Littoral Combat Ships (LCS)

Distributed Lethality

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envisions LCS — and indeed every vessel from aircraft carriers to cargo ships — as armed nodes in a
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. Under DL, a ship should be able to take targeting data from aircraft, satellites, and other ships in order to strike
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. That kind of high-tech, high-intensity battle is considerably more complex and lethal than the auxiliary roles for which the original LCS was built: hunting submarines,
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, and
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.

“They’re looking a little bit differently about how it operates,” Wittman told reporters. “It’s going to be a lot of different mission sets, and it’s going to operate in an anti-access environment.” That is, the frigate will have to go against the layered defenses of long-range missiles, aircraft, submarines, and ships that
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, and to a lesser degree Iran are building to keep US forces at a distance.

“Where’s there going to be anti-access, we need to make sure that it has the ability to self-defend and the ability also to engage (offensively),” Wittman went on. “The Navy in its whole concept of distributed lethality will have to look very carefully at what you can efficiently deploy on board this platform.”

“Vertical launch tubes (and) SM-2 missiles” — which are fired from VLS — are options Wittman wants the Navy to consider for the frigate, he said. While the frigate doesn’t need the full-up
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installed on much larger
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, he said, it needs to be able to connect to Aegis ships, receive targeting data, and fire at enemies threatening the entire fleet, not just in its immediate vicinity. “That’s the whole concept of distributed lethality,” he said. “Without having to put an Aegis system on board, you actually get a lot of capability in that ship if you’re able to do that.”

How much is Wittman willing to pay for that capability? “I don’t have a particular target in mind,” he said. The frigate needs to stay “significantly less expensive than a destroyer” — the current LCS costs
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, an
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$1.8 billion, three times as much — so the Navy can afford them in large numbers, he said. If the frigate capable enough, he added, he could see the Navy ultimately buying more LCS variants potentially than the 52 envisioned in the current
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.

“I’d like to see first of all what the Navy comes back to us with a requirement set,” Wittman said. “That then can drive the discussion about what do we actually see price-wise, what do we think can be realistically and efficiently delivered with that requirement set.”
source:
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dtulsa

Junior Member
O.k. I remember reading in some publication the navy is looking for a ship in the 4000-7000 ton range I wish I could remember which one though any way would that not eliminate all of the LCS variants except the very biggest Freedom class possibly if someone could locate and post this it would be much appreciated my phone doesn't seem to like me posting anything except comment for some reason
 
O.k. I remember reading in some publication the navy is looking for a ship in the 4000-7000 ton range I wish I could remember which one ...
if you meant 5k instead of 7k it could be Feb 10, 2017
Frigates & LCS: The Navy has consistently said it needs 52 “small surface combatants,” a role filled by the current,
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and its future upgraded “frigate” version, all 3,000-plus-ton vessels. CSBA wants more, and bigger, small warships: 71 frigates of a new design in the 4,000-5,000 ton range. That gives room for capabilities LCS can’t fit, such as multi-purpose missile tubes (Vertical Launch Systems) for area anti-aircraft defense. These bigger frigates would play a central role in escorting aircraft carriers, smaller amphibious ships, supply convoys, unmanned vessels, and manned patrol craft. Production of the new frigate would start in ca. 2020. Sen. McCain has similarly
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we need to “get beyond” the LCS to a more capable craft “as soon as possible.”

is the relevant part from
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hehe comparable to Oct 9, 2015
...
  1. possibly OHP hull (or enlarged, but 4500 max.)
  2. possibly COGLAG propulsion (relatively quiet; but 35 knots max.)
  3. AEGIS Lite, one illuminator
  4. 16-cells VLS: 8 AAMs, 8 ASROCs (so that during a ASW mission the ship wouldn't rely on a helo to kill a sub, heck)
  5. organic helicopter, hangar; the outer, inner spaces arranged for:
  6. Harpoon launchers optionally from one dual to two quads,
  7. torpedo tubes optionally from one single up to two triple,
  8. assault boats (optionally small or big?)
  9. enough anti-FAC protection
I know this would've required a big crew ...
 

dtulsa

Junior Member
Per Breaking defense this AM the navy is seriously moving on from the LCS it's a lengthy article that states the obvious as currently configured LCS ships cannot do the newer missions of carrier escort or convoy escort what's different it spells out all alternative solutions pro and con from the modified cutters to the Fremm T26 and Spanish models Jeff you may need to dust off your suggestion for the frigate replacement with the modified cutters (now what to do with the all those,ships in service building or contracted for ) I hear Taiwan is looking for some new ships just saying
 
May 5, 2017
Yesterday at 7:35 AM

related:
US Navy delays frigate contract for further requirements consideration

source is NavalToday
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and now I read
Interview: Austal shipbuilder pleads for no pause, no slowdown in production
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but I expected the Manager to tell us how LCSs are the most terrific ships of the world due to their Star Trek look, which he didn't
 
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