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not sure that precludes figuring out what customers want before building the whole thing TFA says the motivator is lack of capabilities against China. If the L

not sure that precludes figuring out what customers want before building the whole thing TFA says the motivator is lack of capabilities against China. If the LCSs can be easily retrofitted to add capabilities, why not do so?

riku_iki 4y ago
> TFA says the motivator is lack of capabilities against China. If the LCSs can be easily retrofitted to add capabilities, why not do so? I don't think that's the issue. LCSs are small ships which goal to do small missions which would be much more expensive to do on large ships, cruisers for example. I don't think confronting China was their goal ever.
- AnimalMuppet 4y ago
  Conceptual design started around 2001. Well, in 2001, China didn't have the navy it did today. If they didn't "skate to where the puck is going", they could easily have built a ship for countering what China was in 1995.
  - riku_iki 4y ago
    US navy has other ships with missions to counter China.
- ImPostingOnHN 4y ago
  you don't think what is the issue? TFA does indeed say that the motivator is lack of capabilities against China if I understand correctly, the LCSs were built to be easily retrofitted to add capabilities, as long as none of those capabilities are any we actually need
  - riku_iki 4y ago
    what is tfa? > if I understand correctly, the LCSs were built to be easily retrofitted to add capabilities, as long as none of those capabilities are any we actually need yes, but they were not intended to have strike capabilities, nor operate in deep sea as required to confront China in that region, that's why they called littoral.
nradov 4y ago
The LCS can't be easily retrofitted to add the necessary capabilities. There is simply not enough hull space to fit a Mk 41 VLS and AN/SPY-6 radar, plus the various other sensors and defensive systems needed to have any chance of survival against a near-peer adversary. The LCS will be gradually replaced in service by FFG-62 Constellation class frigates. During an early phase of the FFG(X) program the Navy considered using a lengthened "up gunned" variant of the LCS to meet the program requirements but quickly rejected that option as unworkable. The LCS is just a dead end.

riku_iki 4y ago

> TFA says the motivator is lack of capabilities against China. If the LCSs can be easily retrofitted to add capabilities, why not do so? I don't think that's the issue. LCSs are small ships which goal to do small missions which would be much more expensive to do on large ships, cruisers for example. I don't think confronting China was their goal ever.

AnimalMuppet 4y ago
Conceptual design started around 2001. Well, in 2001, China didn't have the navy it did today. If they didn't "skate to where the puck is going", they could easily have built a ship for countering what China was in 1995.
- riku_iki 4y ago
  US navy has other ships with missions to counter China.
ImPostingOnHN 4y ago
you don't think what is the issue? TFA does indeed say that the motivator is lack of capabilities against China if I understand correctly, the LCSs were built to be easily retrofitted to add capabilities, as long as none of those capabilities are any we actually need
- riku_iki 4y ago
  what is tfa? > if I understand correctly, the LCSs were built to be easily retrofitted to add capabilities, as long as none of those capabilities are any we actually need yes, but they were not intended to have strike capabilities, nor operate in deep sea as required to confront China in that region, that's why they called littoral.

nradov 4y ago

The LCS can't be easily retrofitted to add the necessary capabilities. There is simply not enough hull space to fit a Mk 41 VLS and AN/SPY-6 radar, plus the various other sensors and defensive systems needed to have any chance of survival against a near-peer adversary. The LCS will be gradually replaced in service by FFG-62 Constellation class frigates. During an early phase of the FFG(X) program the Navy considered using a lengthened "up gunned" variant of the LCS to meet the program requirements but quickly rejected that option as unworkable. The LCS is just a dead end.