Navy Plans to Expand, Speed-Up LCS Modifications | Military.com: Navy Secretary Ray Mabus told lawmakers Wednesday that the service hopes to expand and speed up modifications to its fleet of Littoral Combat Ships so that technological upgrades slated for a new variant of the ship are retrofitted onto the existing fleet before 2019.
The Navy plans to begin procurement of a new up-gunned, more survivable LCS variant, called a Frigate or FF, by 2019 – so that the last 20 ships in a planned fleet of 52 LCS are equipped with additional lethality and survivability technologies.
Now, as directed by former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, the Navy is preparing to unveil its acquisition strategy for the new vessel by May of this year. Part of this new strategy includes speeding up the upgrades to begin prior to the previously scheduled 2019 date, Mabus explained.
"We are working on survivability and lethality upgrades for ships past 2019 -- for ships through 52. We are hopeful that we can move that up some so that we don't wait until 2019 for modifications," Mabus said Wednesday to the Senate Appropriations Committee – Defense Subcommittee. "It's a very high priority."
At issue is the extent to which considerable technical modifications to the ship planned for the new FF variant can be back-fitted onto other existing LCS and those under construction.
Among other things, the modifications include a long-range beyond-the-horizon missile capability, specially configured space armor, improved air defense radar and a more effective electronic warfare system, Navy officials said.
