USS Independence (LCS 2) of the General Dynamics Independence Class (front right) and USS Freedom (LCS 1) of the Lockheed Martin Freedom Class littoral combat ships. Naval-Technology.com
Littoral Combat Ship's Reliability In Doubt, Pentagon Weapons Tester Finds -- Stars and Stripes/Bloomberg
WASHINGTON — The reliability of the Navy's first three littoral combat ships "has been degraded by frequent critical system failures" in early operations, the Pentagon's chief weapons tester said.
Testing in fiscal 2013 and analysis of data from fiscal 2012 "continued to identify deficiencies in the LCS" and "essential mission systems," such as mine-hunting equipment, Michael Gilmore, the Defense Department's director of operational testing, said in a section of his annual report obtained by Bloomberg News.
The report documents challenges the Navy is facing in producing the vessels, designed to operate in shallow coastal waters, and in defending its plans for the troubled ship after a Jan. 6 Pentagon directive to reduce the number of ships it purchases by 20 to 32.
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My Comment: When the US Navy decides to kill the construction of 20 ships from a total of 52 .... that is when you know there is a problem. I will not be surprised if even more ships are cancelled in the next few months.
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