I apologize if this topic has already been discussed, I looked through the Equipment forum for quite some time and could not find any posts directly relating to this. If this has already infact been discussed, by all means - feel free to get rid of it.
For those of you unaware, the new US Navy Littoral Combat Ship is a vessel designed to be highly automated - saving on crew requirements - and able to operate in shallow waters, such as the coastlines of Africa. They are designed to be quick, all weather vessels able to respond to threats closer to the coast, where some of the larger ships can't operate. They are designed to be highly flexible - dealing with terrorists one day, and supporting ground operations the next.
I was reading an article in the New York Times, and on the US Navy website, that pegs the cost of the new US Navy Littoral Combat Ship at $300 million per ship. A US politician wants to expand the US Navy from 285 vessels to 313 vessels, providing further flexibility for naval commanders by expanding the fleet with 50 of these Littoral Combat Ships (LCS for the purpose of this board).
I'm no expert at numbers or costs of shipbuilding, but if the Canadian Forces could tap into an already existing production line - this could save the Canadian Forces millions, or perhaps even billions of dollars.
Some of the advantages of this could include:
- An already existing production line, for a vessel already designed.
- The shipbuilding capabilities in the US are much more advanced and robust than that of Canadian shipyards, who get their government orders in bulk only periodically.
- The Canadian Forces could acquire new vessels at an extremely low production cost. The highly automated vessel also saved on crew requirements, further strengthening the proposal for a Navy that has severe manpower shortages.
- Fits the requirements for the Navy's "Coastal Patrol Vessel" project.
Disadvantages:
- It provides no work for Canadian shipyards, except for possible maintainence contracts.
Any thoughts?
For those of you unaware, the new US Navy Littoral Combat Ship is a vessel designed to be highly automated - saving on crew requirements - and able to operate in shallow waters, such as the coastlines of Africa. They are designed to be quick, all weather vessels able to respond to threats closer to the coast, where some of the larger ships can't operate. They are designed to be highly flexible - dealing with terrorists one day, and supporting ground operations the next.
I was reading an article in the New York Times, and on the US Navy website, that pegs the cost of the new US Navy Littoral Combat Ship at $300 million per ship. A US politician wants to expand the US Navy from 285 vessels to 313 vessels, providing further flexibility for naval commanders by expanding the fleet with 50 of these Littoral Combat Ships (LCS for the purpose of this board).
I'm no expert at numbers or costs of shipbuilding, but if the Canadian Forces could tap into an already existing production line - this could save the Canadian Forces millions, or perhaps even billions of dollars.
Some of the advantages of this could include:
- An already existing production line, for a vessel already designed.
- The shipbuilding capabilities in the US are much more advanced and robust than that of Canadian shipyards, who get their government orders in bulk only periodically.
- The Canadian Forces could acquire new vessels at an extremely low production cost. The highly automated vessel also saved on crew requirements, further strengthening the proposal for a Navy that has severe manpower shortages.
- Fits the requirements for the Navy's "Coastal Patrol Vessel" project.
Disadvantages:
- It provides no work for Canadian shipyards, except for possible maintainence contracts.
Any thoughts?