US Navy Needs Fast Missile Craft — And LCS — in Persian Gulf

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http://breakingdefense.com/2014/04/us-navy-needs-fast-missile-craft-and-lcs-in-persian-gulf/

US Navy Needs Fast Missile Craft — And LCS — in Persian Gulf
By Luke Tarbi on April 14, 2014 at 9:08 AM



The $322 million dollar FMC


The Navy’s Fifth Fleet in the Persian Gulf doesn’t have an effective long-distance missile for ship-to-ship engagements. The Navy’s plans to eventually position eight Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) in the gulf by 2018 will not alleviate this problem, given current armament and design.




The $500+ million dollar LCS

As the Pentagon reduces the deployment of Carrier Strike Groups (CSGs) in the Gulf from two to one, the deployment of escorting cruisers, destroyers, and fast attack submarines will decrease as well – leaving Fifth Fleet commanders with significantly fewer assets in any future surface engagement. Fortunately, an affordable US-built Fast Missile Craft (FMC) is now on the market, and its purchase and incorporation into Fifth Fleet would provide commanders with permanently forward-deployed assets that are capable of taking the long-distance shots that an aircraft carrier’s accompanying cruisers and destroyers once assured.

Fast Missile Craft Can Augment Fifth Fleet

In 2013, the US delivered the first of four Fast Missile Craft (FMC) to the Egyptian Navy under its Foreign Military Sales program. If more were purchased by the Pentagon for use in the US Navy, they could significantly strengthen the Fifth Fleet’s forward-deployed presence in the Persian Gulf.

Built by VT Halter Marine in Pascagoula, Mississippi, these 204-foot ships are only slightly larger than the 179-foot Patrol Crafts (PCs) that currently patrol the Gulf – but pack significantly more firepower. The most notable improvements include the addition of the 76mm OTO Melara cannon, akin to the Navy’s Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate, as well as eight Harpoon ship-to-ship missiles (SSM). Equally as significant is the fact that the entire vessel is outfitted with technology familiar to today’s Navy sailors, such as Raytheon’s Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) and Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAM), Lockheed Martin’s Combat Management System (CMS), and Sperry Marine’s Integrated Bridge System (IBS). Furthermore, while the LCS is projected to average about $448 million per ship, the FMC is currently being delivered to Egypt at a cost of approximately $322.5 million.