McCain questions LCS standards

U.S. Sen. John McCain, Armed Services Committee chairman, warned the Navy that the drive to upgrade the Littoral Combat Ship design to frigate capabilities may be a repeat of previous mistakes. There needs to be a specific capabilities-based assessment, the Arizona senator maintained, or there’s no clear operational requirement for upgrading the LCS. “The Navy must demonstrate what problem the upgraded LCS is trying to solve.” The biggest issue with LCS is survivability in combat. Navy Secretary Ray Rabus, speaking before the SASC on March 10, acknowledged that small ships aren’t as tough as full-size destroyers, but with survivability upgrades, it would meet fleet requirements.” To McCain’s beef: Are fleet standards set too low? (Source: Breaking Defense 03/10/15) Gulf Coast Shipbuilding and Maritime Note: Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Ala., builds one of the two LCS variants for the Navy.