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Littoral Combat Ship Competition Rife With Rumors
Defense Professionals ^ | 10/20/2010 | Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D

Posted on 10/21/2010 10:39:33 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld

The U.S. Navy's close-lipped effort to pick a winning design for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program is generating more rumors than Lindsay Lohan's love-life. Maybe it's the approaching mid-term elections or maybe it's the lack of official information about how the selection process is progressing, but interested parties seem to be working overtime to formulate fanciful conspiracy theories about what's going on.

The competition pits two second-tier shipyards teamed with giant defense contractors against each other for the right to produce dozens of unconventional warships that are the only new class of surface combatants to survive recent course changes by the Navy's leadership. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead has strongly endorsed the small, fast vessel designed for combating shallow-water threats, while curtailing the bigger Zumwalt class of next-generation destroyers and killing a future missile-defense cruiser outright.

(Excerpt) Read more at defpro.com ...


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: lcs; lcs1; lcs2; littoralcombatships; usn; usnavy

1 posted on 10/21/2010 10:39:38 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
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To: ErnstStavroBlofeld
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
U.S.S. Independence (LCS 1)
2 posted on 10/21/2010 10:53:05 PM PDT by Old Seadog (Always do a little more than is expected, and someday .....it will be expected.)
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To: Old Seadog

I thoght the Falklands cured most navies of the idea of aluminium warships. ( great big sparklers)


3 posted on 10/21/2010 11:07:35 PM PDT by Waverunner (")
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To: ErnstStavroBlofeld

The Navy should cancel both of them. They’re glorified Coast Guard cutters... and armed like them... at the price of high end frigates. In fact, the Navy should give the four that have been built or are finishing to the USCG, and either license the Spanish Armada’s F100 class design, or simply buy more Burke’s and live with fewer fleet numbers. But regardless, they should NOT be spending almost $700 million apiece for aluminum patrol boats.


4 posted on 10/21/2010 11:32:13 PM PDT by DesScorp
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To: DesScorp

These boats can be outfitted with AEGIS/SM-3 missiles


5 posted on 10/21/2010 11:33:25 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
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To: DesScorp
Sounds like a repeat of the AF fighter mafia antics.

/johnny

6 posted on 10/21/2010 11:52:51 PM PDT by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: DesScorp

Had a look at the F100 class. Good looking ships-and you’re right, probably better value than the LCS.


7 posted on 10/22/2010 12:33:58 AM PDT by tanuki (Obamacare, Cap and Tax, Amnesty, in that order....)
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To: ErnstStavroBlofeld
Corrections:
The photo shows the Austral USS INDEPENDENCE (LCS-2) tri-hull design. USS FREEDOM (LCS-1) from Lockheed-Martin is a mono-hull design.

LCS-1 is approximately 800 tons overweight in her current configuration due to the switch by L-M from aluminum to steel in the construction of the hull and superstrucure. LCS-2 is underweight and has growth potential.

Neither of these ships can take the SM-2/SM-3 Standard missile systems because the Mk 41 VLS is too large and heavy.

Both LCS-1 and LCS-2 were supposed to mount the NLOS-LS (Non-Line Of Sight Launch System) missiles being developed by the US Army. NLOS-LS is a collection of vertical launch modules that fire the 117-pound missile. Range is 40 km and designed to attack targets afloat or ashore. Guidance is by GPS, semi-active laser, or imaging infrared. Warheads have three different fuzing modes for attacking structure, soft, or armored targets.

The problems with the LCS designs are too numerous to describe here. But, the LCS really needs more and longer range anti-air warfare missiles such as the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) in the light weight bolt-down Mk 56 vertical launch modules.

The current Mk 49 launcher for 19 RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles is too bulky and heavy. It should be removed and replaced with one each of the Mk 15 Mod 0 Block 1B 20mm Phalanx CIWS (Close-In Weapon System) and the SeaRAM (replaces the CIWS 20mm gun with an 11-round RIM-116 missile cell). Both CIWS and SeaRAM are bolt-down applications and don't require major alterations to the ship.

8 posted on 10/22/2010 12:34:31 AM PDT by MasterGunner01 (To err is human; to forgive is not our policy. -- SEAL Team SIX)
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To: MasterGunner01




Alvaro de Bazan F-100 Frigate

9 posted on 10/22/2010 1:15:47 AM PDT by Cardhu
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To: ErnstStavroBlofeld; DesScorp; tanuki; Waverunner

See post #9


10 posted on 10/22/2010 1:22:59 AM PDT by Cardhu
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To: ErnstStavroBlofeld

I thought they had abandoned the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) concept, I guess not.


11 posted on 10/22/2010 1:50:12 AM PDT by valkyry1
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To: Old Seadog
LCS1 is the Freedom (the LM boat) Not the one you pictured.


12 posted on 10/22/2010 2:44:20 AM PDT by NY.SS-Bar9 (Life is hardly more than a fraction of a second. Such a little time to prepare oneself for eternity!)
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To: Waverunner

My thoughts as well. The HMS Sheffield essentially “melted” after being struck by an Exocet missile. Burned for 6 days, then sank. Aluminum is fine for bass boats, not so war vessels...


13 posted on 10/22/2010 4:39:15 AM PDT by donozark (43 years of therapy made me the man I am today....)
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To: ErnstStavroBlofeld
"These boats can be outfitted with AEGIS/SM-3 missiles"

These boats are still A) mostly aluminum, and B) still overpriced. Adding an AEGIS system to them will make them go from overpriced $700 million dollar boats to overpriced $1 billion dollar boats.
14 posted on 10/22/2010 8:47:33 AM PDT by DesScorp
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To: donozark
My thoughts as well. The HMS Sheffield essentially “melted” after being struck by an Exocet missile. Burned for 6 days, then sank. Aluminum is fine for bass boats, not so war vessels...

Nope. Damage was from internal fire of flammable fittings.

Sheffield was a steel ship anyway

Note damage below. Paint is blistered off the hull, and fibreglass stack and radar dome are cooked, but structure and above deck fittings are intact (even the aluminium boat).

NB this is a offside picture of the side not hit.


15 posted on 10/22/2010 9:06:37 AM PDT by Oztrich Boy (15 October 09: Where were you when America stopped to watch an empty balloon?)
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To: Oztrich Boy
Ok. It was the Ardent that had the aluminum superstructure. But it got hit with 6-7 bombs, so it would have made little difference.

My understanding is that although the Exocet missile itself did not explode on impact, nor did the delay mechanism work, the rocket motor caught fuel on fire and knocked out the water equipment used to fight the fire?

.There are many articles out there stating aluminum was used in construction of Sheffield. Thanx for correcting me!

16 posted on 10/22/2010 9:27:10 AM PDT by donozark (43 years of therapy made me the man I am today....)
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To: DesScorp

http://militarytimes.com/blogs/scoopdeck/2009/11/17/another-new-lcs-mission-bmd-picket/


17 posted on 10/26/2010 1:36:46 AM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
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