here's all sorts of people second guesing the Navy's new ships and aircraft.
But a one who has worked in the design of these types of vessels and ehnologies and one who has friend still on the front lines of those designs. I will say this.
The Zumwalts will gt the Rail Gun and lasers. They were designed with that in mind...irrespective of the AGS. The Rail Giun they ultimately get is what they were aiming for and they will revolutionize war at sea...as will the lasers.
The F-35C will revolutionize air combat and capability at sea.
The ford class will take a while to reachits future...there is simply so much new and good about the design that it will take time to learn how to best apply it, write that up, test it, and then test it again and again, improving as she goes. But she will be the ultimate nuclear aircraft carrier class.
The LCS had problems from the get go...and mainly because you had a bunch of Freshman naval appointees trying to make something sexy out of what shuld have been a frigate. Well, they have learned a lot and are finally gong to get the thigns uoarmed and changed to be what they should have been all along.
Once that occurs, they will end up being good, strong, fast frigates.
I still recommend both for ASW work with amphibious and aircrat carrier strike groups, and having the INdependence class be the one that takes on cles work with the amphinious groups including anti-min capability, while the Freedom class is more of the all around frigate including AAW, ASW, and ASuW.
If they arem them properly, they can both erform admirably in those roles, and I think they are going to be able to do it now.
None of that...and for some people NOTHING, will ever change the disdain certain politicians and groups have for the US Navy. It's been that way my whole life.
But we have seen them come and we have seen them go.
Before all is said and done, the ZUmwalt will break unbelievable gorund for some amazing technologues. I wish we were building a doen of them...but what we learn from the three will be put to good use on a future design if they do not build more.
The Ford will be the ultimate carrier class with all of its new caabilities. The F-35C is going to be a HECK of a at sea stealthy strike aircraft that can handle air to air whenever it needs to. And the LCS will grow into its own now that they have oulled their heads out of their osterior and started moving them towards what they should have been from the beginnning.
I agree with everything you've said, but the Navy had lots or PR Capital, and got money for LCS, Zummies, Ford's, the F-35Cs, which will no doubt do what they were created to do, and I'm sure the Ford class will eventually get there?? but we've got to honestly admit and I think that from your above post you would agree, that the Navy and the high-up "muckety-mucks", will have to "own" some of this???