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| Science & Technology |
| US GAO reports on the navy's LCS program |
| 2013-08-05 |
| Link via Real Clear Defense This has been the subject of some discussion over at the Officers Club, as to whether the program will deploy a working ship that has some benefit to US naval doctrine. From TFA, part of the executive summary. The report itself is a downloadable PDF: GAO found that the Navy has made progress in addressing some of the early design and construction problems on the LCS 1 and LCS 2 seaframes, and quality defects and unit costs are declining, now that the seaframes are in steady production. Based on projected learning curves, shipyard performance can be expected to continue to improve over time. This expected progress could, however, be disrupted, as the Navy is considering potentially significant seaframe design changes. For example, the Navy is currently studying changes to increase the commonality of systems and equipment between the two ship variants, primarily with regard to the ships' combat management systems, and add new capabilities. In addition, the Navy still has outstanding gaps in its knowledge about how the unique designs of the two variants will perform in certain conditions. The lead ship of the Freedom class is currently on an extended deployment to Southeast Asia, and the Navy views this as an important opportunity to demonstrate some of the ship's capabilities and allow the crew to obtain first-hand experience with operations. Yet, developmental testing of the seaframes is ongoing, and neither variant has completed shock and survivability testing, which will demonstrate that the ship designs can safely absorb and control damage. Importantly, operational testing of the LCS with its mission modules is several years away, which I will discuss later. Late discoveries of problems while the seaframes continue to be constructed could lead to further design changes. |
| Posted by:badanov |
| #3 I discovered there's a FRAM-ified Gearing Class Destroyer about an hour down the road. I took some pictures the last time I passed through, I guess I'll have to see how they came out when I get time. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2013-08-05 15:02 |
| #2 ...well, maybe, before 'destroyers' morphed into much larger 'frigates' (aka Light Cruisers), they could actually get in real close to the shore, sometimes to provide direct fire (eye ball) support to marines and troops. However, when you can deliver ordnance on target just as effectively via other systems, maybe that redundancy isn't called for anymore. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2013-08-05 08:50 |
| #1 What is its mission? I know what my M1A2 does in the Army, I know what the mission of the B52 is and just how effective it can be, I even know the mission of the Marines Osprey, the Navy subs, cans, gators, cruisers and carriers -- and can therefore make some semblance of a pass at what tactical and strategic impact these military vehicles have, and therefore how well they are fulfilling their mission better than any other thing we could put in its place. So what does the LCS do better than any other ship, what is its tactical function and strategic mission, and how does it rate? Right now the primary mission seems to be making money for contractors, and teaching the navy all about how not to design and build a ship. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2013-08-05 01:36 |