Aircraft Carriers II (Closed to posting)

Mr. Undersecretary, is there any room in the shipbuilding account for LSD(X) / LS(R)? And is it realistic to make threshold values "no worse than current LSD?" The LSD is widely viewed as the absolute least capable ship in the fleet in terms of self defense and interoperability / C2. In addition, I appreciate your enthusiasm for the LPD-17, but given the continuing issuance of star cards to new construction ships and the hundreds of millions of dollars that we are throwing into them to correct COTS Obsolescence, can't we have a frank and honest conversation about where we messed up with that program? It seems like everyone who has ever been someone important in the LPD-17 program has either put on Flag or SES; meanwhile the taxpayer gets stuck holding the bag while the Sailors and Marines get a substandard ship.

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sorry, I missed this one, and it must definitely be my last post! We know exactly how we messed up the LPD-17 program. First, she was over-designed; most complex medium deck amphib ever. Its nice to have the extra capability now, but it was a bear for a first of class ship. We put our faith in an immature computer design program that wasn't up to the task. We started building before the design was stable. We assigned the ship to Avondale, which had never built a ship so complex. Northrop Grumman did a crappy job of quality control, and we did a crappy job in oversight. We accepted LPD-17 long before we should have. All in all, not our finest hour.

So, we could have done a lot better. But as I have said before, I focus on what I can control. And when John Harvey instituted the LPD-17 wellness program, we dedicated ourselves to getting this class back on track. The results have been quite impressive. Let me assure you that the taxpayers will get a great ship. She is in essence an amphib with a frigate combat system. Space and weight for VLS. Lot's of vehicle square. Nuclear blast hardening. NBC overpressure system. RCS equivalent to a DDG 51 (pretty impressive for a ship with nearly three times the displacement). And the best accommodations for embarked troops you can imagine. The Marines LOVE this ship.

We are doing an AOA for LSD(X) now. We are looking at a new build; a LPD-17 mod; foreign designs brought up to NVR standards (e.g., Mistral), and other combinations. Too early to tell what we'll do (it is a FY 18 or 19 ship). But it must, by necessity, be a design to cost ship.

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Bob Work,
Does DCNS know the USN is looking at their Mistral class? Have they been formally approached by the Navy?

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Xavier: mentioned Mistral as one of the foreign designs that might be worth looking at. It participated at Bold Alligator and impressed those who went aboard. Since the AoA hasn't yet officially started, we still have a ways to go. No particular ship has yet been selected for analysis.

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foreign designs brought up to NVR standards (e.g., Mistral)

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navyreco said:

What does NVR stand for ?

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Russia’s Baltic Shipyard has started metal cutting for the hull of the first

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being built in France for the Russian Navy, the United Shipbuilding Corporation said on Wednesday.

Russia and France signed a $1.2-billion contract on two French-built Mistral class ships, including the transfer of sensitive technology, in June 2011.

Under the contract, STX France will carry out the final assembly of the hulls from 24 blocks produced in Russia.

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navyreco said:

Two links showing RAN Camberra being loaded on the Blue Marlin tug before its trip to Down Under

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Indian Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma announced the nation's first indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) INS Vikrant will not be ready until 2017, three years later than the planned schedule. However The New Indian Express daily reports that design work on the much larger aircraft carrier INS Vishal has already started.

“There were problems in manufacturing the gear box, which involves complex technology. The truck bringing generators overturned near Pune last year, further delaying the schedule,” Indian Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma explained.

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