Posted on 08/01/2015 9:12:31 AM PDT by Mariner
The Littoral Combat Ship, built by Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and Austal USA, has been plagued with cost overruns, design flaws, and a number of failures. In fact, the LCS performed so poorly that then-Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel cut the Navy's LCS acquisition from 52 to 32 ships, and directed the Navy to appoint a Small Surface Combatant Task Force, or SSCTF, to "submit alternative proposals to procure a capable and lethal small surface combatant, consistent with the capabilities of a frigate."
The good news is Lockheed Martin addressed many of the issues plaguing the LCS, and now production is surging as the price has dropped. The bad news is the Navy has decided it wants a modified LCS -- which it's officially calling a frigate -- for ships 33-52. So, what does this mean for Lockheed Martin?
(Excerpt) Read more at fool.com ...
It seems that air power doomed the big ships. Missiles may doom the surface ship. Remember the Falkand’s war? A $250,000 missile sank a five billion dollar British destroyer.
Do you know what the USS Nimitz’s armor consists of? I was stationed aboard the Nimitz and I think I remember some armor being talked about. Can you refresh me there?
Nonsense.
“Nonsense.”
You obviously know nothing of Air Force technologies and weapon systems.
As to your question, would you be comfortable sailing into harm's way in a boat that was aluminum above the waterline??
“There isn’t a ship afloat or under the sea the fly boys can’t detect, target, and sink at will. Navies are useless creatures in a world war.”
Are you including our submarines?
Yes, I am including subs. We know where all subs are at all times. Hell, I used to present the sub location briefings every morning for Commander’s Call at NORAD. Sorry, but sub locations are not a mystery.
Not my experience in the Navy. Small commands precede large commands and provide more opportunity for command.
The Navy pushed the small, questionably capable LCS as it was simultaneously deommisioning the poorly armed FFGs.
Frankly, my preference would be to build small CVHs on DDG51 hulls, with stressed decks for the F-35 VTOL. Besides attack helicopters and F-35s, I would also put VLS into the deck edges.
The concept would be to run them in strike groups with a standard DDG or CG. The VLS would be controlled from the shooter, with safety releases aboard the CVH.
I was on Nimitz too - back during ED’s tenure, when it was only 10 years old.
But can they be destroyed by air power alone?
CVNS have armor. Not like an old BB, but they do have armored decks and bulkheads.
That has been said repeatedly since about 1925. And it's still a gross overstatement of the facts.
Lots of BBS were lost to air power by all sides. We lost the most on our first day of the war
Missiles. ICBM will sink anything there is.
“That has been said repeatedly since about 1925. And it’s still a gross overstatement of the facts.”
Not even close. The threat to ships is such that even more billions have been spent to try to protect them.
Eisenhower warned us of the Military Industrial Complex. He was right. MIC Boogiemen are everywhere and we have to spend, spend, spend to protect us from them.
Using what? Harpoons against armored ships? Like a fly swatter. And SM2s? If you can designate a BB that means you are line of sight, and if you are line of sight you'll be on the receiving end of 16" projectiles. Good luck shooting those down. DDG51 are wonderful ships, but there is no way that they could handle an Iowa class battleship. Take out 30 WWII DDs? Sure, they could do that.
Are there depth limits?
I flew combat aircrat, but aircraft are not presence. Never have been, can’t conceive they ever will be. You might be able to protect our own coasts with just aircraft, but that would be the extent of it.
I flew combat aircrat, but aircraft are not presence. Never have been, can’t conceive they ever will be. You might be able to protect our own coasts with just aircraft, but that would be the extent of it.
Tell me about the F-35 budget...
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