Posted on 07/22/2016 12:29:41 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
The most expensive warship ever built has been delayed from hitting the front line because it is reportedly not ready for battle.
The $12.9 billion USS Gerald R. Ford Navy supercarrier - the first of three in its class with a total cost of $43 billion - could potentially struggle with planes landing and taking off, moving military weapons and being able to successfully defend itself, a memo obtained by Bloomberg News reads.
The memo allegedly states 'poor or unknown reliability issues' were identified in a letter dated June 28.
'These four systems affect major areas of flight operations,' Defense Department Director of Operational Test and Evaluation Michael Gilmore wrote to Pentagon and Navy weapons buyers, according to Bloomberg News.
'Unless these issues are resolved, which would likely require redesigning, they will significantly limit the CVN-78’s ability to conduct combat operations.
'Based on current reliability estimates, the CVN-78 is unlikely to conduct high-intensity flight operations at the outset of a war.'
It comes after Senator John McCain slammed an announcement earlier this month that stated the ship will not be rolled out until at least November this year - more than two years after its original intended date of September 2014.
The Navy’s announcement of another two-month delay in the delivery of CVN-78 further demonstrates that key systems still have not demonstrated expected performance,' McCain said in a statement.
'The advanced arresting gear (AAG) cannot recover airplanes. Advanced weapons elevators cannot lift munitions. The dual-band radar cannot integrate two radar bands. Even if everything goes according to the Navy’s plan, CVN-78 will be delivered with multiple systems unproven.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3701727/Navy-s-12-9-billion-USS-Gerald-R-Ford-delayed-dogged-reliability-issues.html#ixzz4F7X0eWdF Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Just saying.
New ship. Limit what you talk about just a bit.
(just a reminder to all)
“The $12.9 billion USS Gerald R. Ford Navy supercarrier - the first of three in its class with a total cost of $43 billion - could potentially struggle with planes landing and taking off, moving military weapons and being able to successfully defend itself, a memo obtained by Bloomberg News reads.”
And strangely, all the pilots and passengers trip as they exit any aircraft that comes near the carrier. Chevy Chase makes millions tripping just like they do.
Question for Naval FReepers: Are these just the normal teething troubles of a new ship and new class?
It's a big change from a conventional steamer launch plant. Nuke CVN's are also steamers as well as conventional. When the Navy built it's first super carrier Forestall it had the old design propulsion #600PSI with 8 boilers. The next CVA was Saratoga which was the first 1200 PSI 8 boiler propulsion plant. When Enterprise was built a CVN she was designed with 8 Reactors. Later the next carrier the Nimitz had two Reactors to generate steam.
I was skeptical when I heard the Gerald R Ford was going to a non steam catapult launch system and I still am. Steam is a certainty and is fairly basic. I've seen a conventional CV loose an entire Main Machinery Room {2 boilers a generator and a key switchboard} due to a pipe rupture above the switchboard. I've seen way too many power failures where a generator tripped off at sea.
I'll be flamed but with our situation strength wise and training issues to get an operational and qualified carrier or two back in fleet I say build two conventionals on on KH or JFK Class design. Home port one or both in Mayport, Florida.
Looks as if the Navy wants to beat the Bradley Fighting Vehicle as the most screwed up procurment or all time.
Think of it this way: it’s not like we could copy someone else’s.
I need to clarify there were two conventionals carriers built between Enterprise CVN 65 and Nimitz CVN 68.
Thank you all for the info.
There are many new systems and technology on her. It takes time and testing to work these things out.
Over thirty years I have been involved as a contractor on several Navy development projects. Some admiral decrees that x will be done by a certain unrealistic date, no excuses. That date drives everybody to just throw stuff together and do things that will obviously cause problems when x is deployed. Being at the bottom of this sh*t pile you send memos and beg your boss to ask for extensions. But no, that boss has promised some Captain who has promised some admiral that x will be done on time. So, the project continues as if the components are debugged and working when they only work under certain circumstances or not at all.
Another problem is, for political purposes and to spread the wealth Congress or the Navy may spread what should be one integrated system among two or more competing companies and order them to work together. That work-together part seldom gives you the nicely integrated slickly functioning system the Navy needs. Every bump at the component interfaces means time lost as the companies fight over who owns the problem.
Major weapon procurement is so bunged up it is astonishing we can field anything that works as intended.
>>could potentially struggle with planes landing and taking off, moving military weapons and being able to successfully defend itself,<<
Other than that, no problem!
What frosts my ass is the hypocrisy displayed be Juan McCain and the like in that he's running off at the mouth about this ship being two years late in deploying and the F-35 is ten years behind and not a peep out of him about it. What's the matter, Juan? Newport-News not meeting LockMart's standard of putting enough campaign cash in your pocket?
We need the 21st century tech that this ship is developing. The EMALS graduated launch will save on nose gear repair. The faster elevators and dedicated ordinance elevator will reduce turnaround time. And it will generate the electricity needed for the Free Electron Laser to function. Let's all just unclench and give the ship the time and space it needs to fully develop.
>>ould potentially struggle with planes landing and taking off, moving military weapons and being able to successfully defend itself,<<
The F-35 Flying Anvil program left that in the dust a long time ago.
I live near the coast daily watching Ospreys over my head, take a chill pill.
Well the problem is embarrassing. With all of those LGBT extra heads, the ballasting of the ship is askew.She leans away to far to port and wants to turn in the wider-shuns accursed counter-clockwise direction?/S
She needs an engineer and an exorcist.Or they can keep her the way she is and have a mullah using a soggy koran “christen” her the USS OBAMA./S
Alahwahoo Shipbar!
“Looks as if the Navy wants to beat the Bradley Fighting Vehicle as the most screwed up procurement or all time.”
My candidate for most screwed up procurement was the Army’s Future Combat System. Billions spent and nothing to show for it. The project was doomed from the beginning by having two co-leads who wouldn’t or couldn’t talk to each other. Meanwhile, Russia has introduced an entire spectrum of new vehicles with some of them robots. What have we done? W haven’t even upgraded the M1A1’s propulsion system to something more modern and fuel efficient. Lack of fuel will kill a vehicle just as dead as an enemy weapon.
Yeah, OK. But other than that, she's really looking good.
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