Cost Growth Puts the Brakes on the USA’s Littoral Combat Ship Program

Lockheed LCS Concept(click for cutaway) Cost growth recently led to stop-work on Team Lockheed LCS-3 construction. Now, in the wake of a comprehensive two-month program review, Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter had announced that he is prepared to lift the stop work order – under a renegotiated contract, and as part of a revised program plan. In the end, however, the Navy canceled the contract for LCS 3 part-way through construction. This new plan will also affect the General Dynamics/ Austal team, whose competing trimaran design for LCS 2 and LCS 4 is expected to offer interesting handling and survivability characteristics, plus a significantly larger helicopter landing area. Under the restructured Littoral Combat Ship program plan, however, the Navy will recommend deferral of FY 2007 LCS procurement, and use those funds to complete the construction of LCS 1-4 by the Lockheed and General Dynamics teams. This will be part of a wider package of efforts aimed at controlling program costs… before those costs raise comparisons, questions, and dilemmas that begin to control the program. The Revised LCS Program General Dynamics TeamTrimaran LCS Design(click to enlarge) From the official US Navy release: “LCS 3 construction may be resumed under […]