First Littoral Combat Ship Gets Underway

[chuck]

WWII destroyers can send a Nimitz class carrier to the bottom as well, provided the latter stand still and take the 8 torpedoes on the same side. But it doesn't prove anything.

[Gone Asiatic]

A NIMITZ class carrier has an airwing to contend with......an LCS has......

[Ultimo Tiger]

An LCS might be lucky enough to have a long range SSM

[Gone Asiatic]

Key word: MIGHT

[Timmy C]

Meh, the LCS has the 57mm Bofors that has roughly the same range as the 5"/38 with many times (I assume) better accuracy. Also much faster, so it can run away till a better situation presents itself.

[ASFC]

Meh, all ships are targets if you are in a sub!

The Israelis obviously think it lacks firepower because they are spending a fair whack of money to make sure the ones they get have the required firepower.

[Seasick]

Under built, under manned, under armed, under way. Under RuMsFeLd.

[Werner]

Remember, these ships' kit is one Swedish 57mm, 2 x M2 .50cal and a launcher for the RAM missile. So, the longest range weapon is 7Km or so.

[Timmy C]

According to NavWeaps, the 57mm has a range of 17,000 m, or 17 km.

[Werner]

Sorry, was going on the range of the RAM.

Nevertheless, these are all essentially horizon weapons.

[Gone Asiatic]

The LCS will get punk`d if it has to fight anything other than a lightly armed patrol craft.

[chuck]

The LCS will get punk`d if it has to fight anything other than a lightly armed patrol craft.

It was meant to fight lightly armed patrol craft. Generally people don't mean anything more by Littoral.

[Gone Asiatic]

Worth $500 million EA and no interchangeable mission modules?

[Lesforan]

Tri-hulls are notoriously rough-riding in anything but calm waters. The tri-hull may draw less water than a single hull, an advantage to close-inshore use.

What is the Air Force doing ordering modules for a Navy ship? Haven't they got enough transport aircraft to schmooze politicians and contractors in now? Maybe aircraft do not allow enough transit time to sufficiently lubricate clients and close deals.

Any number of designs of fast attack craft have this thing outgunned. I suggest they turn them over to the Coast Guard for use in stopping smugglers. That big, empty hull could hold a lot of interdicted drugs or would-be immigrants.

[chuck]

Worth $500 million EA and no interchangeable mission modules?

That depends on what the average cost per unit over the intended 50 hull run is, not the cost of the prototype.

[Lesforan]

Perhaps part of the weapons suite is intented to be inside the drop-in modules. VLS maybe?

[LCSSailor]

As part of the commissioning crew of USS FREEDOM, it saddens me to see so many postings by individuals who have absolutely no clue about USS FREEDOM, USS INDEPENDENCE, the Littoral Combat Ship program, naval weapons systems, or naval tactics in general. My recommendation to those of you who are not involved in the program and have no real knowledge of any of the issues you have raised is to remain silent until these ships are delivered to the Fleet and tested to see if their true capabilities match up to the hype.

And just in case you are wondering - everything demonstrated by USS FREEDOM to date says she'll be more than a match for her intended enemies...

[Jack Ray]

As part of the commissioning crew of USS FREEDOM, it saddens me to see so many postings by individuals who have absolutely no clue about USS FREEDOM, USS INDEPENDENCE, the Littoral Combat Ship program, naval weapons systems, or naval tactics in general. My recommendation to those of you who are not involved in the program and have no real knowledge of any of the issues you have raised is to remain silent until these ships are delivered to the Fleet and tested to see if their true capabilities match up to the hype.

And just in case you are wondering - everything demonstrated by USS FREEDOM to date says she'll be more than a match for her intended enemies...

Who are her intended enemies?

[Werner]

Perhaps you could bring sight to the blind?

For example, what are the available mission modules?

Your hot rod has certainly failed in one key aspect of it's mission: it's extravagant price overruns forbid acquisition in any quantity, leading to the cancellation of LCS-3 on.

Your LCS is destined to be a one-off oddity with no mission in our Navy. Perhaps Pakistan or Taiwan will find a use for her.

[Gone Asiatic]

Your hot rod has certainly failed in one key aspect of it's mission: it's extravagant price overruns forbid acquisition in any quantity, leading to the cancellation of LCS-3 on.

Your LCS is destined to be a one-off oddity with no mission in our Navy. Perhaps Pakistan or Taiwan will find a use for her.

A modern day Vesuvius perhaps? Perhaps that will be an ironic benefit of the program....its cancellation!

Methinks Pakistan won`t be able to afford such an expensive patrol boat; Taiwan will likely continue to build indigenous or European-influenced designs with more capability at a fraction of the cost (producability and capability).