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| Navy Didn't Assess Threat To Stealth Ships, GAO Says |
| 2005-03-03 |
| Sorry, no link available. Navy Didn't Assess Threat To Stealth Ships, GAO Says The U.S. Navy's plans to build small, stealth vessels for coastal waters didn't take into consideration possible threats to such craft from larger boats, the Government Accountability Office said. Lockheed Martin Corp. and General Dynamics Corp. are competing to design the Littoral Combat Ship, a small, fast vessel capable of fighting in shallow waters. The production contract could be worth at least $8.7 billion. While concluding that the ship is the best option for operations in such areas, a Navy analysis didn't go far enough, the GAO said. ``Normally, a major acquisition program should include an examination of basic requirements and an analysis of potential solutions before a new system is decided upon,'' the investigative arm of Congress said in a report yesterday. It said the vessels would rely on unproven technology and recommended that the Navy conduct further threat assessment. ``The Navy either has completed or is in the process of conducting some of the analysis GAO recommends'' and will review its acquisition strategy, Glenn Lamartin, director of defense systems for the Defense Department, said in a written response included in the GAO report. ``The LCS program entails risk by design,'' Lamartin said. ``The department balances the program acquisition risks with the risk of delaying closure of the warfighting gaps that LCS will fill.'' Navy spokesman Lt. Jon Spiers declined to comment beyond the Defense Department remarks included in the document. Lockheed spokesman Tom Greer and General Dynamics spokesman Rob Doolittle said they couldn't immediately comment because they hadn't seen the report yet. The Littoral Combat Ship is intended in part to patrol shorelines and provide combat support to ground troops. The Navy and Lockheed signed a contract for design and construction of the first ship in December, with delivery in fiscal 2007, GAO said. The Navy will then begin testing the vessel. The General Dynamics ship will be delivered the following year. Navy plans call for buying 21 of the ships through 2011 at a cost of $8.7 billion. The development phase is estimated to cost $1.5 billion, and the total cost of the program ``remains uncertain,'' according to the GAO report, requested by Congress. ``A number of the technologies chosen for the LCS mission packages are not yet mature, meaning that they have not been demonstrated in an operational environment, which is a best practice for major acquisition programs,'' according to the GAO. ``Immature technologies increase the risk that some systems will not perform as expected and may require additional time and funding to develop.'' Shares of Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed, the top U.S. defense contractor, rose 23 cents to $59.73 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. Falls Church, Virginia-based General Dynamics rose 87 cents to $106.08. |
| Posted by:longtime lurker |
| #6 RWV, thanks for the info, it sounds like a lovely new toy for the water guys -- hope the testing goes well, and quickly. We could use something like that soon -- there seems to be a lot of littoral shoreline in the Persian Gulf. Keep us apprised, please, shellback. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-03-03 10:41:14 PM |
| #5 There are other players in this game, even if only as stalking horses. The SeaFighter, built by Titan, costs about $100M apiece instead of >$400M for the usual suspects. http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=16997 Navy Christens X-craft Story Number: NNS050208-24 Release Date: 2/8/2005 4:19:00 PM  By Journalist 1st Class Daniel Sanford, Naval Station Everett Public Affairs NAVAL STATION EVERETT, Wash. (NNS) -- The Navy unveiled its future as it officially christened its revolutionary new Littoral Surface Craft - Experimental, commonly referred to as "X-Craft," Feb. 5. Developed by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), this high-speed, aluminum catamaran is designed to test a variety of technologies that could allow the Navy to operate more effectively in littoral, or shallow, waters. Officially, the ship's been named Sea Fighter and has been assigned hull number FSF 1, which stands for fast sea frame. X-Craft marks the first time a catamaran was designed and built specifically for the Navy. "The United States Navy has been at the forefront of employing catamaran technology for advanced naval vehicles," said Sea Fighter's designer, Nigel Gee. "The difference here is that ONR came out with some very challenging new requirements which required some new technology in order to address that. "We've been working with ONR and The Titan Corporation to produce something that would satisfy those demands," he said. "They include achieving speeds of more than 50 knots with a full payload; being able to travel 4,000 nautical miles across the ocean without being refueled; being able to land helicopters in sea states four or five; being able to recover watercraft in sea state four at reasonable speeds over the stern ramp; and ensuring the vessel be habitable at sea states four and five for long periods." Sea Fighter is powered by a combined diesel or gas turbine (CODOG) engine plant outfitted with two MTU 595 diesel engines and two General Electric LM2500 gas turbines. The diesels will primarily power the ship during long-range cruising speeds, while the gas turbines will enable the sea fighter to travel at least 50 knots in calm seas and more than 40 knots in sea state four. "There is a tremendous capability in this vessel to move people, equipment, mission modules, and can help with humanitarian assistance," said Capt. David Comis, initial X-craft project manager from Feb. 2002 to July 2004. "I think this vessel would have been perfect for the recent Indonesian mission. It can get to its destination very quickly and has the capability to take part in a large variety of missions." Thanks to its large mission bay, which can hold up to a dozen 20-foot mission modules, Sea Fighter remains mission flexible. It can take part in various undertakings, including battle force protection, mine countermeasures, anti-submarine warfare, amphibious assault support, and assistance with humanitarian aid. A multipurpose stern ramp, with direct access to the mission bay, allows Sea Fighter to launch and recover manned and unmanned surface and sub-surface vehicles while underway. Its flight deck has dual landing spots that can fit two H-60 helicopters or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Perhaps most revolutionary is that this 262-foot catamaran is outfitted with a crew of 26, 16 of which are Navy while the other 10 are Coast Guard. The plankowning crew is made up of five officers and 21 enlisted. While all of them are male, that doesn't mean men will always man the ship. "This vessel was designed with a mixed-gender crew in mind," said Comis. "There are a large number of restroom facilities on board, so there's the capability of having separate small bunkrooms for women." Sea Fighter is designed with three-man staterooms for its crew, a decidedly more personal setting than the vast berthing compartments of most naval ships. But with minimal manning, each crew member will have to become very knowledgeable of his ship very quickly. "The thing that's really unique about this crew is that since there's only 26 of us, the engineers can't concentrate just on engineering and the navigators can't just concentrate on navigation," said Lt. Cmdr. Brandon Bryan. "Everyone has to know everyone else's business. So my engineers know how to drive the ship, my guys who drive the ship know how to go down and start the diesel. Everyone knows everybody else's job, and that's just the way it has to be with a ship this large and complex." And another intricacy to work out is the joint crew of both Navy and Coast Guard. "I could be wrong, but I don't think it's ever happened before," said Sea Fighter Executive Officer, Coast Guard Lt. Simon Maple. But crew members say they look forward to working and learning from each other's chosen service. "I think the Navy brings their vast experience of operating in a Department of Defense environment," said Coast Guard Chief Operations Specialist John Leary. "And the Coast Guard will bring its unique international boarding authority that we have for international activities. Plus, we have more experience manning ships with smaller crews." Following the christening, Sea Fighter, which only took 20 months to construct, will be put into the water early morning, Feb. 9. The ship will moor at the civilian port of Everett and April 30, Nichols Ship Builders will officially hand the ship over to the Navy. In July, the ship intends to head south to its homeport of San Diego where it'll begin its testing process. |
| Posted by: RWV 2005-03-03 12:56:11 PM |
| #4 I saw an interview of a Japanese officer who was at Midway and who told that most Japanese officers hadn't seen the battle as a defeat: they still believed that the battleship was the important ship while carriers were expendable. |
| Posted by: JFM 2005-03-03 12:29:40 PM |
| #3 That's absolutely right Anonymoose. Money is tight right now and needed to cover so many different aspects (and branches) of military operation, they are hesitant to take risks. However, risk has paid off for us in the past and the concept of these ships is an all-around good idea. Fast, capable of rescue/evac missions, ground support. It'll happen, it'll just take a little haggling. |
| Posted by: shellback 2005-03-03 11:48:39 AM |
| #2 hey..who gives a d*&^ if they are any good or not - just sign the ship building contract and send the money to Mississippi. It's just like the EU constitution - just approve the concept and everything will be juuuust fine. Trust me. |
| Posted by: Trent Lott 2005-03-03 11:18:08 AM |
| #1 I think the logic here is something like: "Don't build any ship that is smaller than the enemies' largest ship." And that is just plain dumb. Traditionally, any ship destroyer-sized or smaller was regarded as "expendable." A good clue is armor. Destroyers and smaller ships are lightly armored, trading speed and maneuverability for protection. Their very purpose was to take out ships larger than themselves, and to undertake much more risky missions without risking much more valuable vessels. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-03-03 11:13:28 AM |