Posted on 03/04/2013 1:38:49 PM PST by blam
The Navy's Next-Generation Warship Gets Two Critical Defensive Boosts
Robert Johnson
March 4, 2013, 8:06 AM
The Navy's new $440-million Littoral Combat Ship needs some help taking care of itself. The LCS is said to be vulnerable to incoming strikes, meaning it might not survive a shootout with, say, China.
Thankfully the ship may get two new life-saving escorts.
First, DARPA wants to boost the Independence-class LCS drone capability to host a 27-foot wingspan Predator-like UAV. Previously it could only launch and receive a modest tactical drone like the ScanEagle. The new TERN program calls for a drone that can be ship-launched and recovered, while also carrying a 600-pound payload up to a 900-mile radius from the ship.
Second, the LCS is getting a new robotic surface-based mine hunter called the Unmanned Influence Sweep System.
All the LCS needs now is a sub-hunting guide to help it avoid another underwater threat, and it just so happens DARAPA's lining one of those up as well. The ACTUV sub-tracking drone is taking shape at SAIC, but no word yet on where it will be assigned once it's ready for deployment.
Click here to tour the Independence Class LCS.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
-Roll Tide-
That ship looks cool. Purpose built.
Does look cool. While I like the idea of the modular packages, I’d be somewhat skeptical that the needed module would be available - and instantly installed - at the precise moment it’s needed.
Kind of like asking a burglar to wait while you retrieve your gun from the safe, load it, remove the trigger lock prior to drawing down on them.
Not even close to the cruisers of my day.
It may look cook but I wouldn’t want to serve on one. That class of ship has close to zero survivability. A drone will do little to change that.
The only reason the Navy has those ships is so they can say they have ships, when in reality, they are very limited in what they can do, and where they can do them.
I’d rather have 3 destroyers than 10 LCS’s.
That thing looks badass.
Want...for my personal yacht.
I’d sail it through Somalia.
BTW, why is there always water pouring out of ports on boats?
I would think they are sealed preventing the ship from taking on water.
But it looks like you can play basketball on the deck of one of these bad boys.
At least destroyers at one time could lay down decent gunfire support. They would often come in close to the coast on RVN and shell with the 5" batteries.
Dunno just what "combat" this LCS is capable of.
Just out of curiosity, since the article specifically mentions China, how well do the Predator drones survive against actual military anti aircraft fire and not just a pack of Jihadis with AKs?
Too Small to stand up to bigger ships, too large to be a deterrent to the smaller ones, yet still not big enough for long endurance missions.
U.S. Navy FAIL!!!
I would like some more opinions
I see the vision of a virtual ship consisting of a redundant array of wide spread modules constructing a robust system.
At a minimum, Thermodynamics requires heat rejection.
Then there is the whole poop deck issue.
This is so sad . . .
These are some of the worst “combat” platforms ever made for the USN.
Fragile.
Hideously expensive.
Toothless.
“Littoral” which means stylish and trendy.
Worthless against any modern naval or air power.
Worthless when operating with a carrier group.
Worthless when operating with an amphibious group.
When the true history of these toy boats is revealed there will be graft, corruption, malfeasance, and idiocy discovered.
A total waste of American money. Which also serves to help further emasculate our navy.
Mostly, that's cooling water.
Ships are not allowed to discharge any waste, even water, anywhere near a port. See here.
Here's the largest fine from that list:
$18 million ($9 million fine and $9 million in court-ordered community service to fund environmental projects in South Florida)
What dictionary are you using?
Of or on a shore, especially a seashore: a littoral property; the littoral biogeographic zone.
n.
1. A coastal region; a shore.
2. The region or zone between the limits of high and low tides.
Means landing craft to me.
auxiliary cooling water systems
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.