The goal of the American Littoral Combat Ship program was to build a large number of ships capable of solving a variety of missions at short distances from the coast. The serial construction of ships of two types was launched, with a standard set of equipment and capable of receiving specialized equipment. However, from the very beginning of testing, the LCS ships began to face various problems. This time, according to the American media, technical and administrative difficulties are preventing the planned deployment of the ships for 2018.
The most interesting news on April 11 was published by the USNI News website - the official publication of the US Naval Institute. From the representative of the command of the surface grouping of the Pacific Fleet, the publication learned about the current problems with the maintenance and organization of the combat work of the ships of the LCS family. Due to a number of unresolved problems, the Navy has to revise the approved schedule for the deployment of such ships at bases. In addition, military service in remote regions is under threat.
The current situation was described to USNI News by Commander John Perkins, who holds the post of spokesman for the surface forces in the Pacific. According to him, of the four LCS ships built according to the very first order, three are currently in service. Also, four of the eight newer ships that entered service a little later remain in minor and medium repairs. Thus, out of a dozen built ships, only five continue to serve - less than half. All others undergo Post Shakedown Availability (repair and recovery after a hike). This significantly affects the potential of the surface forces.
The current situation is complicated by the specific approach to the operation and service of ships. In 2016, the command introduced new methods for training crews and distributing ships between formations. In accordance with this decision, the first four ships of the series were to remain at the San Diego (California) base and take over the training of new crews. In addition, with their help, it was planned to test new types of equipment and weapons for other LCS. All other ships were proposed to be brought into squadrons of four units.
As part of each such subdivision, one ship must perform the functions of a combat training. The three remaining LCS receive their own tasks: combat against coastal targets, anti-submarine defense and search for sea mines. Thus, three ships of the squadron must constantly serve, and the fourth is involved in solving combat missions, if necessary, as a means of strengthening the group.
It is easy to see what the implementation of such plans looks like at the moment. Of the four ships in San Diego, only one remains capable of continuing to train sailors. Two squadrons, suitable for deployment, are half "drained of blood" and also cannot fully solve the tasks assigned to them. In such a situation, the naval forces must fulfill the approved plans for the transfer of ships to new bases in certain areas. Obviously, they will not be able to do it within the given time frame.
USNI News recalls that the Program Executive Office for Unmanned and Small Combatants previously announced plans to deploy combat units. So, in 2018, it was planned to transfer one LCS ship of the Freedom class from Mayport (Florida) to Bahrain. This ship was to be the first LCS in the US 5th Fleet. In addition, two Independence LCSs were to be sent from San Diego to Singapore. It was assumed that sending three ships to new bases would increase the combat effectiveness of the American surface forces in the coastal zones and seas of the Indian Ocean.
The latest news on the condition of the existing ships, announced by Commander J. Perkins, allowed USNI News to draw not the most optimistic conclusions. The publication claims that in the current situation this year, the US Navy will not be able to send the first LCS to Bahrain. The two ships to be sent to Singapore will first have to complete the PSA procedure. Then the training and certification of the crews will be required, after which they will be able to leave for a new base. There is every reason to doubt that at least one LCS will arrive in Singapore in 2018.
As it turned out, problems with servicing ships affect not only deployment, but also crew training. Moreover, such difficulties only exacerbate the situation with the military service. For the full and timely training of sailors on the West and East coasts, the first ships of the LCS project, which are now training, should be deployed. However, they are still undergoing scheduled repairs after the campaigns and are not ready to continue their service. In addition, the program for their modernization continues, with the correction of the shortcomings identified during the operation of all ships of the series.
As a result, it turns out that at the moment the US naval forces cannot send the Coastal Zone Ships to new duty stations due to the insufficient number of the active group, as well as because of the low rates of personnel training. As a result, the LCS service at overseas bases, originally planned for 2018, will not begin until 2019.
However, USNI News calls for understanding the current situation. There are a number of objective factors that, to one degree or another, affect the operation of the fleet and can worsen the state of affairs. Nevertheless, there are positive aspects to this as well.
Firstly, the publication reminds that any new and complex project always faces difficulties, which, among other things, negatively affect the terms of work completion. The second factor is the difference between the LCS ships of the new series from the first four. Based on the results of tests and operation of early ships, the projects were redesigned. In this regard, the eight new ships differ from the four older ones in design, equipment, and combat capabilities. Naturally, crew training programs are also different. J. Perkins also pointed out that after the start of service, LCS ships can receive new equipment and weapons. For such innovations, too, you have to pay with time.
Finally, following the notorious and tragic events of last year, the US Navy has begun to pay more attention to security issues. In the context of maintenance and repair, this is realized in the form of more accurate work of specialists and increased quality control. As a result, service under the standard PSA program takes longer, and therefore the ship stays longer in the dock, without being able to enter combat service.
Another problem is mentioned, which is directly related to the organization of repairs. LCS ships of the Independence type have a three-hull design, which imposes certain restrictions on their service. Most of the work required, including post-trek maintenance, must be dry docked. All such ships serve on the West Coast, where there is currently a real shortage of docks. Shipbuilding and ship repair enterprises are loaded with naval orders, and they cannot always accept another ship for repair. This circumstance turns out to be another factor with a negative effect.
At the moment, the situation with the ships of the Littoral Combat Ship is as follows. San Diego is based on the LCS Squadron 1 (LCSRON-1) unit, which includes the USS Freedom (LCS-1), USS Independence (LCS-2), USS Fort Worth (LCS-3) and USS combat trainers Coronado (LCS-4), built according to two designs. Ships with tail numbers from one to three are in service. Coronado recently returned from Singapore. In the foreseeable future, he will take part in the next tests of mine action systems. A little later, leaving the docks, other ships carrying other equipment will join the tests.
The second squadron includes ships USS Jackson (LCS-6), USS Montgomery (LCS-8), USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10) and USS Omaha (LCS-12), built according to the Independence project. "Jackson" is a training vessel, while others are designed to solve real problems. However, the potential of the compound is limited, since half of its ships have not yet been entered into the combat composition of the fleet.
At the base in Florida, the LCSRON-2 compound serves, which has already received the ships USS Milwaukee (LCS-5) and USS Detroit (LCS-7). In 2018, two new ships were scheduled to begin service - USS Little Rock (LCS-9) and USS Sioux City (LCS-11). In this squadron, the role of the training vessel is assigned to the USS Milwaukee (LCS-5). All others, in turn, must participate in solving real combat missions.
The current plans of the Pentagon provide for the construction of 30 ships Littoral Combat Ship of two types. A dozen have already entered the fleet or are preparing for it, and there are already orders for new ships. Last fall, the naval forces signed the latest contract for the construction of ships with hull numbers LCS-29 and LCS-30. Their construction will begin no earlier than 2020, and no later than the middle of the next decade, they will go into service. This completes the LCS shipbuilding program. The US military has no plans to continue construction and acquire new ships in excess of the 30 already ordered.
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It should be noted that the current difficulties with the training of crews and the deployment of ships add to the already considerable list of problems of the LCS program. This program was launched at the beginning of the 2000s, and its goal was to build a large group of small multi-functional ships capable of conducting combat operations in the coastal zone. Several dozen of these ships were to be deployed along both coasts of the continental United States, as well as at remote bases.
Several companies participated in the development of the project of the promising coastal zone ship; The Pentagon accepted two projects for implementation at once. One of them was developed by Lockheed Martin, the second by General Dynamics. According to the names of the lead ships, the projects were designated as Independence and Freedom, respectively. General Dynamics proposed to build a trimaran ship, while the Lockheed Martin project used a traditional single-hull design.
In accordance with the customer's requirements, the ships of the LCS family had to solve a wide range of combat missions. They were supposed to carry artillery and missile weapons to combat coastal or surface targets, and anti-submarine and mine countermeasures should also be developed. If necessary, the ships were to participate in rescue or humanitarian operations. The fulfillment of such requirements was associated with certain difficulties, which negatively affected the progress of the projects.
By the end of the last decade, a new problem had fully emerged. The development of two projects and the construction of the first four ships turned out to be prohibitively expensive, and were beyond the planned budget. In this regard, there were proposals to abandon the LCS program due to its unacceptable cost. Nevertheless, after a break, the construction of serial ships continued. However, before that, the projects were seriously revised towards cheaper prices.
The proposed technical appearance of the ships was also criticized. The terms of reference for them stipulated the solution of the main combat missions, but in terms of their real characteristics and capabilities, the built ships turned out to be far from ideal. In this regard, the development of two projects continued, and the ships began to receive new equipment or weapons. This process continues to this day.
Current plans provide for the construction of 30 ships, and all new ships correspond to the updated and cheaper projects. About a third of these plans have already been implemented, but the program is facing new challenges. Due to technical difficulties, the need for regular maintenance and the specifics of personnel training, about half of the finished ships are not yet able to go to sea and solve the assigned tasks. In the future, the situation may change for the better, but all the same, the US Navy will face problems for some time.
In the current 2018, the Pentagon planned to deploy three LCS ships at remote bases. One ship is to go to Bahrain, two more to Singapore. As the current situation shows, such plans are shifted to the next 2019. No earlier than the end of 2018, it will be possible to return the cash ships from repairs and put new ones into operation. And only after that LCS will be able to serve not only at home bases, but also in remote areas.
The command of the naval forces sees and understands the existing problems. Possible measures are being taken to solve them, which, as expected, will make it possible to build all ordered ships, take them into the combat composition of the fleet and distribute them between the bases. However, new difficulties may arise, to get rid of which will again require time and effort. In addition, the Littoral Combat Ship program has suffered from reputation losses over the past years. It is unlikely that the program's successes will be able to completely overshadow all the known failures, which at one time almost led to its closure.
The interesting and promising Littoral Combat Ship project quickly ran into technical and financial difficulties. Then the problems of construction and operation began. The latter lead to the disruption of the implementation of plans for deployment and combat service. Apparently, the "Coastal Zone Warships" will not be able to become a full-fledged component of the naval forces for a long time, as well as get rid of their bad reputation.
