The future of the LCS and in particular the LCS2 is as a troop transport.
The latest example is the Riverine deployment with the Marine Expeditionary Unit to Thailand. Unless I'm missing my guess, Marine Corps assets were left on the beach to make room for the Riverines.
That's unsat.
In my post on the Riverine deployment, I also stated that amphibs are going to become overwhelmed with requests from different units to either occupy them completely or to share room with the MEU.
Imagine a tasking that has a MEU(-), Riverines, SOCOM and maybe even a detachment from 160th or Navy Spec Ops Helo taking up deck space.
That is trouble in a handbag.
If you could designate a certain number of LCS2's to the transport/support mission it might make the future a bit easier. It would certainly be cheaper than buying more big deck amphibs.
I would recommend studies be conducted to see if an enlarged ramp can be fitted to these ships and perhaps improved small boat handling facilities.
Either way this problem isn't going away and the Marine Corps BETTER be prepared to defend amphibs...better be prepared to justify the MEU rotation schedule and better be prepared to fight these battles old skool style.
They've kept a handle on it but the budget battles WILL heat up. Whether we like it or not.
SOL the LCS are NOT capable of supporting Marines deployments except as a "lily pad". The possibility of having an amphib mission module was studied and that was the official conclusion. I will see if I can find the link to that study.
ReplyDeleteOther than that the ship mods you mention are not going to happen in the first 24 too expensive in a ship whose cost is capped by Congress.
Once you get anything onto the LCS-2 via side ramp or stern boat handling system, you still are limited to the 6,000 lbs elevator to work the "cargo" up from the mission deck to the flight deck. And the problems with added berthing modules has been addressed numerous times on other blog sites.
The JHSV will be the goto choice for troop and gear movements for the near future IMHO. That class has the capability and the mission minus the weapons so the USN will have to send an escort ship hopefully something more capable than an LCS?
Took me a bit to find the article, remembered seeing it earlier this year.
Deletehttp://defense.aol.com/2011/10/21/marines-sof-will-get-a-piece-of-lcs/
SOL P.S. look up the specs on second larger class of APD and compare them to JHSV, you might be surprised by which is better?
ReplyDelete