 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Washington DC (SPX) Nov 11, 2010 Effective competition between industry bidders to build the littoral combat ship (LCS) led the Navy Nov. 4 to discuss with key Defense Committee members and their staff, as well as industry, the possibility of gaining congressional authorization to award each bidder a 10-ship block buy. Consideration of this option is separate from the ongoing LCS down select process, and if congressional approval for a dual block buy is not received, the Navy will proceed to down select in accordance with the terms of the current solicitation. Either a down select or a dual ship block buy approach will ensure the Navy procures affordably priced ships. "This option is good for the taxpayers because it enables us to buy more ships for the same money and allows us to lock in a lower price for all 20 ships," said Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. "It's good for the Navy because it gets us more ships faster and increases our flexibility, and it's good for industry because it maintains and even expands jobs at two shipyards." Unlike the current solicitation, this option would require Congressional action to authorize two block buys by mid-December 2010. "The Navy's LCS acquisition strategy to down select to a single design resulted in a highly effective competition and an industry response that signals a significant potential savings in the LCS program," said Sean Stackley, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition. "These competitive bids, coupled with the Navy's desire to increase ship procurement rates to support operational requirements, create an opportunity to award each bidder a fixed-price, 10-ship block buy - a total of 20 ships from fiscal year 2010 to fiscal year 2015." The Navy remains committed to the LCS program and the requirement for 55 of these ships to provide combatant commanders with the capability to defeat anti-access threats in the littorals, including fast surface craft, quiet submarines and various types of mines. LCS is a fast, maneuverable and networked surface modular warship primarily designed to complement the Navy's larger multi-mission surface combatants in select warfare mission areas, including combating submarine, mine and fast-attack craft threats in the littorals.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links - Naval Warfare in the 21st Century
Northrop Grumman Contracted To Continue Design Of CVN 78Newport News VA (SPX) Nov 11, 2010 Northrop Grumman has been awarded a $189.2 million cost plus fixed-fee contract modification from the U.S. Navy to continue the engineering and design effort for the nation's newest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). The company's Shipbuilding sector in Newport News, Va. is the prime contractor. This planned contract modification funds additional design, plannin ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook
