carr wrote:
Quote:
In fact, a JHSV could support many many drones.
This gets back to the Navy's lack of a CONOPS for the LCS prior to design. What specific missions is/was it supposed to perform and how? A JHSV might be able to completely fill the needs - or not. No one knows since we don't have a CONOPS. Building 50+ ships so we can get them into the fleet and see what the sailors will figure out to do with them, as CNO Greenert stated, is not the way to design and build a new class.
"Ding Ding Ding - winner!"
Ever seen the movie "The Pentagon Wars"? sums up LCS.
'Started' as a good idea (Streetfighter), then everyone wanted their items added (self-deployability, Helo hangar - Frigate/escort items) which drove up size, cost, and complexity - then went looking for more program support and money ("hey we can have it hunt mines!"), so added missions it is directly incapable of performing (lack of ability to take shock - where does a 45+ knot minesweeper make sense to anyone?)... the list goes on.
To me, the only mission the over priced and vulnerable platform they built may be able to perform well is a coastal raider role - zipping in, zipping out, delivering effects on a short timeframe basis, then running back away before the threat can fully react.
There are numerous ways this money and these personnel could have been better used to provide more diverse, more effective, and better suited capabilities to the US Navy - I've added my opinions on that before, so I won't re-hash here.
I love What-ifs - and I look forward to what comes of this - but to me, this is just too far gone to be of any future utility. If I had a stock that performs this badly I would have sold it, taken the loss, and moved on long ago. Maybe shift the platforms over to the Coast Guard (where I think LCS-2's large aviation space and fast speed would be an incredible asset for responding to emergencies and life saving operations) or sell to other Navies.
The proposals to slow it down, increase fixed capabilities, and add more defensive measures on the future hulls should only be backfitted to the hulls we are already on the hook for and stuck with - no new purchases.