DD (X) Program: Developments & Alternatives
Related Stories: Americas - USA, Budgets, Design Innovations, Issues - Political, Lobbying, New Systems Tech, Policy - Procurement, R&D - Contracted, Surface Ships - Combat
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DD (X) Destroyer
On June 16, DID noted that the DD (X) program was approaching some key decision points. The US Congress has expressed scepticism about the program, capping the price at a level substantially below the estimated $3-5 billion per ship, and cutting advance procurement funding – even as they made procurement changes that would increase the cost of the ships. The cap may yet be undone by the Senate during the budget reconciliation process, but the message has been received loud and clear.
eDefense Online has a partial article covering the resulting course corrections, while a fine DefenseTech article summarizes the lobbying efforts underway, discussions of naval combat in the littorals, the program’s largest current technical gaps, and one alternative that’s being touted: re-activating the U.S. Navy’s Iowa Class battleships to provide naval fire support at around $1.5 billion each. The DD (X) program aims to produce the next generation of U.S. Navy destroyers and cruisers.
