Surface Forces: An American Tragedy
4th November 2019
The U.S. Navy has encountered still more delays in getting the first of three new DDG-1000 class stealth destroyers into service. The current date for being fully operational is September 2021. The delays stem from continued efforts to deal with a list of 320 “serious deficiencies” compiled after the navy completed sea trials in early 2016. All this increases costs and those costs for completing the ship have risen for 11 years in a row. Those unanticipated (but not unexpected) increased costs have totaled $4 billion since 2010. At this point the total cost for the DDG-1000 program will be over $23 billion, meaning each of the three DDG-1000s to enter service will cost about $8 billion. This includes $10 billion in research development, which was to be spread over 32 DDG-1000s. Even so that would have been $312 million per ship. Among its many failures the most notable one was the inability to get its two 155mm guns operational. The DDG-1000 was designed mainly to provide gunfire support for marines but technology passed the DDG-1000 by in that department. That, plus cost overruns means the DDG-1000s will enter service with the two 155mm guns still there but not operational. Sad but very symbolic of the DDG-1000 project and U.S. Navy ship building efforts since the 1980s.
Put this with the ongoing problems with the Ford class aircraft carriers and the Navy is looking pretty shabby.