[Gen.Blather]

“The truth is that we could have license built those neat Swedish corvettes and gotten much better return on our investment ...”

It’s unlikely Congress would authorize spending money on a Swedish design if an absurdly expensive American alternative can overrun its budget in a Congressman’s state.

[tanknetter]

It’s unlikely Congress would authorize spending money on a Swedish design if an absurdly expensive American alternative can overrun its budget in a Congressman’s state.

Actually, both the Independence-class and those high-speed catamaran transports the Navy's buying are based on Aussie designs (Independence being an evolution of the HSC Benchijigua Express ferry).

The Freedom class is an evolution of an Italian design (Destriero high-speed yacht).