A littoral combat ship (LCS) is a fast, agile and stealthy naval platform designed for operation in near-shore environments. It is intended to defeat asymmetric threats such as mines, submarines and fast surface craft to gain and sustain maritime supremacy in the littoral region.
The LCS was made to replace the Oliver Hazard Perry -class guided missile frigates. They were retired from US Navy Service in 2008. Its mission is largely focused on Anti-Surface Warfare, but it can also be outfitted with modular Mission Packages to perform other missions such as Sea Control and Power Projection.
The LCS currently has two versions: the Freedom and Independence classes. The Freedom class is based on a steel monohull and the Independence class is a trimaran hull.
Despite being relatively new, the LCS has experienced serious reliability and cost problems since its inception. These problems were widely reported in media.
GAO has released a report that shows the LCS program has suffered from poor quality workmanship, cost overruns, structural defects and premature retirements of many ships.
LCS has become an unsustainable weapon system. Operating and maintaining the program over the lifetime of the ships will cost the government more than $60bn.
While the Navy has attempted to address a few of the issues with the vessels, they have not been able to fix them all at once. This is a big problem for Navy since it will not have enough money to maintain and update the ships.
GAO stated that the USN should spend more money to maintain and repair the ships in order to keep them in operation. This would enable them to continue carrying out their missions as they are designed.
However, the costs of these repairs are also likely to be a significant burden for the taxpayer. This is because the Navy must pay contractors for their services.
There are also questions about the Navy’s ability to manage and maintain the vessels for a long duration. This is due both to the lack of maintenance expertise and the complexity and difficulty involved in managing the electronic systems of the ships.
The LCS has also been exposed to corrosion and sacrificial aniodes. This has caused many of the LCS hulls to crack and be damaged. This has affected their ability and speed in high-speed patrols as well as in rough water.
The Navy was forced to correct the problem after the LCS program failed. These include updating the ship's design, and addressing the cost overruns and other problems with the LCS program. The Navy has also stated its commitment to the ship's continued development in order to improve its performance.