By Geoff Fein
Navy officials looked at a number of key factors before sending USS Freedom (LCS-1) off on her first mission, including ship materiel condition, sustainment, and crew training and certification, according to the Navy.
“The decision to deploy Freedom early was based on a thorough review of the required changes to the test plan, overseas sustainment plan, and crew certification requirements,” Lt. Calle Ferrari, a Navy spokeswoman, said.
“Early deployment brought LCS operational issues to the forefront much sooner than under the original schedule, some of which would not have been learned until two years on,” she added.
Last week, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report on LCS that among other things questioned the Navy’s decision for early deployment of Freedom.
According to the report (GAO-10-523): “Challenges developing mission packages have delayed the timely fielding of promised capabilities, limiting the ships’ utility to the fleet during initial deployments.”
Although Freedom was not deployed with any of the three planned mission packages (mine countermeasures, anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare), she was outfitted with a tailored Surface Warfare Mission Package, Ferrari said.
“She deployed with a Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 22 detachment and a U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment. Freedom successfully conducted four drug seizures, netting more than five tons of cocaine, detained nine suspected drug smugglers, and disabled two ‘go-fast’ drug vessels,” she added.
Also during her maiden deployment, Freedom performed integrated at-sea operations with the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) Carrier Strike Group, performed at-sea maneuvers with the former-USS McInerney (FFG-7) and conducted several theater security cooperation port visits in Latin America, Ferrari noted.
Freedom also participated in the Rim of the Pacific exercise
Even though the Navy opted to send Freedom out to sea two years early, Ferrari said there are no changes to the overall scope of LCS-1 testing as a result of early deployment.
“Given the deployment lasted six months, completion of the LCS-1 test program was extended by approximately six months,” she said. “Any delays to the overall post delivery testing plan were offset by the extensive depth and breadth of knowledge gained during deployment. To accommodate early deployment, LCS developmental testing was re-sequenced. Some testing was accelerated to before deployment, some testing was accomplished on deployment, and some testing was deferred until after deployment.”
Additionally, the Navy benefitted from LCS-1’s early deployment by bringing operational issues to the forefront much sooner than under the original schedule, some of which would not have been learned until two years on, Ferrari added.
“Early deployment provided a vital opportunity to collect data in real-world operational scenarios. This data will be invaluable in the ongoing effort to accomplish the larger LCS fleet integration strategy,” she said. “Early deployment of LCS-1 was a tremendous opportunity to test the ship in a real-world environment and begin integrating this essential ship into our fleet.”
As far as the mission packages are concerned, Ferrari said the original LCS Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) mission package had been canceled by the Navy two years ago (POM-10) when analysis indicated that it did not provide a significant contribution to counter the ASW threat. The Navy immediately began exploring a new ASW approach for LCS, she added.
“The next generation LCS ASW mission package is currently under development,” Ferrari said.
“Central to the next ASW mission package will be a ship-deployed variable depth sonar (VDS) to complement the VDS carried by the MH-60R helicopter,” Ferrari said. “The Navy is purchasing an advanced design model of a variable depth sonar system for testing and evaluation in 2012, to develop this future ASW package.”
Ferrari also noted that any discussion of delaying production of LCS-3 and -4 until testing is complete on Freedom and the USS Independence (LCS-2) would result in a significant increase in the ships’ costs, as it would cause a lengthy disruption in the shipbuilding workforce and vendor base required for ship construction.
LCS-3 and LCS-4 are in production under fixed-priced contracts.
“The Navy’s approach to building LCS-3 and -4 is not different from that used in other Navy shipbuilding programs,” she said.
Freedom‘s sister ship Fort Worth (LCS-3) is being built by Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Marinette Marine. Independence‘s sister ship, Coronado (LCS-4), is being built by General Dynamics [GD] and Austal USA.
The Navy will likely award a contract to build two LCS with an option for eight more to one of the two teams by the end of 2010.