They are still making these pieces of crap? Either version? Under-gunned, over-priced, targets.
Talk about doubling down on dumb.
Eh, I am sure some politicians somewhere got their pockets lined to keep the taxpayer money flowing into this program.
Our shipbuilding capability is a joke, and thinking probably was that even crappy ships are better than no ships at all. The basic idea was solid, and something that would be absolutely useful these days, but incompetence and American mediocrity ruined the entire program.
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It disgusts me how worthless America’s production capability has become. Boeing is a glorious example.
If you can find anything worth owning that’s designed in/by America, that’s the exception.
Almost everything costs twice as much, and lasts less than half as long.
Yeah, it’s surprising they’re still making them, especially with all the criticisms. The LCS has faced a lot of scrutiny for being under-gunned and not living up to expectations.
The issue at least with submarines is unions.
I was in an engineering class with a number of folks who work for electric boat in rhode island making submarines. They are not union. They were saying they turn out a good product on time and budget.
But the sections they make goto Groton CT to be assembled into complete submarines. As its a ship yard all employees are part of the shipbuilding union. Groton is the hold up on production.
They guy telling me this, a welder, gave an example. He said ‘i can operate a crane too, if i need to move something i do it myself, in groton because of the union only a crane operator can operate the crane, only a welder can weld.’
Unions seem to cause a huge amount of inefficiency and waste. They to me seem to be a driving force behind American mediocrity and sending things over seas. I personally try to not support anything with union labor. Much like not buying anything made in china it is hard to avoid.
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I was a Tech Rep from GD and went to Anniston Army Depot to observe and asist with some rebuilds, same, same.
I wasn’t supposed to test cables or work with any electronic systems. Wait for the Union guy.
BTW: After workng with these guys and training them up, for three months, they were all laid off before the project started.
Something about the military industrial complex and our politicians being the only enemy that has bankrupted this nation ad stole our liberties and justice for all.
It’s a nightmare that we let them design that way.
The guys I worked with at Anniston were by and large on the ball and ready to go to work. Very happy to be there and working.
They had to know they were going to lay off a bunch of guys when I got there, why ask me to train the ones getting laid off?
I have this feeling there was a contractual “Block” that had to be checked, therefore I was sent. The program was never supposed to and did never go anywhere.
You will see in a few years all of these will be sold off to other countries. They don’t and never will fit into our fleet doctrine. The new Columbia FFG will be the flagship “small” escort and close in combatant ships, and they will be 7k tons!…. So not really “small”
I think it was supposed to be a “Brown Water Navy” craft on steroids, but too big really and not enough for a “Blue Water Navy” vessel
Seems to me that a few WWII Fletchers would be nice to have around when these drones start in. How much lead can those old cans sling?