[Mariner]

I've been an advocate of this purported class of Frigate for years now. It is EXACTLY what the Navy needs...small crew, big numbers and advanced weapons and sensors. We need 100 of them.

As for the LCS, scrap the whole friggin' idea.

[sukhoi-30mki]

Given the specifications that its designers are talking of, this ship is likely to be unaffordable in vast numbers, costing as much as the LCS. If you want to a capable workhorse, the SM-3 and Tomahawk may not be necessary. Something along the lines of Singapore’s Formidable class or South Korea’s KDX-II class ships should be adequate.

[sukhoi-30mki]

http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/formidable/

This French-designed ship supposedly costs about 300million USD a piece and comes with a highly advanced sensor suite and a crew of only 70. You could tweak it for USN use with a new CIWS or ESSM missiles; the French Herakles radar is highly sophisticated and significantly lighter than the SPY-1D.

[tlb]

>>> I’ve been an advocate of this purported class of Frigate for years now. It is EXACTLY what the Navy needs...small crew, big numbers and advanced weapons and sensors. We need 100 of them.

In my prior posts I’ve been calling for Corvettes. Not necessarily as big as described here but with a heavy missile capability. This is the sort of thing we need. Particularly with the LCS program sliding into the abyss.