Neat LCS video

[LoBlo]

I found this video on the new LCS systems being developed by the USN pretty neat to watch.

http://www.lmlcsteam.com/video/month-in-life.html

Sounds like a useful system.... but basically amounts to a cheap and expendable ship taking hits to save the big boys... should be a nice system nontheless. The unmanned surface vehicles were a bit much though.

[Yahoshua]

Lots of microchips in that monstrosity...too many things could go wrong. Not to mention that individual ships are generally easy targets whether by sub, surface, or air capabilities. And these ships can still sink.

Not to mention how top -heavy these things look, how well can they withstand stronger than normal typhoons?

[LoBlo]

From the specs the boat is actually pretty stable and was designed to be able to be able to launch helos in sea state 5, and recover watercraft in sea state 4.

I think the point is that the USNavy is adopting more of a Hi/Lo fleet strategy to deal with cheap terrorist and coastal dangers. Sorta a "Mr. Potatoehead" of combat ships that can be customized on the fly to whatever equipment it needs for specific mission. That way the ships cost around 200million dollars apiece instead of 2billion dollars apiece.

[Yahoshua]

I'd want to see it perform in sea-trials and live-fire exercises before we jump the gun on this thing.

[XabbaRus]

Have you seen the General Dynamics Trimaran version?

I wonder if US Navy plan to procure both types or is it the YF-17 vs YF-16 all over again?

[LoBlo]

So far 2 of the Lockheed designs have been ordered and are under contrustuction, iirc, with the first scheduled to be finished sometime next spring. One GE has been ordered and they typically take a couple of years to build so probably won't be done till 2008. Looks like the USN wants a couple of each to compare side by side in realtime before they commit... still "straddling the fence" so to say.

What I'm looking forward too is hearing about one of these things chasing down and blasting the heck outta some Somolian pirates. :arrgh!: :yep: :up:

[LoBlo]

I'm trying to find some nice vids of the General Electric LCS ship but looks like they haven't made any nice promo vids like Lockheed has. All they have is there basic website with plain jane specs.

http://www.gdlcs.com/index.html

:down:

[Iceman]

Looks like nice compliment to the naval arsenal.:arrgh!: