Will LCS go gator?

[unhappycamper]

'Gator Navy'
Marine-centric modules considered for LCS


Will LCS go gator?
By Philip Ewing - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Nov 1, 2008 7:32:50 EDT

Future littoral combat ships could moonlight as part of the “Gator Navy” under a Marine Corps proposal, which wants a new set of LCS mission modules that will help the ship take on Marine jobs as well as traditional Navy missions.

The Marines could get a surface fire-support module, a special operations module and humanitarian assistance package, according to an Oct. 28 presentation by Victor Gavin, executive director for the Navy’s program executive office for littoral and mine warfare.

The LCS has relatively few abilities of its own, but it was designed to carry different sets of equipment to accomplish traditional naval missions, including surface combat, hunting submarines and finding mines. Commanders seem enthusiastic about designing even more accessories for the LCS to give it the ability to perform Marine Corps missions.

A fire-support LCS could take the place of the now-truncated Zumwalt destroyer class, which was to carry two 155mm Advanced Gun Systems to provide fire support for Marines ashore. An LCS would need some kind of new weapon, however, because neither its integral 57mm gun nor its Non-Line-of-Sight missile, now in development with the Army, has the range or the punch the Marines want.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/11/navy_surfaceroundup_103108w/%2e



uhc answer: No. You guys screwed the pooch on this $600,000,000 POS. We've already bought the only two you're gonna get.