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Title: US Navy cost increases are worse than the US healthcare system
Source:
Nextbigfuture
URL Source: https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2018/ ... -the-us-healthcare-system.html
Published: Jul 13, 2018
Author: brian wang
Post Date: 2018-07-13 17:01:56 by Hondo68
Keywords: Navy procurement badly, broken for decades, massive technical flaws
Views: 6221
Comments: 22
In 2006, the RAND corporation found that from 1965-2005 the US Navy had 7-11% annual inflation for its ships which is worse than the inflation for US college tuition and US healthcare. This was before the Zumwalt destroyers (aka DDX) came in at $7.5 billion each compared to the previous destroyer at $1-2 billion each. Only 3 Zumwalts will be built and they have loads of technical and operational problems. Those were the high function and high cost end of the high-low mix of ships planned in 2006. The low-end was the LCS (Littoral Combat Ship). The LCS will be a $20+ billion failure. The inexpensive ships are coming at over $600 million each. They can barely operate 30 days before a major systems failure. The LCS has aluminum hulls and are lightly armed with virtually no useful weapons. One LCS tested a Harpoon anti-ship missile, but wider use among the LCS will probably not happen. The ships are armed with Hellfire missiles that don’t have enough range or a large enough warhead to win battles. The Navy was going to build 52 LCS and now will build 40. The LCS was going to deliver special operation forces for anti-terrorism. It would then change a mission module and hunt for mines or submarines. The modules were a huge disappointment. The LCS was supposed to be more automated and have smaller crews. Crew sizes have been increased because the automation was a disappointment. The GAO also found that both designs were overweight and under performing. Both the high-end and low-end ships did not work and ended up costing double already high costs. The US Navy will try to start building twenty new guided missile frigates starting in 2020. The Navy wants to keep costs below $950 million each. Two of the bidders are the US companies (Lockheed and Austal) behind two versions of the LCS. The first ship is to be delivered in 2020 and then two per year from 2021-2030. There will be no new technology in the FFX ships. The US DDG 51 (Burke) destroyers cost $1.75 billion each. China is building about 32 Type 054A or Type 054A+ frigates. China is claiming a cost of about $200 million each, but The Diplomat estimates the cost at $348 million. The follow up Chinese frigate will be the Type 054B and it will have a full electric propulsion system. There has been no automation of ship construction. since the 1960s it has taken about 700 hours of labor per ton of ship. This has not been improved and salaries have skyrocketed. $1.8 billion Arleigh Burkes are now the reliable low-end and the $2.7 billion Virginia class attack submarines. The high-end are $10 billion Columbia submarines and $13-15 billion aircraft carriers and $3.7 billion mini-aircraft carriers (aka amphibious attack ships). Other European countries can build ships at 2-5 times lower cost than the US is able. Those European ships have modern electronics, systems and weapons. The Navy procurement has been badly broken for decades but it has become a farce in the last 15 years. It is also a tragedy for the American taxpayer. We have talked by the Air Force, Navy and Marine F35 problem before and will again as that $1-2 trillion joke continues.
Poster Comment: They probably need a budget increase. /s
High costs and massive technical flaws and under-performance
Chinese ships are about 5 times lower cost than comparable US ships
Navy talks about lacking numbers of ships but cannot fix their cost disaster
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Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 5.
#5. To: hondo68 (#0)
A Look Inside the Most Powerful Ships in the U.S. Navy. The U.S. Navy is the most powerful in the world. It has a collection of vessels that would make Poseidon blush and stop a kraken in its tracks. Both new and old, some of these weapons systems are the gold standard for naval ships. Here are the Navy’s most powerful vessels. Only a wise person would know what the most powerful ship is on the last page. 9. Littoral combat ships Littoral combat ships are designed for warfare close to the shores. These are fast and deadly ships that can travel up to 40 knots. For a vessel of that size, that is some serious speed. These are used for fast assaults, and generally carry a hefty armament for destroying other small vessels. They also have the ability to deploy small tactical teams to take over other vessels. Next: The LCS’s big brother 8. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer The Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are a serious force in our Navy. They compose about 20% of all of our naval vessels. The U.S. Navy has been so impressed with their performance that they aren’t even phasing them out for a better destroyer (something they typically do all the time). They are actually building them at the same time. Each class of destroyer has their own distinct advantages, and the Arleigh Burke-class ship is designed for multi-surface warfare; it can attack vessels under, on, or above the sea. Next: Probably the coolest looking ship in the water 7. The Zumwalt-class destroyer Looking like something out of a science fiction movie, the USS Zumwalt is the largest destroyer in the world. Its sleek design provides it with a stealth profile that registers on the enemy radar as a small fishing vessel. Ever looking to the future, the Zumwalt can be retrofitted for electromagnetic rail guns or laser weapons when they become available. Next: You would never see this ship coming. 6. The Virginia-class submarine The Virginia-class submarines are the U.S. Navy’s most powerful attack submarine. In fact, they are so efficient and advanced, we are building two a year. These puppies can do anything, from deploying a SEAL team from below the surface of the water, to launching cruise missiles. They are considered some of the most deadly weapons systems we have. Next: A ship that is rightfully known as a “boomer” 5. The Ohio-class submarine The Ohio-class submarines are our intercontinental ballistic missile launch platforms. They are designed for stealth and are a strategic deterrent to other countries wanting to launch nuclear arms against the U.S. Even though these submarines have the capability of destroying entire countries, they are being tamed a bit. Due to international treaties, some of the Ohio-class subs are being converted into guided missile launch platforms, like the USS Florida pictured above. Next: Something like this would likely be used in a D-Day type of scenario. 4. Wasp-class amphibious assault ship The Bataan looks like an aircraft carrier, but it is technically a ship in the Wasp-class. They are amphibious assault ships. Every vehicle on the ship is designed to assist in assault missions. There are Harrier jets, Ospreys, Chinooks, and pretty much every other vertical take-off and landing vehicle you can think of. And if you need a vehicle to get your armor to the beach, they also have hovercraft to transport heavy assault and support vehicles. The Wasp-class will be replaced with the newer America-class amphibious assault ships soon, but for now, they remain the king of their class. Next: This ship brings new meaning to a cannon. 3. The battleship It is true that the era of battleships in the Navy has come to an end, but that doesn’t change the fact that these were the most powerful ships in the sea for almost two centuries. The Iowa-class battleship had a battery of 16-inch guns that were capable of launching nuclear warheads. During the 19th and 20th centuries, if a country wanted superiority on the sea, they needed an accompaniment of these legendary ships. Next: The most advanced carriers in the world 2. The Ford-class aircraft carrier The USS Gerald Ford is the newest aircraft carrier to join the U.S. Navy. It is the largest aircraft carrier in the world and has some very serious power behind it. This ship can hold over 75 assault aircraft and lay some serious waste to any conflict zone it’s sent to. You can check out the longer version of what this ship is capable of here. Next: The most powerful ship in the Navy 1. Navy hospital ships The USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort are the military’s two hospital ships. These massive ships stand 10 stories tall and are the length of three football fields. Hospital ships can be deployed anywhere in the world to treat our soldiers and assist in humanitarian crises. More powerful than any missile, shell, or bullet, is the power of compassion. These ships emulate that kind of compassion.
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The U.S. Navy’s USS Coronado (LCS 4) | Roslan Rahman/AFP/Getty Images 
USS Stethem (DDG 63) | VCG/VCG via Getty Images 
USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) | U.S. Navy/General Dynamics Bath Iron Works via Getty Images 
USS New Hampshire (SSN 778) | Jeremy Lambert/U.S. Navy via Getty Images 
USS Florida (SSGN 728) | David Nagle/U.S. Navy/Getty Images 
USS Bataan (LHD 5) | David C. Mercil/US Navy/Getty Images 
USS Wisconsin (BB-64) | Naval History and Heritage Command 
USS Gerald Ford (CVN 78) | Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ridge Leoni/U.S. Navy via Getty Images 
The Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) | Gabriel R. Piper/U.S. Navy via Getty Images
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