US Navy Wants Both LCS Designs

Apparently the US Navy can't decide which version of the LCS best meets its needs and so is asking Congress for funds to buy ships based on both LCS designs.

Rival teams from Lockheed Martin and Austal USA have been waiting all year to see which of their designs would be chosen for the U.S. Navy's Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) competition. Now, if the Navy gets permission from the lame-duck Congress, the winner could be: both.

At stake had been an award to the winner for 10 LCS hulls. But the Navy, convinced that the competition has driven down the cost for the ships, is asking Congress for permission to award each team contracts for 10 ships, for a total of 20 new LCS hulls.
"We're engaging with key committee members, their staff and industry on whether awarding a 10-ship block buy to each team merits congressional authorization," Capt. Cate Mueller, a spokeswoman for the Navy's acquisition department, said Nov. 3.

But Mueller cautioned that the move does not mean the effort to pick only one design has been put aside.

By: Shelldrake