Procurement done right??

[Mumbles]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/21/sub.christening.ap/index.html

Great news and a great example. Hopefully the USN will figure it out with the LCS eventually??

 

[phrogpilot73]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/21/sub.christening.ap/index.html

Great news and a great example. Hopefully the USN will figure it out with the LCS eventually??

PSW and I talked about this last night. I don't think that anything has changed. The New Hampshire is a member of the Virginia class, you know who sucked up the bulk of the Virginia class's R&D costs? The grossly over-budget Seawolf. Pretty much every whiz-bangetry on the Virginia class is directly due to the Seawolf blowing the bank.

The LCS is kinda in the same boat. It'll probably get canceled, but some other, cheaper ship will get all the technology that was designed for the LCS. After all, the V-22/53K may be ridiculously expensive - but I bet that the 4th/5th aircraft off the line are reasonably affordable...

 

[Mumbles]

Absolutly Phrog....

From what I've gathered from the bubbleheads...as good as Virginia SSNs are...the Seawolfs are a quantum leap ahead in capability. They just cost 3 times as much per copy.

 

[phrogpilot73]

as good as Virginia SSNs are...the Seawolfs are a quantum leap ahead in capability. They just cost 3 times as much per copy.

My Dad was SUPSHIP Groton when the Seawolf was being built, and then he was a contractor when the Virgina Class (it was called the "New Attack Submarine" or NSSN) was being built. As he said "We knew the Seawolf was going to break the bank, but at least it would be cheaper to build the NSSN"

 

[bert]

After all, the V-22/53K may be ridiculously expensive - but I bet that the 4th/5th aircraft off the line are reasonably affordable...

LRIP I birds? Words cannot express how willing I am to take that bet...

 

[snake020]

They just cost 3 times as much per copy.

Is there an accurate source for the costs? FAS says Virginia class average sub cost in today's dollars is $2.1bil and in '97 the cost estimate was $1.5bil each vs $1.85bil for the Seawolf.

 

[Mumbles]

I'm sure there is somewhere.....but that was just a wag. I wouldn't be suprised if it weren't that far off, though.

 

[phrogpilot73]

LRIP I birds? Words cannot express how willing I am to take that bet...

Purely hypothetical... We'll see what happens with this contract WRT LRIP. All I can say is "we'll see..."

 

[snake020]

I'm sure there is somewhere.....but that was just a wag. I wouldn't be suprised if it weren't that far off, though.

I didn't mean that as a refute, I am just confused. If the cost savings for building a NSSN are that small over a Seawolf with more capability, what's the rationale? Any bubbleheads around here that can answer the question (Scoober??)