What's all this fuss about clittoral combat ships?
Posted on 11/04/2010 7:10:53 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
Woah, so the U.S. Navy wants to buy both classes of Littoral Combat Ship in equal numbers for a total of 20 ships, double the planned by of 10 Hulls, according to my former colleague Chris Cavas’ latest piece over at Defense News.
The Navy, convinced that the competition has driven down the cost for the ships, is asking Congress for permission to award each team contracts for 10 ships, for a total of 20 new LCS hulls.
“We’re engaging with key committee members, their staff and industry on whether awarding a 10-ship block buy to each team merits congressional authorization,” Capt. Cate Mueller, a spokeswoman for the Navy’s acquisition department, said Nov. 3.
Still, if this plan to convince the current lame-duck Congress to allow the sea-service to buy both Lockheed Martin’s Freedom-class and Austal USA’s Independence-class designs doesn’t work, the Navy will go back to its original plan: awarding a contract for ten ships to one of the two competitors.
(Excerpt) Read more at defensetech.org ...
Is one noticeably better than the other? Or do they fulfill different functions?
Surely there must be advantages to one over the other.
Interdiction of pirates?
Perhaps patrolling places like the Persian Gulf...coast of Venezuela.
However, I don't see much "Power Projection" capability that has been the hallmark of the US Navy since Tripoli around 1800. Merrimack and Monitor. Great White Fleet. WWII DOMINANCE over the Japanese. Reagan's 600 ship Navy.
Hell, a FFG costs 1/3 what these units cost and are far more capable in support of power projection. We could use 60 FFG's more than we can use the LCS. Hell, 30 FFG's and 10 DDG's.
I don't get it.
Did the Navy ask, or did a Senator/Congressman ask on their behalf?
The Independence class is intended as a small assault transport that can take on various capabilities with the installation of mission modules. Instead of guns they will have mission modules. Modules may consist of manned aircraft, unmanned vehicles, off-board sensors, or mission-manning detachments
Ensuring pizza delivery under 30 minutes to any part of the globe.
LOL
The Freedom class is designed for a variety of missions in shallow waters, capable against submarines and ships, as well as minesweeping and humanitarian relief
ping
These guys don't even carry Harpoon, Torpedos or Phallanx.
Even the Navy concedes they fail all Shock Tests and are not survivable under any modern hit...from missile, 4in gun or torpedo.
They cannot deploy autonomously...and will require support from REAL WARSHIPS...further spreading our real capabilities.
We need to replenish the real surface fleet before we go spending on auxiliaries.
Hell, we're down to 35 deployable attack subs and 250 deployable surface combatants with 11 deployable Carriers.
It's a cryin' shame.
The USA will get hurt one day, hurt bad because of the state of our Navy.
I agree with you. Bring back the 500 ship navy
You might as well paint these things white with a big orange stripe. If these things are even close to the cost of a Burke class we are making a big mistake.
We might as well mothball one of the carriers, as well. We don’t have enough airplanes for an eleventh airwing.
Gator Navy ping
Within the Navy (both military, and civilians), privately, both LCSes are almost universally regarded as a disaster and a joke, and are considered essentially useless vessels.
The problems of the ships go way beyond what has been reported in the media...trust me.
This may be the worst military procurement fiasco in US Military History. The main competitor is the A-12; unlike the A-12, LCSes were actually built and operated, but I think the complete failure of LCS will end up hurting US military capability more.
Both should be canceled and a new design is needed(perhaps with interim procurement of a foreign design).
The LCS is a failure. Hulls breaking, engines failing, crew too small, combat modules and UVs don’t work. Three weeks at sea and they have to be towed into port. Under Obama, the Navy is being scrapped. This is another futile attempt to keep some semblance of a Navy. p.s. LCS money is already pledged to ObamaCare.
ROFL....it has no capability against submarines and ships. The ASW mission package was a complete disaster, and has been abandoned - it's being completely re-designed, and who knows when an actual working mission package will be available. LCS has NO modern anti-ship capability whatsoever; it has some limited capability against small boats (but is crippled by the Army cancelation of the NLOS missile).
Because so much weight and space was pointlessly wasted on giving it a speed 40 kts+, both ships have difficulty carrying enough equipment to be useful for anything.
I see. I did know that. Thanks for providing some extra info.
The modules are, rather incredibly, a bigger disaster than the ships themselves.
Even under the current 10 ship plan there will be more ships completed than there will be modules available, rendering them useless.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.