The U.S. Navy is unlikely to pursue a formal program for unmanned surface vessels in the next five years, instead focusing on the enabling technologies first, several leaders say.
After technical challenges in 2020, the Navy says it can get the SSC production line moving and craft fielded to operational units this year, ahead of IOC next year.
The Navy won't just assume that battle damage assessments and repairs happen during war games and live exercises. It wants to actually practice these skills on ships.
Vice Adm. Roy Kitchener shared how the guided missile destroyer Mustin shadowed a Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning in the South China Sea in April 2021.
Even as the Navy tries to wrap up testing of two LCS mission packages years after their original fielding dates, service leadership is also polling fleet commanders on alternate mission ideas for the LCS ships.
On-time deliveries from repair periods has improved from 29% in 2018 to a projected 59% for 2021 -- but that's still short of the CNO's goal to reach no lost days to maintenance overruns by now.
LCSs in Mayport have been limited to surface warfare operations in 4th Fleet since they kicked off deployment activity two years ago. In 2022, the community is looking to expand beyond that.
The 11th and final advanced weapons elevator has been turned over to the crew, after the Navy has struggled to get them designed, built and tested for several years now.
The LCSs operating out of Mayport faced some restrictions while the Navy engineered a solution to their combining gear flaws, but the LCS Squadron commander says they've made the most of that time and established their role in the fleet.