07-02-2008, 15:48
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חבר מתאריך: 30.03.04
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כתבה בנושא
Cost of LCS rises again
Posted : Thursday Feb 7, 2008 6:10:31 EST
The price to buy each of the Navy’s first two Littoral Combat Ships has crashed through the $500 million barrier, and the final tab to deliver the ships is well over $600 million apiece, according to service budget documents released Feb. 4.
Soaring cost growth has severely disrupted the program, which once envisioned the purchase of a series of relatively inexpensive, $220 million warships that would take about two years to build. Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics (GD) are building ships to very different designs in a competition to be decided in 2009.
In January 2007, the Navy revealed that costs had exploded on Lockheed’s first ship. Service officials have never offered specific numbers for the new price tag, but repeatedly characterized it as “about $375 million.” Privately, sources have said for months that the costs for both competitors’ ships were well over $400 million. Now, Navy figures contained in justification documents submitted with the 2009 defense budget request show a “basic construction” cost for Lockheed’s Freedom (LCS 1) of $471 million; for GD’s Independence (LCS 2), $440 million.
Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. John Schofield, in response to a reporter’s query, explained that “basic construction cost is what has been previously used to baseline LCS cost.”
The 2004 original baseline for the ships was $220 million. Further charges bring the “total end cost” for the Freedom to $531 million. Those charges include $15 million in change orders, $12 million for government-furnished equipment (GFE) and $33 million listed as “Other.”
Similarly, the total end cost for the Independence is $507 million, including $20 million in change orders, $7 million in GFE and $40 million for Other.
But the price to deliver the ships at their new homeport of San Diego will be even higher. The Navy notes that $75 million will be needed for final outfitting and post-delivery charges on the Freedom plus $25 million for final system design, bringing the total cost to $631 million.
The delivery price for the Independence is higher, with $75 million for final outfitting and $54 million in final design and ship integration costs.
“The amounts in the LCS budget represent the current estimates for LCS 1 and LCS 2,” Schofield confirmed, and explained that “total end cost is the amount traditionally used to report ship cost, and is comprised of the following: basic construction cost, plans, change orders, electronics/government furnished equipment, program management, technical support and certification and test costs.” The new cost estimates do not include the mission modules for the ships, which are expected to average around $100 million each.
The modules — including weapons, sensors and manned and unmanned vehicles — are tailored for specific roles such as mine, anti-surface or anti-submarine warfare. The makeup and cost of the modules will vary according to the mission and the technology that is available. The Navy cancelled each of the competitors’ follow-on ships last year after failing to renegotiate construction contracts on a fixed-price basis and shift more responsibility for cost control to the contractors. Much of the cost growth on the first two ships has been due to design work continuing well into the construction process. Congress granted one ship in last year’s budget request, and the Navy is asking for two more in the 2009 budget, priced at $460 million each – the amount of a cost cap imposed by lawmakers.
Lockheed expects to deliver the Freedom this spring, with General Dynamics following with the Independence late this year. Both ships will be evaluated by the Navy in 2009.
The Navy hopes to buy 55 LCS ships through 2019.
מתוך:http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/...cscosts_080205n |
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