Posted on 02/03/2016 8:29:37 PM PST by robowombat
Pentagon chief unveils plan to buy more ships, aircraft and munitions
By Kristina Wong - 02/03/16 03:50 PM EST
NAVAL BASE SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Wednesday announced plans for the Pentagon to buy more Navy ships, aircraft, munitions and capabilities over the next five years.
He said the administration's fiscal 2017 defense budget will include money to buy nine Virginia-class attack submarines and 10 Aegis destroyers. The purchase of the submarines had been planned, but Carter said one of them would have a Virginia payload module to triple its firepower.
Carter also announced the Pentagon would increase its planned buy of aircraft "by dozens," to include 13 more F-35 Joint Strike Fighters and 16 more F-18 Super Hornets over the next five years. Ten of the F-35s would go to the Navy, and three would go to the Marine Corps.
In addition, the budget seeks to invest $2.9 billion over the next five years to maximize production of the SM-6 missile, for a total of 625 missiles.
For 2017, that would be $587 million for 125 missiles, according to a senior defense official.
Carter also announced that the SM-6 missiles can now be used to target ships, in addition to knocking down missiles. He said the new capability was tested successfully in secret last month.
"In addition to missile defense, it can also target enemy ships at sea at very long ranges," Carter said, which makes the missile a "two-fer."
Carter said the Pentagon would spend $600 million over five years on a variable-size-payload unmanned undersea vehicles, but only buy 40 new littoral combat ships, down from the 52 it had initially planned.
The move allow the Navy to invest $8 billion more into "high end capabilities," Carter said.
"Our fleet will be larger, much more effective, and more lethal...to deter any aggressor and to make any aggressor who isn't deterred regret [it]," he added.
He emphasized that the Pentagon was still "buying more" of the littoral combat ship because it conducts important missions such as minesweeping and anti-submarine warfare. Still, he added that "in 2016, we need to balance our ship-building investments."
He said the Pentagon was at an "inflection point" that would see more spending on higher-end, more capable ships, versus numbers.
"We need to balance those investments because we face competitors that are challenging us," he said.
The purchases are part of Carter's focus on improving the lethality of existing systems and intended to deter future aggression from Russia and China.
We’re going to be giving ISIS ships now?
In Obama’s logic , yes , to fire on New York.
LCS == enemy practice targets
Well actually it doesn't. But it might, if they can get the mission modules
At this point, I honestly think its 80% pork. They need nothing for a long time. Their problems are not equipment needs.
Following that logic, we would only need a fleet of 20-30 really capable ships.
But we'd never have one where it was needed.
The LCS size and concept is the right one. We could go even smaller.
But we need at least 100 more ships and 40-50 more subs over the next 10 years.
Beyond just replacement.
No more so than an Aegis DDG.
And they are developing a new Surface Warfare module that will make them downright lethal.
I think that the USN should get proper frigates (something in the same ballpark as the German F125 frigates) rather than trying to up gun the LCS.
I agree the F125 Frigate is a fine ship, but at 7,500 tons...why not buy a Burke DDG?
I'd rather see them buy 50 of the Ingall's PFPF 4921. Even the Germans are expected to buy it. It will have a large international market and will be a robust, Blue Water, Sea Control platform with AAA and ASW capabilities.
“The LCS size and concept is the right one.”
Not even and they are far less survivable than a Destroyer. LCS was exempted from USN damage survivability standards because there is simply no way it can pass them.
It seriously has less firepower than a Bradley sitting on the beach.
It has such a small compliment that the crew is forced to cross train in numerous areas and stand watches in them all. They have zero depth.
It is the weakest “ship” we have ever fielded. A WWII DD or DE far exceeds its combat power with the same draft and better speed and range except for one fast dash that exhausts the LCS fuel worse than an F-105 in burner.
As for littoral, it cannot get close to shore because a T-72 tank could obliterate one.
This thing has no business representing the USN. On the other hand,... maybe it does.
And EVERY small platform is more vulnerable.
A Frigate is not intended to survive engagements with larger vessels.
The Surface Warefare package for the LCS is NOT ready, I'll give you that. But when it is it will feature VLS SM2/SM3/SM6 and Extended range Harpoon or it's replacement.
The gun will be the rapid fire 76mm.
The big problem with the LCS is the turbos and range.
I much prefer the Ingall's PF4921. At 4,500 tons, VLS and Aegis radars and fire control...combined with a 10,000nm range and 60 day endurance it is the superior ship in it's class.
Historically the best force projection ship has been the cruiser. Go anywhere, show the flag, use gun boat diplomacy. If the Navy used a 18,000 ton platform it could perhaps avoid the more costly stuff.
The Burke DDG is 10,000 tons. And they cost $2bil each.
The 15,000 ton Zumwalt DDG is projected to cost $3bil each.
An 18,000 ton platform might approach $4bil. How is that avoiding the more costly stuff?
Besides, power projection is the role of Carriers now.
Carriers cost too. And they can’t sail without heavy escort. A properly designed cruiser can operate independently of that.c
I agree entirely.
That's why our Burke class DDGs are, in essence, the Cruisers of old. At 10,000 tons how could they be anything else? They can protect themselves and others in the group from air, subsurface and surface threats while also projecting power via Tomahawks.
But we can't afford 200 of them.
“Pentagon chief unveils plan to buy more ships, aircraft and munitions”
“Munitions.” Does that mean they’re going to buy up all the small arms ammo again?
The gun will be the rapid fire 76mm.
Or, more realistically, a couple of Bushmaster autocannon will be added to the basic ship,
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