Boeing and LM had previously pulled the Advanced Harpoon and LRASM, respectively, from contention to arm the LCS and new Frigate. This would see to provide a clear path for the NSM. Somehow I think the politics will play out and the US missiles may yet be in the running. For FFG(X), at least, a lot will depend on how the evaluation weighs cost vs, capability.
US Navy News and updates
- Thread starter AegisFC
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Not so, the USN still has a need to replace the patrol and MCM force. The first LCS is doing exactly that.
What the US has now realised is that they were too ambitious fr the one size fits all role they had planned for the total LCS fleet.
The other issue is cost. $800m to $1b is the price they are planning for FFX, LCS variants are now well under that ceiling which leaves a lot of spare $ for upgrades.
I don't believe either LCS variant is at a disadvantage, remember a lot of criticism was levelled at crewing and the modules and the platforms seem to have resolved many of their early mechanical issues.
It will probably come down to pork barrelling with all the participating corporations and shipyard locations as important as the platform itself.
Rumor has had it for a while that NSM is pretty much a done deal. There were significant grumblings from the US contenders that the requirement for that missile were pretty much written to exclude the others from the start.
Yup....when it comes to shipbuilding, industry and political considerations are at least the equal of cost & performance.
One analysis I've heard is it'll come down to either FREMM or LM LCS...because any other selection could kill off Marinette as a shipyard, while the others have plenty of work without an FFG program.
The weather seems to be doing a great job of halting any product from Marinette reach the Fleet anyway, but then again there are more voters around the Great Lake,States than in Alabama.
John Fedup
The Bunker Group
The Seaway freeze up was always the excuse Canadian politicians in Quebec used to deny naval work to Ontario, Canada's industrial heartland. The now closed Collingwood shipyard was capable of building warships. Apparently American regional pollies are better at protecting local business than ones in Ontario.
For the LCS stuck in Montreal? There are worse fates for a single sailor than to be wintered in Montreal.
In all seriousness, I've heard that yard has been producing better workmanship in recent hulls than the guys down South.
Other class construction has the same reputation. I've been on a new build out of Maine and one out of Mississippi. The fit and finish are visibly different...
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
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It isn't hard to build a ship better than 'Goula. I've been stationed on DDG's built in both yards and yeah, the quality difference is very much visible.For the LCS stuck in Montreal? There are worse fates for a single sailor than to be wintered in Montreal.
In all seriousness, I've heard that yard has been producing better workmanship in recent hulls than the guys down South.
Other class construction has the same reputation. I've been on a new build out of Maine and one out of Mississippi. The fit and finish are visibly different...
John Fedup
The Bunker Group
Interesting about the build quality between HI and BIW. Any difference between the San Antonio builds by HI in Mississippi versus their Louisiana yard?
John Fedup
The Bunker Group
I wonder if the Donald will reverse his decision on steel and aluminium tariffs as fast as his changing gun restrictions when he reads the article below? Probably not, the NRA has more juice than DoD and the ship building lobbies.
Trump's Steel Tariff Could Affect Defense Shipbuilders
Trump's Steel Tariff Could Affect Defense Shipbuilders
John Fedup
The Bunker Group
Nice catch, he is in fact Virginia’s senator.Tim Kaine is governor?
FormerDirtDart
Well-Known Member
Tim Kaine is governor?
Geez, Virginia's already on their third Governor since Kaine
I found another article asserting such a statement to Senator Kaine. So, it doesn't appear to be a typo, just sloppy journalism and editorial checks.
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USS Lexington has been found.
Lost during the Battle of the Coral Sea, the aircraft carrier has been discovered.
The imagery is very clear - even showing a relatively intact Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat in its original paint
Link here:
USS Lexington found 76 years after it sank to the bottom of the Coral Sea
Lost during the Battle of the Coral Sea, the aircraft carrier has been discovered.
The imagery is very clear - even showing a relatively intact Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat in its original paint
Link here:
USS Lexington found 76 years after it sank to the bottom of the Coral Sea
The idea looked promising at first glance but reality appears to have thrown cold water on the program. Even with the record defense funding the Navy would rather spend the money elsewhere.
US Navy canceling program to turn gas-guzzling destroyers into hybrids
WASHINGTON — The Navy is canceling a program to install fuel-efficient hybrid electric drives in 34 destroyers, leaving only one destroyer with the technology, the Navy confirmed in a statement...
Destroyers have three generators, two of which run while a third remains in standby, which rotates through while generators are down for maintenance or in case of an emergency. Running the electrical motor that turned the shaft while also running the ship’s power-hungry radars and related systems maxed out the capacity of those generators.“At that point you are a light switch flipping on away from winking out the whole ship,” the official said.
Furthermore running the generators at that load wasn’t exactly as fuel efficient as they had hoped it would be.
US Navy canceling program to turn gas-guzzling destroyers into hybrids
WASHINGTON — The Navy is canceling a program to install fuel-efficient hybrid electric drives in 34 destroyers, leaving only one destroyer with the technology, the Navy confirmed in a statement...
Destroyers have three generators, two of which run while a third remains in standby, which rotates through while generators are down for maintenance or in case of an emergency. Running the electrical motor that turned the shaft while also running the ship’s power-hungry radars and related systems maxed out the capacity of those generators.“At that point you are a light switch flipping on away from winking out the whole ship,” the official said.
Furthermore running the generators at that load wasn’t exactly as fuel efficient as they had hoped it would be.
John Fedup
The Bunker Group
Here's an AW article on Boeing's MQ-25 UAV tanker for the USN. Interesting comment about their St. Louis needing to win this or the trainer project to remain viable post-Superhornet. The amusing comment is who gets a new tanker first, the USN or USAF?
http://aviationweek.com/combat-aircraft/boeing-s-play-mq-25-stingray
http://aviationweek.com/combat-aircraft/boeing-s-play-mq-25-stingray
SpazSinbad
Active Member
The MQ-25 STINGRAY tanker will use the same ROBOTIC whizzbangs to accurately arrest/catapult aboard CVNs similar/same as the X-47B demonstrated. Depending on tanker manufacturer selected there may be some 'on deck control' differences however - note the nose cameras for likely watching deck handler hand control movements (my guess). Meanwhile the LSO will have TOTAL CONTROL of UAVs perhaps - IF NOT 'some aircraft' in future if the future pans out for ATARI.
Abraham Lincoln Tests ATARI 28 Mar 2018
PHOTO: http://www.navy.mil/management/photodb/photos/180322-N-CT127-0097.JPG (0.8Mb) "180322-N-CT127-0097 ATLANTIC OCEAN (March 22, 2018) Landing signal officers work with the aircraft terminal approach remote inceptor in preparation for incoming aircraft to land on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Josue Escobosa/Released)"
Abraham Lincoln Tests ATARI 28 Mar 2018
PHOTO: http://www.navy.mil/management/photodb/photos/180322-N-CT127-0097.JPG (0.8Mb) "180322-N-CT127-0097 ATLANTIC OCEAN (March 22, 2018) Landing signal officers work with the aircraft terminal approach remote inceptor in preparation for incoming aircraft to land on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Josue Escobosa/Released)"
the concerned
Active Member
I have just been reading a article arguing that the US navy should adapt the Sm-6 for air-air use on the superhornet. To me this seems a extremely large munition would it be possible.
John Fedup
The Bunker Group
The littoral ship Little Rock is now underway after being icebound for three months in Montreal. The attached link has a typical comment from a citizen there complaining about the noise shore generators were producing during the stay, another Québécois wanker.
USS Little Rock Leaves Montreal After Three Months Trapped in Ice
USS Little Rock Leaves Montreal After Three Months Trapped in Ice
The Navy is looking to extend the service lives of the entire DDG fleet and 5 X SSNs to achieve it's 355-ship fleet target earlier. The subs will be fitted with fresh nuke cores which the Navy just happened to have on hand.
Navy Will Extend All DDGs to a 45-Year Service Life; 'No Destroyer Left Behind' Officials Say - USNI News
CAPITOL HILL – The Navy will keep every one of its Arleigh Burke-class destroyers in service for 45 years, extending the life of the entire class. The move allows the Navy to reach a 355-ship fleet by 2036 or 2037, the deputy chief of naval operations for warfare systems said on Thursday.
The Navy currently has DDGs in multiple configurations – Flight I, Flight II and Flight IIA. Keeping each hull in the fleet for a 45-year service life equates to an extension of five to 10 years each, depending on the flight design.
Vice Adm. Bill Merz told lawmakers today every destroyer was already included in an Aegis modernization plan that would upgrade them each to Aegis Baseline 9 or 10 or Aegis BMD 5.4. The class-wide service life extension, as currently planned, does not include any combat system upgrades beyond what is already planned – though Merz said the Navy will be monitoring the threat set closely and retains the option to upgrade the combat systems later on...
In contrast to how the Navy is handling the class-wide extension of the Arleigh Burke destroyers, NAVSEA and Naval Reactors have made a very deliberate effort to pinpoint five Los Angeles-class attack submarines that could be extended past their intended service lives. Moore said during the hearing today that it is hard to keep submarines in service longer than their intended 35-year life due to the forces on the boat while submerging and the stringent requirements for the hull to remain certified to submerge.
However, he said, “in this particular case we had five additional cores available, and it presented us with an opportunity to get some SSNs accelerated back into the fleet. So between Naval Reactors and NAVSEA we went and looked, found some hulls that we could sharpen our pencils on and we were confident technically they could get to the service life that they’ve been asked to get to.”
Navy Will Extend All DDGs to a 45-Year Service Life; 'No Destroyer Left Behind' Officials Say - USNI News
CAPITOL HILL – The Navy will keep every one of its Arleigh Burke-class destroyers in service for 45 years, extending the life of the entire class. The move allows the Navy to reach a 355-ship fleet by 2036 or 2037, the deputy chief of naval operations for warfare systems said on Thursday.
The Navy currently has DDGs in multiple configurations – Flight I, Flight II and Flight IIA. Keeping each hull in the fleet for a 45-year service life equates to an extension of five to 10 years each, depending on the flight design.
Vice Adm. Bill Merz told lawmakers today every destroyer was already included in an Aegis modernization plan that would upgrade them each to Aegis Baseline 9 or 10 or Aegis BMD 5.4. The class-wide service life extension, as currently planned, does not include any combat system upgrades beyond what is already planned – though Merz said the Navy will be monitoring the threat set closely and retains the option to upgrade the combat systems later on...
In contrast to how the Navy is handling the class-wide extension of the Arleigh Burke destroyers, NAVSEA and Naval Reactors have made a very deliberate effort to pinpoint five Los Angeles-class attack submarines that could be extended past their intended service lives. Moore said during the hearing today that it is hard to keep submarines in service longer than their intended 35-year life due to the forces on the boat while submerging and the stringent requirements for the hull to remain certified to submerge.
However, he said, “in this particular case we had five additional cores available, and it presented us with an opportunity to get some SSNs accelerated back into the fleet. So between Naval Reactors and NAVSEA we went and looked, found some hulls that we could sharpen our pencils on and we were confident technically they could get to the service life that they’ve been asked to get to.”