[sukhoi-30mki]

Lockheed Martin

Speed is a major ingredient of littoral combat ships such as the future USS Fort Worth, designed for flexibility and agility.

Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/10/30/3486502/first-sea-trial-goes-according.html#ixzz1cMMDnQ5W

[Travis McGee]

Freedom class:

Independence class:

A Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) is a type of relatively small surface vessel intended for operations in the littoral zone (close to shore). It is "envisioned to be a networked, agile, stealthy surface combatant capable of defeating anti-access and asymmetric threats in the littorals."[1] Two ship classes are the first examples of the LCS in the U.S. Navy: the Freedom-class and the Independence-class. LCS designs are slightly smaller than the US Navy's guided missile frigates, and have been likened to corvettes of other navies. However, the LCS designs add the capabilities of a small assault transport with a flight deck and hangar large enough to base two SH-60 Seahawk helicopters, the capability to recover and launch small boats from a stern ramp, and enough cargo volume and payload to deliver a small assault force with armoured fighting vehicles to a roll-on/roll-off port facility. The standard armament for the LCS is Mk 110 57 mm guns. It will also be able to launch autonomous air, surface, and underwater vehicles.[2] Although the LCS designs offer less air defense and surface-to-surface capabilities than comparable destroyers, the LCS concept emphasizes speed, flexible mission module space and a shallow draft. The first Littoral Combat Ship, the USS Freedom (LCS-1), was commissioned on November 8, 2008 in Veteran's Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[3] The second ship and first of the trimaran design, the USS Independence (LCS-2), was commissioned on January 16, 2010, in Mobile, Alabama.[4]

[LIBERTARIAN JOE]

Traditional surface combatants are just fine for doing the Navy's constitutional functions of protecting our foreign commerce during peacetime and destroying an opponent's navy during time of war.

These crappy little things are designed for furthering our insane policy of foreign meddling.

[BilLies]

Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) has struggled to overcome the impression that it was the U.S. Navy’s “ugly duckling.”

Gee, if a LCS is an “ugly duckling” what would have they have called a LSD (Landing Ship Dock)?

[Vroomfondel]

ping

[tanknetter]

I just wish they’d used the traditional categorization for ships like these and called them Corvettes.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

In the future, I’m looking for new ships such as “recoverable UAV carriers”, “expendable UAV carriers”, and exotic craft like “recoverable USV” craft.

In the first case, a ship that can launch and recover a large number of Reaper-type UAVs, along with maintenance-repair, refuel and rearm.

In the second case, a lower tech ship that can carry and launch what amounts to “buzz bombs”, with a similar mission to cruise missiles, but at far lower per-weapon cost.

The third ship would release and recover large numbers of torpedo-like, but low energy consumption unmanned submersibles, that can then patrol a wide sector of ocean, making it impassible to enemy ships and submarines.

[magslinger]

SONOBUOY PING!

Click on pic for past Navair pings. Post or FReepmail me if you wish to be enlisted in or discharged from the Navair Pinglist. The only requirement for inclusion in the Navair Pinglist is an interest in Naval Aviation. This is a medium to low volume pinglist.

[MontaniSemperLiberi]

“LCS program office’s absolute determination to constrain the corporate Navy’s attempts to add requirements and hence costs to the program.”

Wow it’s getting deep.

At $1B a ship when an aircraft carrier costs $6B I don’t think of the LCS as cheep.

[lentulusgracchus]

[Article] There were complaints about the designs of both variants. There was the crisis of rising prices as the cost for each ship rose when the builders were required to meet the design requirements set by the Naval Vessel Rules.

I'll bet you won't hear too many complaints about Naval Vessel Rules from men who made it out of burning aircraft carriers and cruisers in 1942 and 1943.

[pabianice]

LCS is being defunded. A combination of Obama and the Dems’ rabid hatred of the military and of an overwhelming number of problems with the class. I don’t know what the author’s connection to the project may be. The US Navy is being quietly euthenized as was tried in 1947.

[DesScorp]

Lexington is nothing but a paid industry shill. If they had existed in the 50’s, they’d be doing press releases about how great the F3 Demon was (a plane that was notoriously bad because of its rotten engine).

Really, when you post this stuff, you’re literally just posting a paid-for press release.