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To: 68skylark
They "just" did launch the Tico! 20 years is nothing for a warship, almost like asking a 35 year old athlete if his life's over. Ships, notably carriers, have entered SLEPs (service life extension programs) to get more use out of them.

I think this is a disturbing indication that our fleet is shrinking, as it is projected to go from the approx 330 combatants we have today down to 295 or so in the next 15 years - not a good sign.

CGVet58
11 posted on 03/10/2004 10:43:48 PM PST by CGVet58 (God has granted us liberty, and we owe Him courage in return)
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To: CGVet58; hchutch
They "just" did launch the Tico! 20 years is nothing for a warship, almost like asking a 35 year old athlete if his life's over. Ships, notably carriers, have entered SLEPs (service life extension programs) to get more use out of them.

The first flight Ticos (CG 47 through CG 51) have the Mark 26 missile launchers, and are the last ships in the fleet carrying them. These are getting O-L-D (they stopped manufacturing spares in the 1980s), and keeping up the hardware for such a small number of ships is expensive. Unfortunately, they can't be upgraded to the Mk 41 VLS because of weight/moment issues.

18 posted on 03/11/2004 12:17:02 PM PST by Poohbah ("Would you mind not shooting at the thermonuclear weapons?" -- Maj. Vic Deakins, USAF)
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