I have to agree with what you said, Bort: The modular concept is nothing new and was first used with the MEKO Corvette/Frigate concept developed by a german shipyard - the newest ships are the ANZAC Frigates and the german K130 Corvettes.
Although the modular design has its theoretical advantages, in reality however, none of the MEKO ships has been extensively reequipped with new weapon or sensor modules. No Navy decided to buy (and store!) additional modules yet, as they represent a dead investment in peacetime - navies prefer to spend this money for additional ships.
The LCS is certainly an innovative and interesting design but i don't see it as effective subkiller (like any surface ship). It looks like the perfect ship for hunting pirates and lightly armed vessels in the persian gulf ... which currently makes them the most expensive 'Patrol Boats' right now. The U.S. built Saar5's are more versatile with their mutli-mission weaponry and are probably a lot cheaper.
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