," said Bryan Clark of the Center for Strategic & Budgetary Assessments, a former top aide to the Chief of Naval Operations. "It's not really fundamentally flawed so much as the architecture is hard to support," Clark said, which is particularly problematic for LCS's chronically overworked crew. Using a smaller gas turbine would reduce the ships' top speed, he said, but it would also make maintaining and operating it easier. Posted by: Blossom Unains5562 2016-09-08 |
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