The Navy is reviewing the preliminary results from a task force created earlier this year to inform the requirements for the next small surface combatant (SSC) meant to succeed the current Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), but has revealed no details about the task force’s initial findings.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel in February cut the LCS program from 52 to 32 ships and ordered the Navy to examine alternatives to fill the 20-ship gap for the SSC requirement in time for fiscal 2016 budget deliberations. He questioned whether the ship was adequately survivable for the future threat environment, a common criticism of the LCS.
Navy acquisition chief Sean Stackley said in a statement Thursday–the task force’s deadline for completing the study–that the Navy will not disclose its final conclusions until budget proposals for fiscal 2016 are complete.
“We want to review and delve into the findings and as necessary, work with the task force to obtain and refine further details,” Stackley said. “This iterative process supports the Department’s budget process while meeting the Secretary of Defense’s tasking.”
“Because the task force alternatives will be considered as part of FY16 budget deliberations, the Navy will not comment publically on the report’s findings until budget decisions within DoD are finalized,” he added.
Under the review the Navy is considering a modified version of the LCS that would boost firepower and survivability, as well as new ships based on existing designs. In April the Navy asked industry to submit ideas for ship and hull designs as well as systems like weapons and radar and their integration on to the vessel.
Lockheed Martin [LMT], the prime contractor for the monohull Freedom variant of the LCS, and Austal USA, the builder of the trimaran Independence variant, each submitted responses outlining vessels with increased firepower and improved radar. The Navy has faced criticism for building two variants, and could drop one of them for the remaining SSCs.
Other shipbuilders like Huntington Ingalls Industries [HII] suggested a hull based on the National Security Cutter the firm is building for the U.S. Coast Guard and could serve as a frigate. General Dynamics [GD] Bath Iron Works, a builder of Navy destroyers, responded but did not publicly provide details.
General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems submitted ideas for potential systems, as did Raytheon [RTN], among other companies.
The Navy has committed to 24 Littoral Combat Ships evenly split between the Lockheed Martin and Austal USA versions that will be built through 2019. That leaves eight more LCSs to purchase under Hagel’s truncated plan.
Stackley told Defense Daily June 13 it was unlikely the Navy would move sooner to the next SSC even though those eight remaining ships are still not under contract, noting the Navy doesn’t want to disrupt production and a new design probably won’t be ready for construction until the 33rd hull. He said the 2016 budget would initiate funding for the research, development and design work for the next SSC.
Stackley did not, however, rule out the possibility of introducing some new capabilities sooner if the Navy went with a modified LCS. “You can arrive at a scenario where if it’s a modified LCS there might be some things that we can accelerate, but we are not going to draw any conclusions until we get the results of the study,” he said.