Beyond LCS: Navy Looks To Foreign Frigates, National Security Cutter

Breaking Defense ^ | May 11, 2017 | SYDNEY J. FREEDBERG JR.

[DoughtyOne]

I appreciate the mention.

When I address “space plane”, it’s a concept that involves being able to do turnarounds to space in a matter of hours, not weeks or months.

It involves being able to take cargo and humans there quickly and routinely.

It would allow for the industrialization of near space. Hotels, factories, facilities as way stations to the Moon and planets.

It would also facilitate the inception of a new military branch focused on space.

That sounds a bit iffy, but there will be a time when space is militarized. We should be at the forefront of that.

We have a Navy today to ensure the right of free passage on the high seas. A space command would ensure that for space.

So yes, the X37B does conduct long missions in near space, a year or two and perhaps more, but it isn’t the type of thing I had in mind, although it may be doing an excellent job along the lines of what it was designed for. It appears to be.

[DoughtyOne]

After writing that to you, I came across THIS.

It’s Time for the US Air Force to Prepare for Preemption in Space

[Oztrich Boy]

I'm surprised those Norwegian Frigates wouldn't be in consideration, actually.

Couple of factors.

1. The Norge ships are only designed for 2x8cell Mk41. While that's enough for local area defence, it's a bit light if you want to carry ASROC or cruise.

2. SPY 1F is a 1st gen system, old hasn't been updated, and pretty much an orphan. It's also passive, heavy, power consuming and expensive

correcting all that will take time and money

OTOH, the basic F-100 while bigger (steel is cheap, air is free) is designed for 48 Mk41 cells. And Navantia is already working on a version with a cheaper, more modern, and cheaper active phased array radar system

. CEAMOUNT and CEAFAR-S are already operational and the initial phase 2 ship design is scheduled to be available by the end of the year.

[Spktyr]

Not far from what I’ve heard and read. The Navy and the contractors believed that heavy automation would allow the radical crew size reduction. However, the automation didn’t work and the modular mission system takes up so much space that either they have to load a personnel module (which reduces flexibility and capability) to house additional crew to ‘normally’ run the vessel. However, the modular system has caused other compromises in the ships’ designs so while they’re ahead of ‘commercial’ ships they’re not close to where other Navy vessels are.

Another big problem is that the LCS is now to take on the missions formerly assigned to larger frigates and destroyers... without the organic equipment or crew.

[pepsi_junkie]

You make good points about the Norwegian ship BUT the article says that the USCG National Security Cutter is under consideration. As I noted in a prior post, it has ZERO VLS cells and the TRS-3D radar on it is ... well ... the best radar $6M can buy. Which is to say it's totally inadequate for any naval missile engagement scenario. So significant hull modifications to add VLS cells and a new superstructure probably needed. I suppose those things would have eliminated the vessel from consideration but in shipbuilding for the government politics is a significant factor. Heck that's why there are still two LCS variants in active production rather than just one downselected one, as per original plan. Lots of jobs involved and Senators and Congressmen have big sway over where work goes.

The truth is this vessel is most likely to be built at either Bath Iron Works in Maine or Ingalls in Pascagoula, MS. Ingals has much more capacity. BIW has good political support and they do great work. Marinette Marine could still play into it, as could Austal, but I'd guess it comes down to the two I mentioned first, especially since they (1) were not part of LCS and (2) are the ones that are most impacted by any end to Burke class production.

My prediction: they will pick a design (probably F-100 since it's more suitable than the National Security Cutter) and then split production between those two yards with BIW as the lead yard. You heard it here first!

[rmlew]

I guess the British Type 26 Frigate is out of the running, because it hasn't been fielded. The Fremm woould be nice with more VLS tubes.
I don't like the idea of using he Spanish frigates or any ship with Spy-1 family radars. We are too dependent on these and there are newer designs like the AMDR or higher mounted radars, which may provide better detection for sea skimming missiles.