Cracks Turn Up in U.S. Navy's First LCS

A 6-inch crack in the hull of the littoral combat ship USS Freedom caused the ship to abort sea-keeping trials on Feb. 12 and return to its homeport of San Diego for repairs, the U.S. Navy confirmed March 18.
The crack, about three and a half feet below the waterline in a weld seam between two steel plates in the hull, allowed water to enter a void space in the ship, according to Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). Flooding was contained, however, and, at a speed of about 8 knots, the vessel sailed about 600 miles to San Diego to begin repairs.

NAVSEA and Lockheed Martin, the ship's prime contractor, are reviewing the ship's design, construction drawings and welding procedures to determine what caused the hull crack. It is not yet clear, NAVSEA said, whether the problem is due to a design flaw or faulty construction techniques.
"Lockheed Martin is working closely with the Navy to confirm the root cause and have made all necessary repairs to the ship," Lockheed spokeswoman Kimberly Martinez said in a March 18 e-mail. "We are also supporting the Navy in additional testing along the hull to confirm this crack was an isolated anomaly."
The hull crack was first reported March 18 by Bloomberg News.
The crack appeared while the ship was performing heavy-weather sea trials off the northern California coast, said Cmdr. Jason Salata of Naval Surface Forces in San Diego.
A watch was kept on the space throughout the ship's return to San Diego, and the problem did not restrict the ship's maneuverability or speed, NAVSEA said. The 8-knot speed back to San Diego, Salata said, was based on fuel economy.
The horizontal crack measured just over 6 inches on the outside of the ship, and was about 3 inches long on the inside. It was amidships, at a point where the hull turns sharply inward.
Repairs to the hull were completed March 12 at San Diego after a cofferdam was built and installed around the crack. The hull repairs were made while the ship was undergoing a scheduled repair period.
A separate issue regarding hull cracks in the aluminum superstructure was dealt with during the repair period, NAVSEA said.
"Several small cracks" appeared aboard the ship last fall, NAVSEA said in a statement, correlating to predicted high-stress areas in the superstructure. Those areas had been "instrumented" before that time to detect problems, and "cracks were identified within the welds, indicating lack of fusion or weld defects."
Changes already have been made in the ship's design to correct the superstructure stress, metal fatigue and cracking, NAVSEA said, and many of those changes are being done in the current repair period.
USS Fort Worth (LCS 3), the next ship being built to the LCS 1 design, "had detail changes incorporated which mitigate these high stress areas," NAVSEA said.

West Mobilizes For Libya Air Strikes

BRUSSELS, Belgium - A coalition of Western nations mobilized Friday to launch quick air strikes against Libya after the United Nations approved military action to prevent Moammar Gadhafi from crushing insurgents.
The United States, Britain and France were expected to scramble fighter jets against Gadhafi's forces after they secured the UN Security Council's blessing.

Paris warned military action was imminent.
The strikes will come "rapidly ... within a few hours," French government spokesman Francois Baroin said after the UN Security Council approved "all necessary measures" to impose a no-fly zone on Libya.
The goal of the operation would be to "protect the Libyan people and to allow them to go all the way in their drive for freedom, which means bringing down the Gadhafi regime," Baroin told RTL radio.
The three military powers could be joined by Canada, which according to Canadian media planned to deploy six CF-18 fighter jets.
Norway said it would take part in the operation and Denmark awaited parliamentary approval before joining the action with F-16 warplanes. Poland offered logistical support but no role in a military strike force.
NATO was holding a meeting to decide what, if any, role it may take.
The West could be joined by Arab nations in the endeavor after the Arab League pressed for the international community to impose a no-fly zone against Gadhafi's forces.
Qatar's foreign ministry said the Gulf state would "contribute in the efforts aiming at stopping bloodshed and protecting civilians in Libya" and urged quick action to impose the no-fly zone, the state news agency said.
The UN's approval of the measures sparked celebrations in the rebel bastion of Benghazi in eastern Libya where the opposition had urged the international community to act quickly.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the UN measures were needed to "avoid greater bloodshed" and stop Gadhafi from attacking his own people.
"This places a responsibility on the members of the UN and that is a responsibility to which the United Kingdom will now respond," Hague said.
Britain's Royal Air Force is expected to send Tornado attack aircraft equipped with precise weapons from their bases in Marham, east England, and Lossiemouth in Scotland.
NATO convened a meeting to debate whether the 28-nation military alliance would take part of the international effort.
"For any NATO operation, there needs to be a demonstrable need for the alliance to act, firm regional support and a clear legal basis," said NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu.
"Under those three conditions, NATO stands ready to act as part of the broad international effort," she said.
NATO allies have been divided about intervening in Libya, with Germany and Turkey voicing opposition to a military intervention.
Germany was among five nations, alongside China and Russia, that abstained from voting for the UN resolution, which passed 10-0 late Thursday.
Warning of "considerable risks and dangers," German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle insisted no German troops would participate in military intervention.
"We remain eminently skeptical on the option of military intervention ... anticipated in this resolution. We see in it considerable risks and dangers. That is why we could not approve this part of the text," a statement said.
Russia also ruled out taking part in the operation.
The UN Security Council also agreed to protect civilian areas and impose a ceasefire on Gadhafi's military, but ruled out sending ground troops.

U.S. Navy Orders Two More Littoral Combat Ships

The U.S. Navy's Littoral Combat Ship program continued its shift into series production with the announcement March 17 that two more ships have been ordered.

Lockheed Martin and Austal USA each received new contracts March 17 to build an LCS ship. Lockheed's third ship, the Fort Worth, was launched in December at Marinette, Wisc. (Navy via Lockheed Martin)

The announcement follows by less than three months the previous award of two ships on Dec. 29.

Under the new contracts, Lockheed Martin received a $376.6 million contract modification to build the yet-to-be-named LCS 7. Based on the steel-hull design of LCS 1, the ship will be built at Fincantieri's Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wis. The work is expected to be completed by April 2016.
Austal USA's deal is for $368.6 million for LCS 8. Austal builds its LCS 2-class all-aluminum ships at Mobile, Ala., and work on that contract is expected to be completed by October 2015.
The contract awarded Dec. 29 to Lockheed for LCS 5 was for $437 million, while Austal's LCS 6 contract was for $432 million.
The contracts are far below the congressional cost cap of $480 million for LCS ships. Sean Stackley, the Navy's top acquisition official, said at the time of the December contract award that the average per-ship target price for Lockheed ships is $362 million, with a goal of $352 million for each Austal ship.
Congress on Dec. 21 approved the Navy's request to buy more ships of each design, shifting from the earlier plan to choose a single type. The Dec. 29 contracts to each shipbuilding team were for one ship, paid for with 2010 funds, with options for nine more. The March contracts are the first options to be exercised, and are funded under the 2011 continuing resolutions, which continue programs that were in effect the previous year.
Fort Worth (LCS 3) was launched Dec. 4 at the Marinette shipyard. Austal plans to launch the Coronado (LCS 4) this year.
Freedom (LCS 1), commissioned in November 2008 as the first Lockheed LCS, is at its home port of San Diego undergoing an overhaul, according to the Navy. The Independence (LCS 2), the first of Austal's breed, was commissioned in January 2010 and is undergoing tests and trials at Mayport, Fla.
The Navy intends to field a total fleet of 55 LCS ships.

USAF to Tightly Control Tanker Requirements Changes

U.S. Air Force leaders are taking draconian steps to ensure the service's prized Boeing KC-46A tanker program stays in line.

U.S. Air Force leaders said its KC-46 program will be scrutinized microscopically. (Boeing)

To protect the aerial refueling plane from ever-expanding requirements, changes will not be allowed except at the "highest level," Air Force Secretary Michael Donley told the Senate Armed Services Committee March 17.

Gen. Norton Schwartz, Air Force chief of staff, who was testifying alongside Donley, added that the KC-46 program would be scrutinized "microscopically" to make certain the "offeror delivers what he promised.
"The level of approval for engineering change orders is not going to be at the program office level," Schwartz said.
Though it has yet to be decided who will have final authority to approve such changes, it might be at the very top level of the Air Force leadership.
"It might be at our level," Schwartz said. "The bottom line is, we intend to maintain discipline on this thing."
Analysts applauded the Air Force's move. Historically, contractors would bid low to win competitions and then use the engineering change order mechanism to avoid fulfilling their contractual obligations, said Loren Thompson, an analyst at the Lexington Institute, Arlington, Va.
"It used to be a common practice in the industry that people would bid low and then try to use engineering changes to restore [profit] margins on the program," he said.
With the new approach, the Air Force cuts off that loophole for any potential contractor, Thompson said.
Byron Callan, an analyst at Capital Alpha Partners in New York, also applauded the move.
"That's pretty prudent on their part. … It's the only way they're going to keep the tanker at the cost that it was bid for," he said.
"It may not be great from a Boeing standpoint," Callan added.
However, in cases where a technology is particularly cutting edge, such an approach could backfire.
"If you were to limit engineering changes on something revolutionary like the F-35 [Joint Strike Fighter], you could really foul up the program," Thompson said.
Callan agreed that the new approach to the tanker program would not be a good idea if it were to be applied to all Air Force contracts.
"Trying to think you can just freeze a design that will last five or six years, that's locking yourself into obsolescence," he said.

U.S. Army Awards Deal for Afghan Training Helos

PHOENIX - MD Helicopters Inc. of Mesa has been awarded a $186 million contract by the U.S. Army to build rotorcraft for training exercises in Afghanistan.
The deal is good news both for the helicopter manufacturer, which has been on the rebound since it nearly collapsed financially six years ago, and for financially strapped Mesa, which is aggressively pursuing industrial recruitment and expansion.

The contract calls for six MD 530F helicopters to be built initially as the Army's primary training aircraft in Shindand, Afghanistan, according to the Army. As many as 54 aircraft would be manufactured at the company's Falcon Field Airport plant in Mesa over the life of the four-year contract.
Advisers from the U.S., United Kingdom and New Zealand have conducted joint training with Afghan Air Force student pilots and Afghan national army non-commissioned-officer trainees at Shindand air base, according to a NATO-Afghanistan news release.
"This is so huge for us, not just in terms of the dollar amount," said Lynn Tilton, MD's CEO and chairwoman. "It's a vote of confidence from the government and the U.S. Army, and I believe it's the first such contract since MD was owned by Boeing years ago."
She said the contract will create jobs, but she would not say how many.
"We will need to hire people," Tilton said. "But we need to be very intelligent about that, coming off the industry's downturn."
The contract also provides some stability for the company's current well-paid workforce.
The contract is a significant development that could lead to additional work for the company from the Defense Department, Mesa Mayor Scott Smith said.
Although MD is known for its extensive line of commercial helicopters, it also manufactures military aircraft and is in discussions with The Boeing Co. on a contract to collaborate on production of the Boeing AH-6i light-attack/reconnaissance helicopter for the global market.
Boeing builds its Apache helicopters at sprawling facilities just northwest of Falcon Field.
Company officials said the MD 530F is a perfect fit for the Army training mission.
The helicopter is equipped with the 650 shaft horsepower Rolls-Royce 250-C30 engine and longer main-rotor blades. It is described as the company's finest high-altitude performer in extremely hot weather.
Company officials said the helicopter also has greater takeoff power at significantly higher hover-ceiling levels than its competitors, and is known for its speed, agility, low direct operating costs and the ability to operate with ease in confined spaces.

NATO Chief Hopes Poland EU Presidency Boosts Russia Ties

WARSAW - NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said March 17 he hoped Poland would use its upcoming presidency of the European Union to enhance the military alliance's ties with Russia.
"Poland can ... play a special role in improving the relationship between Russia and NATO in the European Union and that would be beneficial in our endeavors to improve the overall Euro-Atlantic security," Rasmussen said at a joint press conference with Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski in Warsaw.

"We look very much forward to the Polish presidency of the European Union in the second half of this year," he said.
Having joined the European Union in 2004, Poland will take over the 27-member bloc's rotating presidency on July 1.
The NATO chief was in the Polish capital to mark the 12th anniversary of Poland's NATO entry along with fellow ex-communist states Hungary and the Czech Republic, a move that outraged their Soviet-era master Russia.
Poland's ties with Moscow have remained rocky since it peacefully shed communism in 1989, but its increasing importance as an EU member has seen Warsaw take on a conciliatory tone towards the Kremlin.
Rasmussen said he also thought Poland could play a role in enhancing cooperation between NATO and the European Union.
"Poland is a strong ally and has a strong position within the European Union and based on that Poland can play a special role in advancing our mutual cooperation," Rasmussen added.

Divided NATO Presses Ahead with Libya Military Plans

BRUSSELS - NATO's chief urged the U.N. on March 17 to quickly act on Libya to stop Moammar Gadhafi from crushing rebels, but the alliance was divided even as it pressed ahead with plans for a no-fly zone.
"If Gadhafi prevails it will send a clear signal that violence pays. That would be unacceptable from a humanitarian and democratic perspective," Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.

"But time is running out. The sooner the United Nations can reach an agreement the better," he said on his Facebook page.
France, Britain and the United States are pressing for a U.N. Security Council vote Thursday on a resolution that includes a no-fly zone to prevent Gadhafi from using his air force to bomb his population.
Russia, Germany and other countries of the 15-member Security Council have expressed opposition or doubts about military action in Libya.
"I can't imagine the international community and the United Nations will stand idly by if the Libyan regime continues to attack its own civilian population systematically," Rasmussen told reporters during a visit in Warsaw.
He said attacks by Gadhafi's regime on civilians "may amount to crimes against humanity."
NATO military officials presented to ambassadors this week a range of plans for a potential role in Libya, including assisting humanitarian relief efforts, enforcing an arms embargo and grounding the Libyan air force, diplomats said.
"NATO stands ready to protect the civilian population if there is a demonstrable need, clear legal basis and strong regional support," Rasmussen said.
But divisions exist within the 28-nation alliance as well, with Germany and Turkey voicing opposition to a military intervention.
In addition, France, which has taken a hawkish stance in the Libyan crisis, "does not want NATO in the front line," a NATO military official said.
This could leave NATO, already with its hands full leading the war in Afghanistan, on the sidelines in a no-fly zone in Libya.
France and Britain, which has also led clarion calls for a no-fly zone, could end up taking action outside the NATO club alongside Arab nations.
The United States has also shown "little enthusiasm" in trying to bring Turkey and Germany in line with the rest of the alliance, the military official said.
The official said the Americans believe that a no-fly zone would not be enough to defeat Gadhafi, and that ground troops would be needed, an option the United States would not take part in given its commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan.
U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice suggested as much on March 16, saying that action might have to "go beyond a no-fly zone at this point, as the situation on the ground has evolved, and as a no-fly zone has inherent limitations in terms of protection of civilians at immediate risk."
NATO ambassadors could meet again March 18 and this weekend to review the alliance's contingency plans for Libya and decide the next steps, diplomats said.
"NATO wants these operational plans to be ready by the end of the week or early next week," an alliance diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the planning.
The alliance "is accelerating the preparations, but no green light has been given," the diplomat said.
Even if the U.N. approves a no-fly zone and all allies agree to back the move, it would take two weeks for NATO to be operational, the NATO military official said, adding: "The chances that NATO will have a role are minimal."