[NorthMountain]

the vessel and its brethren

Ships are ladies. Shouldn't that be 'sisteren'?

[EQAndyBuzz]

What howitzer rounds are fired from Spooky? Is the Zumwalt looking to do the same thing?

[GailA]

Just looking at the ship design what the H use is it, can’t land a plane on it, no room on deck for many 50 Caliber weapons, does not act as a sub. Over Priced piece of useless PORK. It will never function well as a upgraded destroyer would.

You can bring the cost of ammo down, you can’t fix how badly it is designed and functions.

[freedumb2003]

By November 2016, the cost per-round had ballooned to $800,000.

Who the heck developed this weapons system, Batman's Penguin?

[glorgau]

According to other sources the land version costs just $70,000 a round.

At that price, why not just chuck a brand new Land Rover at them?

[high info voter]

Having this kind of problem?..... pure STUPIDITY!

[Rashputin]

Every time I read about the Zumwalt I think of Jurassic Park with the old guy who built it constantly saying, "spared no expense", and how well that worked out in the movie.

[DocRock]

Refering to the photo caption:. A M777 self-propelled howitzer with 1st Battalion, 12th Marines fires an M982 Excalibur round in Afghanistan, 2011. Department of Defense photo.

If the Dept of Defense can't tell those aren't self propelled, we have bigger problems than cost of ammo.

[Flick Lives]

Zumwalt Class. Pretty. Pretty useless.

[Sequoyah101]

Another pork barrel project from the shops at Lockheed.

They deserve to be driven out of business. A has been company.

Even $70,000 a round is way to expensive. Just unfeasible.

[Wonder Warthog]

Hmmmmm.....how about taking the Excalibur and fitting it with a second stage solid rocket booster. This wouldn't need to be terribly smart, as the needed guidance corrections for accuracy can be done after the stage separates from the round.

However, other than tradition, why is a "gun" needed at all, when the same job can be done by a much simpler guided missile??

[Uncle Sam 911]

Zumwalt was the first PC CNO and a disaster while doing it. No reason to believe this ship burdened with his name won’t be the same.

[Paladin2]

Did they fix the leaking prop shaft?

[butlerweave]

Stop buying BioFuel and buy real fuel and you’ll save billions right there

[HLPhat]

 Lockheed Martin claimed the artillery round would cost "less than $50,000 each"—an absolute bargain. By November 2016, the cost per-round had ballooned to $800,000. 

That's a whole lot'a BOHICA!

Guess Ike was right...

 

[Eisenhower’s “Military- Industrial Complex” Speech]
Origins and Significance
US National Archives
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg-jvHynP9Y

 

Who armed ISIS?

http://duckduckgo.com/?q=who+armed+ISIS

[FreedomPoster]

>>A M777 self-propelled howitzer with 1st Battalion, 12th Marines fires an M982 Excalibur round in Afghanistan, 2011. Department of Defense photo.

Anyone with half a clue about artillery would recognize that as a towed howitzer, not self-propelled. Heck, I know that, and have never been anywhere near Fort Sill, nor ever served in the Army or Marines.

[Kickass Conservative]

Our Marine Nephew served two Tours in Afghanistan assigned to Artillery. I remember him telling me about how amazing the Excalibur Guided Round was.

He came home, graduated College and started a great Job.

A Month later he died in a Motorcycle Accident after some moronic Woman made a left turn in front of him at a Traffic Light. He was killed instantly.