Posted on 07/22/2016 12:29:41 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
The most expensive warship ever built has been delayed from hitting the front line because it is reportedly not ready for battle.
The $12.9 billion USS Gerald R. Ford Navy supercarrier - the first of three in its class with a total cost of $43 billion - could potentially struggle with planes landing and taking off, moving military weapons and being able to successfully defend itself, a memo obtained by Bloomberg News reads.
The memo allegedly states 'poor or unknown reliability issues' were identified in a letter dated June 28.
'These four systems affect major areas of flight operations,' Defense Department Director of Operational Test and Evaluation Michael Gilmore wrote to Pentagon and Navy weapons buyers, according to Bloomberg News.
'Unless these issues are resolved, which would likely require redesigning, they will significantly limit the CVN-78’s ability to conduct combat operations.
'Based on current reliability estimates, the CVN-78 is unlikely to conduct high-intensity flight operations at the outset of a war.'
It comes after Senator John McCain slammed an announcement earlier this month that stated the ship will not be rolled out until at least November this year - more than two years after its original intended date of September 2014.
The Navy’s announcement of another two-month delay in the delivery of CVN-78 further demonstrates that key systems still have not demonstrated expected performance,' McCain said in a statement.
'The advanced arresting gear (AAG) cannot recover airplanes. Advanced weapons elevators cannot lift munitions. The dual-band radar cannot integrate two radar bands. Even if everything goes according to the Navy’s plan, CVN-78 will be delivered with multiple systems unproven.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3701727/Navy-s-12-9-billion-USS-Gerald-R-Ford-delayed-dogged-reliability-issues.html#ixzz4F7X0eWdF Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
I know I guy who worked on dual band radar. It's basically two radars, an x-band and s-band radar, that are supposed to work together. X-band ( 10,000 MHz) is better at some things, S-Band (3,000 MHz) at others. There were two contractors, one working on S-Band, the other on X-Band and integration. He worked on X-Band. He thought the S-Band delivered by the other contractor was a brick. In any case, the Navy has said it will discontinue Dual Band Radar (not necessarily abandon the concept of two radars, the product DBR) after the CVN-78. It's a one-off.
The short answer: Engineering is easy. System integration and tuning, not so much. Nobody does “systemology” like we do, but it takes time.
What works in the controlled conditions of a laboratory, almost ALWAYS shows glitches in an operational environment.
A more accurate headline is “Carrier doesn’t work quite to spec. . . yet. This is normal for new technology. . .”
“Home port one or both in Mayport, Florida.”
Ah, yes, Mayport, where I reported to the USS Saratoga in 1964 with Hurricane Dora roaring in. Nearly got wiped off the Earth by a rogue wave while retrieving sandbags that had been knocked down by waves. Amazingly I am still strong enough to lift sandbags now. Probably not for as long though.
Looks like the ID Thief in Chief took US to the cleaners yet again.
I have some inside knowledge in the FCS project. It is amazingly screwed up. So screwed up that the Halo video games have surpassed it in capability and function.
Carriers are out of date. If we fight an enemy that was worth a shit, they would sink them in the opening hours of a war.
I think the most screwed up procurement program was the “Comanche.”
FCS could have benefited from a good GAO audit. Instead, GAO worked with the integrator of integrators to cover up the problems.
Just a humble engineer having worked R&D for 25 years and my opinion. If you only knew the issues, risks and flat out “broken” problems that plagued the semi-conductor industry; you would be surprised and amazed that we ever got a 32 bit machine to market, forget the 64 bit, 3.2 GHz chips we have today.
No first article EVER works as designed. It’s like winning a lottery on your first try. I have built countless prototypes, and no number of reviews or simulations has ever given me a 100% production ready unit. Some are good, but nothing works perfectly out the door.
These guys are doing something that has NEVER been done before. Something huge, something that thousands of lives will depend upon. The first one will be expensive, they ALWAYS are. The second one will be exponentially cheaper, and better, and faster.
It’s the nature of the beast
Did I see Evel Knievel in one of those carriages ? :^)
A few of those catapult shots looked puny. Would love to see an equivalent steam shot. Bet it’s way better.
Basically this new catapult is a glorified rail gun isn’t it?
To produce the magnetic field to accelerate a multi ton plane to flying speed must take enormous electrical reserves.
Hey, who’s that lady with Chevy Chase?
KH and JFK. I worked on the JFK, doing final prep work for delivery to the Navy.
As someone admittedly unfamiliar with naval operations, I read this and couldn’t understand it. I mean, they’ve been building aircraft carriers since... forever.
Would someone with some experience and/or knowledge fill us in on what happened and why they’re saying this?
When genius arm chair admirals tell us a new way to project power and maintain air superiority over vast swaths of ocean without an aircraft carrier then I will listen to inane comments like yours.
Since it is not a $14B social program its glitches make headline news.
If the hardware works right the first time out, this is a failure, because there's no money flow needed for do-overs.
“No first article EVER works as designed. It’s like winning a lottery on your first try.”.....
As ex Navy, this is exactly why we called them “shake down cruises”, the purpose being to test the ships abilities and also the crews. Would ANYONE in their right mind send a $12.9 million dollar ship into a major conflict? That would be like entering a prize fight without even a bit of training, a guaranteed loss! Find out where the flaws are and fix them.
Yes, I'm afraid the Mabus Navy is headed for another Billy Mitchell Moment - in real life, this time.
Yes.
A new class of ship with technology that is a rapid departure from anything used before.
Problems aplenty to be had, yet not one that can’t be solved. It will take some time, which means money.
As to the delays... DDDDDDUUUUUHHHHH! Whiners and Politicians, but I’m being redundant, will always scream.
Invention is HARD! Invention is EXPENSIVE! Invention never meets SCHEDULE!
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