The Navy initiated a move away from traditional minesweepers in favor of putting new kinds of anti-mine capabilities aboard ships with a variety of missions--most recently, the Littoral Combat Ship. In addition to a new ship, this approach includes several new systems and new operational concepts. GAO assessed the Navy's progress in (1) developing new mine countermeasures systems, including the Littoral Combat Ship, and (2) introducing these new capabilities to the fleet. To accomplish this, GAO reviewed Navy and program documents and previous GAO work. GAO supplemented its analysis with discussions with Navy and Department of Defense officials and contractors. The Navy has made progress developing individual mine countermeasures systems and the Littoral Combat Ship. The Navy expects 3 of the 19 systems it is developing to be ready for fleet use by the end of 2007, and recent test results have been promising. However, significant challenges remain to fielding new capabilities. Operational testing plans for four systems in limited production will not provide a complete understanding of how the systems will perform when operated from the Littoral Combat Ship. Other ships will be used in testing to inform full-rate production decisions on the individual systems. While other ships may serve as platforms for the anti-mine systems, the Littoral Combat Ship is their primary platform, and it will have different launch, recovery, and handling systems. In addition, Navy plans call for testing these systems in smooth, uncluttered environments, although operating environments are expected to be less favorable. The first two Littoral Combat Ships have encountered design and production challenges. Costs are expected to more than double from initial estimates, and the Navy anticipates lead ship delivery nearly 18 months later than first planned. This may slow the planned transition from current mine countermeasures platforms.
Defense Acquisitions: Overcoming Challenges Key to Capitalizing on Mine Countermeasures Capabilities
2007
41 pages
Report
No indication
English
Military Sciences , Military Operations, Strategy, & Tactics , Detection & Countermeasures , Ammunition, Explosives, & Pyrotechnics , Navy , Mine countermeasures systems , Ships , Anti-mine capabilities , Littoral Combat Ship , New capabilities , Design challenges , Production challenges , Operational testing plans
Online Contents | 1994
|Online Contents | 1994