US Littoral Combat Ships Cost More, Delivered Less Than Navy Expected - Report

The US Navy took a new dual ship approach to building the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), but it failed and the ship has taken longer to build, cost more and delivered less than expected, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report revealed.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Originally the Navy expected the program to deliver 44 sea-frames of LCS vessels averaging $220 million in cost, but instead it had to settle for only 40 sea-frames costing $478 million each, according to the report.

"Cost, schedule, and capability expectations have eroded over time," the report stated on Thursday. "[T]he Navy attributed a series of engineering casualties on delivered LCS to shortfalls in crew training, sea-frame design, and construction quality."

The cost is more than double the earlier projected cost per unit, the GAO added.

Each ship was supposed to have a sprint speed of 40-50 knots, and a range of 1,000 nautical miles cruising at 40 knots.

However, neither sea-frame design met those combined original speed and range expectations, the report said.