Posted on 01/11/2011 7:46:18 PM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Navy Close to Choosing Griffin Missile for LCS
By John Reed Tuesday, January 11th, 2011 6:34 pm
Posted in Naval
The U.S. Navy is moving towards selecting Raytheon’s Griffin missile as the replacement for the cancelled Non-Line of Sight missile on its Littoral Combat Ships, according to the director of the service’s surface warfare division.
After evaluating its options for replacing one of the key parts of the LCS’ surface warfare mission systems for six months, the surface warfare division settled on the Griffin due to the fact that it can hit targets at acceptable ranges for less money than the NLOS system, said Rear Adm. Frank Pandolfe today during a speech at a Surface Navy Association convention in Arlington, Va.
The Griffin — with its launchers pictured above mounted on a Humvee — will also be cheaper to install on the LCS than the larger NLOS system, according to Pandolfe.
Top Navy brass must now sign off on Pandolfe’s recommendation to buy the Griffin.
The service is hoping to field a short-range version of the weapon around mid-decade followed by a longer-range version of it a couple of years later, according to a chart he showed during his speech. The missile, which uses parts of the Javelin anti-tank and AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, was originally designed as a replacement for the Hellfire antitank missile used by UAVs. It’s equipped with a 13 pound warhead and semi-active laser seeker.
This comes a little more than a week after the Navy moved to buy 10 each of the Freedom and Independence class LCSs over the next five years. The sea service says this move will save $2.9 billion over the original plan to buy 19 of one class of LCS in the same time period.
Cool, the Navy actually going for something that is a less expensive option and already developed/ready. Seems like a good call to get a weapons system on the ships now, then upgrade later if/when needed.
Don’t you think a weapon with a 13 pound warhead is a bit skinny for most defended targets??
This is the Israeli Spike NLOS, which South Korea is buying. It would appear to be a better bet.
Maybe they can take out the new “Slick Willie” Chi-Com stealth fighters.
Yes but this means the USN takes the title of tiniest anti-ship missile evah from the French Nord SS-11.
“it can hit targets at acceptable ranges for less money”
That’s right, cheap out on the weapons. So what if sailors get killed? You can always recruit more. For that matter, why have weapons at all? We can just be really, really super nice to everybody, and then they won’t want to shoot at us.
13 pound warhead? Are you jerking my chain?
And what the hell is an “acceptable range?” The only range I find “acceptable” is way, *way* outside the enemy’s release envelope.
Apparently 3 nautical miles. "When employed from a ground launcher Griffin can hit targets at a minimal ranges of 1000 m' up to 5.5 km." Griffin Small Tactical Munition (STM)
The gods themselves do tremble.
Although I would have thought any target worth dropping a 13lb warhead on is probably carrying a weapon that can outrange that.
The target is small boat swarms.
I saw the speech today - basically everything with the LCS happy happy joy joy.
I wonder if he SINCERELY believes everything he’s saying.
However, bunkers, middle to large shipping, fixed missile silos, probably not a good choice. For those you probably want something with more punch - more speed, bigger/heavier warhead for better penetration. Then again, you put a couple of these into the wheelhouse of any ship and it'll ruin their whole day.
The laser seeker is interesting, probably makes it possible to engage agile targets they might have difficulty hitting with gunfire.
“Apparently 3 nautical miles.”
God help us. Surface warfare is all about over-the-horizon targeting. These ships will be sent to the bottom the first time an Israeli girl scout with a sack of rubber bands has a temper tantrum.
“The target is small boat swarms.”
50 caliber Brownings and mini-guns are your best bet for that.
If it's not a 500lb warhead it will not sink/burn a ship.
A 13lb warhead would be lucky to slow down a Patrol Boat with 5 hits.
Is this missile intended to hit armor ashore?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_Harpoon
100mile range, 500lb warhead and skims the surface.
Fair enough, but where are you going to find such targets?? Particularly with respect to range from a launching LCS. Most of the systems you mentioned will be defended, posing significant risks to the LCS.
If we assume that the Griffin will be modified with boosters for improved range, how far will it go? Besides it will jack up costs. In which it would have been better to go ahead with something like the Israeli Spike.
Guns have a limited range and the average swarm boat will come with RPGs and other toys.
“Guns have a limited range and the average swarm boat will come with RPGs and other toys.”
True, but if they have any tactical sense, they will come suddenly from ambush at relatively close quarters.
If I read correctly, these tampons they propose to arm these ships with have a minimum range of 1,000 meters. If you can get within that range, they’re useless.
Can’t ambush a ship at sea? You can in littoral waters, especially when it’s a black night and the radar screen is littered with fishing boats and other crap. Seen it.
A .50 cal suddenly breaking a tense silence at night is one of the loudest things I’ve ever heard. Or so it seemed.
True, we'll just have to see what they have in mind (mission) for the LCS and this missile system. The article referenced a shorter (???) range version as well as a longer ranged one... 17 km seems short enough to me! :-) Maybe they'll trade propulsion space for increased warhead?
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