By Geoff Fein
During his tenure as Navy Secretary, Donald Winter has made it a point to visit foreign shipyards when the opportunity presents itself.
The visits have enabled Winter to see best practices of the shipyards as well as some of the platforms the yards are producing.
On his most recent trip to Israel and India, Winter stopped off in Spain to tour Navantia shipyard.
“Navantia is going to a very modular construction approach…a very high level of outfitting,” he said. “All the piping, electrical, panels, compartments…all the finish is done [in] environmentally controlled areas.”
But Navantia doesn’t build super modules there. “I think in part because they don’t have the lift capability that you see at a place like VT [Halter Marine] where they are doing real super module work, or look at what is being planned at Bath Iron Works for DDG-1000, or some of the things that get done at Northrop Grumman Newport News,” Winter said.
“You have to have the lift capability to do that. [Navantia]…it’s a good looking facility, well maintained, but their lift capabilities are not as extensive as what I have seen in others,” he added. “So what they have done is gone to very high levels of outfitting at the module level but without having to go to the super module.”
Navantia is adapting and working around some of the facility constraints there, Winter said. “It appears they are doing a very nice job. The product seems to be getting good reviews, so I think they are putting a lot of thought into how to make it work.”
“It is just interesting one more time to go out and see how people are approaching the challenges of shipbuilding and coming up with good approaches,” he added.
Winter also noted that Navantia has a good order book. They are building the frigates, and amphibious ships there. And they are building for other navies which has an advantage, he added.
“It helps provide some degree of stability in terms of workforce,” Winter pointed out. “They have really reduced their workforce over the last several years. [It’s a] clear indications of improved efficiency in terms of the operations.”
Winter added that it is important to try and get more navy- to-navy engagements so that U.S. Navy personnel have a better understanding also of what best practices really constitute.
“It is one thing to be totally working in one shipyard your whole career and only seeing it done one way. You’ve got to get out and get a better view and see what else is being done out there…see how other standards are being met,” he said.
And foreign shipyards tend to be more open to their U.S. counterparts,” Winter said.
“It’s kind of interesting, because everyone recognizes that the U.S. Navy is never going to buy a ship outside of the U.S…it’s just not going to happen. So there seems to be a great willingness and openness on the part of non-US shipbuilders to show what they are doing, both to the U. S. Navy and our shipbuilders, Winter said.
Because the international shipyards recognize there is no real competition, they don’t worry about U.S. yards taking away their overseas business. And they recognize they can’t directly compete for any work, Winter added.
“I have been very pleased…in the vast majority of cases I have been afforded just tremendous access, and I’ve seen good examples of access afforded to U.S. industry as well,” Winter said.
One of Navantia’s efforts is the F100 Alvaro de Bazan class, multi-purpose frigate.
“It is a very interesting price point. For many other navies it’s a good configuration, a good set of trades and it’s fascinating to understand how the Spanish navy settled on that design point,” Winter said.
The F100 is equipped with the Lockheed Martin [LMT] AN/SPY-1D Aegis Combat System, VLS cells and other force protection weaponry, Winter says.
“It’s a much lower displacement than DDG-51,” he said. “[That’s] not surprising given the smaller magazine that [the F100] has.”
The F100 also has an Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) capability similar to what exists on the DDG-51.
“At the same time it is almost the same length as a DDG-51. The crew space is excellent, the berthing, the accommodations are very very good,” Winter added. “It’s a much lighter vessel, lower displacement, the propulsion system is much smaller…they are clearly making in roads in other navies with that configuration.”
But the F100 wouldn’t make the cut as a U.S. Navy surface combatant, Winter noted.
“First off all we depend a upon a true multi-mission capability. We have a much more capable ASW suite onboard which we believe is essential and a critical part of our requirements,” he said. “Also, a much more extensive magazine…VLS cells, the range of weapons that we carry, some of the force protection capability…defensive as well as surface combatant…we are where we need to be. But people who are not trying to support a carrier strike group or things of that nature…it’s a good product.”