Navy requests more Littoral Combat Ships

[unhappycamper]

Navy requests more Littoral Combat Ships
By David Sharp - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Apr 2, 2008 21:52:33 EDT

PORTLAND, Maine — The Navy is moving forward with construction of a new type of smaller, speedy warship after upending the program by canceling contracts last year, officials said Wednesday.

The Navy’s formal requests for proposals issued to General Dynamics Corp.’s Bath Iron Works and Lockheed Martin Corp. on Tuesday call for construction of three Littoral Combat Ships to be carried out over the next several years.

The Navy envisions a competition in which the winning bidder is awarded contracts for two of the ships while the other gets to build just one ship, Navy Lt. Cmdr. John Schofield said Wednesday.

The Navy, which hopes to build 55 Littoral Combat Ships, wants the smaller warships capable of operating in shallow, coastal waters to meet threats including modern-day pirates and terrorists. The ships are a key element of the Navy’s goal of increasing the size of its fleet to 313 ships.

“The Navy, as it exists today, was designed mostly for fighting in the middle of the big blue ocean. The Littoral Combat Ship is designed to take the fight right up to the enemy’s coastline, and into the country if necessary,” said Loren Thompson, a defense analyst at the Lexington Institute.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/ap_lcsnavy_040208/



uhc comment: Give it a rest fellas. The proposed cost per vessel was $200,000,000. The delivered cost per vessel will be $600,000,000+ each.