In a good way. There is a serious need for more (a lot more) small escort ships, and the Old Way of doing business (DDGX and LCS) have been disasters. Basically, NAVSEA piles tons of change orders on a program that gets further and further behind.
Instead, the Navy is using the existing Coast Guard Cutter platform as the base for a new class of frigates, the FF(X). Is it perfect? No. But it will be delivered soon. Quantity has a quality all its own.
6 comments:
A little like Ford building B-24s at Willow Run, some people know how to manufacture things and some don't.
Still fighting the last war. Future warfare will rely on drones...in the air and on/under the sea. Surface ships will be of limited utility. Anonymous co tai er ships hauling drones and missiles will do far more damage than any dedicated warship. The one thing we need most for surface combatants is effective directed energy weaponry. A lone surface vessel with 60 or so VL missile cells with each missile costing six figures plus will be taken out by a swarm of 100 dro es or so costing maybe $25K each.
One needs someplace from which to LAUNCH the drones.
Coast Guard vessels might serve that purpose well!
How will this affect the supply of cutters for the CG? Or is that fleet at capacity?
$1.67 billion for the first ship? Crazy.
Sigh...
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