The Littoral Combat Ship Is A Disaster And This Is The Solution. This week the U. S. Navy published details on what it’s after for its next surface combatant, the FFG(X), or guided missile frigate. This move is designed to shift away from the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) originally envisioned to perform many different tasks and afford the Navy greater flexibility in operations. But the reality that’s emerged is that the LCS really can’t survive most combat scenarios, so here’s what the service needs now. In an unusually scathing memo to Secretary of the Navy Ray Maybus, Secretary of Defense Ashton. Problem is, the mission modules have never worked as expected, and the LCS has had a multiple issues with its engines, including one incident where USS Milwaukee. Kotaku weekend editor. You can reach him at [email protected]. Subscribe and SAVE, give a gift subscription or get help with an existing subscription by clicking the links below each cover image. News editor. My book BLOOD, SWEAT, AND PIXELS, telling the stories behind video games like Uncharted 4, Destiny, and Star Wars 1313, comes out on September 5. If you like making playlists, you’re more likely to buy video games. That’s some of the data Spotify collected for its new tool, Spotify.Me, which helps brands. Sort of a “jack of all trades, master of none” naval combatant. Problem is, the mission modules have never worked as expected, and the LCS has had a multiple issues with its engines, including one incident where USS Milwaukee broke down at sea less than a month after being commissioned and had to be towed into port for repairs. The LCS was designed to operate with a smaller than normal crew, relying on automation to perform duties previously done by sailors. However, the plan has not worked out as envisioned. Now crews are overworked and the Navy has even raised one design’s assigned number of sailors. Also, the ships have aluminum hulls and are lightly armed with virtually no striking power. One LCS recently tested the employment of the Harpoon anti- ship missile, but wider use among the LCS is yet to happen and may very well not occur. Instead, the ships are armed with Hellfire missiles that don’t have enough range or a large enough warhead to change the outcome of any engagement in favor of the LCS. And of course, the LCS has been subject to cost overruns. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Mc. Cain even singled out the $1. Pentagon spending, Business Insider reported. So the Navy needs a replacement. This request for information for the new guided missile frigate isn’t a total departure from previous frigate concepts the Navy has put forth, but they are very specific about what kinds of missions the FFG(X) is expected to undertake—and what systems the Navy would like to see incorporated into the design. ![]() What’s New And Different. Previously the Navy had intended to build its new frigate based on an improved, larger design based on the LCS. These systems would greatly increase the financial investment and the risk of fielding a design that is not capable of performing its designated missions. This could be a major boom or bust for certain shipyards, as it was absolutely expected that the FFG(X) would be built at shipyards in Alabama and Wisconsin where the current fleet of LCSs are being constructed. Most of the reasons given recently by the Navy and the Trump administration for continuing production of the failed LCS program was to keep the shipyards that build it working, thus keeping the skilled workforce in place so when the new frigate design was ready for production, it would be smooth sailing for the new warship. Unlike the LCS, the Navy expects the FFG(X) to be a full partner in all naval missions, able to operate independently or as part of a carrier strike group. This puma (not involved in the study) fed on a single deer for five days. New research suggests these feedings can be interrupted by the puma’s fear of humans.The Navy even suggested that a group of the new frigates could operate in an expeditionary strike group together as a “pack” on the hunt. This will be a welcome change for the Navy as they are unable to fully integrate the LCS designs into most fleet activities due to the weak sensor and weapons capabilities of they employ. More Capability. By being able to defend itself and operate outside of a strike group the FFG(X) will free up larger Arleigh Burke- class guided- missile destroyers and Ticonderoga- class guided- missile cruisers to focus on their primary missions of fleet defense and deterrence. The main weapons systems of focus are an Aegis derivative system leveraging the common source library called the COMBATSS- 2. Combat Management System, fixed phased radar arrays, Sea. RAM anti- ship missile system, decoys, robust communications and electronic warfare, over- the- horizon canister launched weapons (Harpoon- like) and the capability to operate one MH- 6. R helicopter along with a single MQ- 8. C Fire Scout UAV. According to the Navy’s request, UAV operations are of particular importance to the FFG(X) design. Tier 2 systems for the FFG(X) include primarily anti- submarine warfare systems including a towed array sonar, a variable depth sonar and full integration of the AN/SQQ- 8. F ASW combat system, which is currently installed in different versions on- board DDGs and CGs. Tier 2 also describes the need for deck gun in the form of the Mk 1. Longbow Hellfire to deal with small boat swarm attack. Also featured prominently in Tier 2 is the Cooperative Engagement Capability which allows a greater sharing of collected data from various sensors available to the fleet allowing for a more robust air defense network. While listing the Sea. RAM as a Tier 1 need, the Sea. RAM should only be a weapon of last choice for the FFG(X) to defend itself and not its primary anti- air missile system. The Navy is recognizing this as it has asked industry proposals to figure out a way to incorporate a vertical launch system (VLS) on the ship. The VLS on the FFG(X) could potentially launch Evolved Sea Sparrow or SM- 2 surface- to- air missiles, and offer even more flexibility to the ship. With a VLS designed to fire a SM- 2 it could also carry Tomahawk missiles or perhaps in the future a ship- launched version of the AGM- 1. C Long Range Anti- Ship Missile. A VLS system should be an absolute requirement as it will offer the greatest opportunity for maximizing a weapons load out. The scope of the missions the FFG(X) is going to be asked to perform is quite extensive but not unrealistic. Designed to last 2. The RFI states the FFG(X) should be able to undertake these specific missions: attack and kill surface contacts over the horizon, detect enemy submarines (surprisingly there is no mention of torpedo tubes although a VLS could address this with the capability to employ RUM- 1. VL- ASROC, or vertical launched anti- submarine launched rocket), provide convoy escort duties through low and medium threat regions, and employ robust electronic warfare support in passive collection and active disruption. The RFI is asking for a 2. The Navy needs 5. LCS designs. The contract is expected to be awarded in 2. The design is an absolute step in the right direction. Mostly the military branches have a very difficult time admitting failure when it comes to weapons systems that don’t deliver on their promises. Instead, they usually circle the wagons and try to explain why the program should work with just a little more investment. Hopefully, the FFG(X) will result in the small surface combatant the Navy needs, and not what Congress or the arms industry wants.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
October 2017
Categories |