http://www.navy.mil/view_photos_top.asp

The third link from the top has some pics taken onboard the Freedom with SECNAV.

Sorry to go off topic but Molon Labe's Sig :up:

Ditto! The most awesome aspect of an already impressive thread.:up::up:

I thought it was supposed to have IR signature reduction. From the pictures that looks like one hell of a heat plume. Would love to see that through an IIR camera.

I worked and this project at Lockheed. RHIBs are launched/recovered from the stern hatch. the Remote Mine Hunting Vehicle and Sea Talon Vehicle are launched from the STB AFT hatch.

Ah, okay, I stand corrected. Thank you :up: It's the LCS-2 Independence that has the side door access to a RO/RO cargo deck. They're supposed to be able to stick a couple of Strykers and Humvees in there.

To me, both LCSs always seem like a civilian high speed ferry with a small gun and a RAM launcher.
The modular stuff sounds fine, but most of the systems are not yet ready. I doubt all of the planned packages will be completed.
NETFIRE (sounds like one of those dotcom bubble companies) is still a project, for example.
Something I never understood about the USN is its casual approach to mine warfare.
I have no doubt the minehunting crews of the USN are as expert as the rest of NATO, but it seems to me they hardly get the support they need.
Especially now that minehunting is basically to be done as a side job with destroyers and LCSs, this doesn't seems to me like an increase in capabilities.
I mean if you ran an LCS as a full time minehunter, it would be a great platform, but also a bit oversized.
Sometimes I think the "sleek fast grey hulls" navy simply doesn't have time for such an inglorious, time-consuming thinking man's game as mine warfare.
Also, what do they need the Ro/Ro capabilities for?
I mean you can hardly expect the future enemy to be so nice to open a port where the LCS can dock and unload its Strykers. They can't do anything amphibious, so the land warfare docking space seems a bit wasted to me.
All in all, if the thing works and is affordable, it is a great platform, but I don't think it is out of the woods yet.

Btw, with such glorious names, how do they want to name the rest of the 50 LCSs?
After basic democratic rights?
Anyway, since the Bush administration is on the way out and reading the "assault weapons ban" thread, I don't think there will be a
USS Fifth Ammendment
:rotfl::rotfl:

Now that we have such good pics, lets get this thing modeled into Dangerous Waters !

That reminds me a lot of the arguments over the continued use of the A-10 Warthog. Not sexy enough for your average jet jocky who prefers a much faster and sleeker bird, even if they are less suited for the mud moving role and have a much shorter time on target.

We caught up with the Freedom at the end of the day - Because she'd tied up for the week-end at the Québec city cruise terminal. That is an awesome dock to go to - bar accross the street, five minutes from the old town and fifteen minutes from the big party bars.

Oh, there's history and stuff, too.

Here she is, with Chateau Frontenac in the background.

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x..._MG_1550-1.jpg

The colors came out a bit weird - the light was bad and there was a lot of humidity. I think I over corrected.

Thanks. Coincidentally enough, I think I may have pulled it off Information Dissemination a few weeks ago (the blog was plugged earlier in this thread). If not there, it was Small Wars Journal.

I thought the doors were for deploying UUVs and USVs. Maybe smaller manned craft as well. It's sort of a mini-mothership.

The panel in the back is for launching and recovering boats. The side door is to provide a second launch and recovery point for boats. It also facilitates UNREP, although I can't help but wonder how constrained they are by sea state.

I think RO/RO is unique to the General Dynamics version. Even though they don't really market it AS a JHSV alternative, they threw enough amphib-like features on it to get people wondering about what kinds of creative things they might be able to pull off with it.

Yes, see my posts above, I was referring to the General Dynamics competitor.

I was lucky enough to get invited to the commisioning of Freedom in Milwaukee. Boy what a cold day! I can say having been aboard the thing that it is very impressive, but perhaps badly muddled in concept. In addition to being lightly armed and minimally crewed, the modules may cause all sorts of integration and practical use havoc when it gets to the fleet. I'm not really sure why we couldn't have just ordered them with full sensor/weapons suites.:hmm: I'm also not really sure why they didn't have the Coast Guard buy a bunch as well! It seems perfect as a medium endurance cutter, the drug runners wouldn't have a chance! Plus we'd save money in parts and design between the services.