Posted on 02/17/2008 9:12:24 AM PST by NormsRevenge
SAN DIEGO – The Navy has scaled back plans to build an innovative but unexpectedly costly warship set to undergo testing in San Diego this year.
In the budget proposed this month, President Bush called for acquiring two Littoral Combat Ships instead of the six previously forecast.
Navy officials said they want to delay construction of more littoral ships so they have enough time to test the prototypes, the Freedom and the Independence.
They plan to examine the prototypes for design advantages, versatility and high-tech features. The information they gather will be incorporated into any future model of the ship.
Testing of the prototypes in San Diego could take several years, said Navy Lt. Cmdr. John Schofield, a spokesman for the littoral program.
The Navy says it is still committed to building 55 littoral ships overall. Littoral Combat Ships are meant to be small, fast and agile so they can operate in water as shallow as 20 feet.
Navy leaders said the vessels will fill a critical gap in the post-Cold War era. They said littorals will help the United States project power along the shorelines of countries such as Iran.
The program is being delayed for technical rather than financial reasons, said Rear Adm. Stanley Bozin, director of the Navy's budget office.
“We'll be able to operate the first two ships through the summer, and we'll obtain a lot more information as we go forward,” Bozin said this month during a Navy budget briefing at the Pentagon.
The program has drawn criticism from Congress after construction expenses almost doubled from the original price tag of $220 million per ship. Congress has set a cap of $460 million per vessel.
Last year, the Pentagon canceled contracts to build two more littoral ships because of cost overruns.
But the Navy still plans to take bids for a third littoral vessel late this year or early next year, as well as two more ships in 2009.
“What happened is that they tried to get the program going so fast that their rules for building the ships weren't really finalized before construction began,” said Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute, a pro-defense think tank in Arlington, Va.
“On top of that, the ships were being built in shipyards that had little experience with building complex surface combatants,” Thompson said.
Lockheed Martin is constructing the Freedom, and General Dynamics is building the Independence.
Congress has the ultimate say in how many Littoral Combat Ships will be bought and when.
If the Navy dramatically slows its littoral purchasing plan, it might be better to cancel production altogether and spend the money on other ships the Navy needs, said Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee.
“Let's see if the money might be more effectively spent on the LPD-17,” an amphibious transport ship used to deliver Marines, or the T-AKE, a cargo and ammunition carrier, Hunter said.
Real intelligent!
I don’t mean to hijack this thread, but I cant believe the Military channel ranked an Iowa class battleship as a superior Warship to a modern aircraft carrier. I was simply astonished.
Well if you're just talking about the ship itself, the battleship is certainly superior. Maybe they weren't including the aircraft in the comparison, which is the only way they could reach such a conclusion.
Honestly the only answer may be something suggested in a recent issue of the Naval War College Review...
Building hulls in South Korea and integrating the combat systems here. They can do it for 1/4th the cost; their yards are much more technologically advanced and efficient.
Clearly the protection of the US shipbuilding industry isn’t working.
Of course the LCS was a unique disaster right from conception; almost no analysis, arbitrarily stupid design decisions (like the pointlessly high speed), etc.
While canceling LCS is a good idea, everything else from Hunter above is immensely stupid. The LPD-17 is pretty damn expensive themselves, and neither the LPD-17 and T-AKE remotely meet the glaring need the US has - a frigate-sized combatant for the littorals.
I'd chuck the LCS, start over with a new-design for a frigate (simpler and cheaper than LCS) and in the interim buy a dozen or so German MEKO modular frigates (who did modularity right) to fill the gap.
After the wars to come, and once the traces of radioactivity fade away, they will make equally wonderful artificial reefs and fish habitats. ;)
We are stuck with idiots and China smitten admirals who will make sure America will be the #1 marine habitat contributor in the future.Can I buy a super carrier at Walmart? Nope, but the Chinese can because of Walmart!
Actually, the Iowa can survive a near miss with a nuke.
The blast will clean the deck, of course, but the ship would survive.
No problem. The Pentagon and Bush will simply cut retirees and veterans earned benefits more to pay for these and Bush’s socialist program. No worries. Bush to the rescue shortly.
If you're talking about the show I've seen, they're considering its importance in its time, its length of service, etc.. -- not which would be more important in a modern navy. For example, they list the Me109 and P-51D as two of the most important fighter planes in history, which they certainly were; but any modern jet fighter would splash them in a New York minute.
For littoral fire support, an Iowa class battleship is without peer.
Maybe I’m dense, but I don’t understand the requirement for these ships—from the Navy. These seem more useful for the Coast Guard than the Navy. The modern Navy exists to fight deep water battles. Of course, maybe they need ‘em to engage those Iranian speedboats.
Typical inter-service politics. The Navy is looking for relevance in the current fight. The Marines went through the same thing right after WWI, the Air Force did it in the early 50s. Right now the Army and the Marines are getting all the attention because of the GWOT, and the Navy is looking for a way to contribute. But, too much focus on the LCS and they risk getting their asses kicked in the next blue water fight somewhere down the road.
My cousin, a retired Master Chief, refers to this as “worshipping at the Church of What’s Happenin’ Now”.
This is the Navy Department bending over and grabbing the ankles for Murtha! That fat bastard is going to skewer ANY project in order to pressure Command. He wants VINDICATION on Haditha and to avoid responsibility for being WRONG!!!He wants to see our Marines punished for winning the war! This is also a power play against Hunters district
Murtha is putting the screws to the Navy and the Navy has gone limp!
And a complete lack of weapons.
Combine that with the ‘change for the sake of change’ mentality and it’s a recipe for trouble. But I guess that’s the way we’ve always done it.
I thought it might be something logical like that
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