Defense Tech reports...
The Navy is also asking to buy 11 ships: Two Virginia class attack subs, one DDG-51 class destroyer, four Littoral Combat Ships, One San Antonio class amphibious transport ship, two Joint High Speed Vessels and one Mobile Landing Platform.We lost on the EFV but the bigger battle...the battle to make the sea base a reality seems to be well in hand. The biggest obstacle, the US Navy is onboard (notice another San Antonio Class LPD is also to be bought along with 2 JHSVs)...
All the hand wringing about the Marine Corps future is beyond premature...it was wishful thinking by a cabal of critics.
The MLP is not a win. Its another exquisite ship designed by idiots at NAVSEA. I managed a real clear deck Flo/Flo American Cormorant which lifted 22 Army watercraft (like photo above). MLP uses 1980s construction technique i.e. cutting down a tanker hull. (not like photo above). MLP ONLY provides for 4 LCAC spots, not significant improvement. Better to take the $900 mil per hull and do improvements to existing LPD/LSDs like modern cranes and davits.
ReplyDeleteBetter yet charter 3 existing Flo/Flos for a hellavu less money and then let them go when the Navy figures out what is really needed.
This might be the image you wanted of the actual MLP ship as planned, which illustrates the points made by leesea:
ReplyDeletehttp://media.defenseindustrydaily.com/images/SHIP_MLP_Concept_NASSCO_lg.jpg
The interesting part is that this budget plan accelerates funding to start a second ship in 2012, rather than waiting until 2013 and 2015 for ships 2 and 3 in the series.
Is this really just a win for NAASCO, full employment in Sandy Eggo, and the sponsorship of every milbloggers favorite Seantor, Diane Feinstein? Well, I guess ya gotta take your wins where you can get 'em.
In a final bit of ignominy, the 11th ship, the second JHSV, is for the US Army, not the Navy.
MLP was mainly a contract to help NASSCO whose order book was empty with the last of its tankers being delivere. MLP would otherwise not past the smell test.
ReplyDeleteThe JHSV program has always been a joint one. The real question is how much money will the Army give the Navy for their JHSVs?