Category: Technology

The LCS debacle of the US Navy

Hardly any other US Navy concept has made as many negative headlines in recent decades as the Littoral Combat Ships (LCS). With the foreseeable end of the procurement programme, it is now time to come to terms with the disaster. The transverse launch of the USS Cleveland on 15 April 2023, in which the ship rammed a tugboat and was slightly damaged, is emblematic of the state of the US Navy's LCS programme. What was supposed to be a cutting-edge concept to prepare the Navy for challenges in coastal waters turned into a maritime nightmare shortly after the first ships were commissioned. Originally...

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German Mission Network Seegehend

If you want to survive in battle today, you have to be able to exchange information in real time - even with units from other nations. A disruptive approach is now being developed for a continuously updated command and control capability for the navy. With the German Mission Network (GMN) programme, the existing command information systems of the armed forces are being harmonised, service-oriented and transferred to a common platform. This enables the capability for national and multinational mission and operational command. With GMN Seegehend, the implementation for the maritime dimension and the development of the Bundeswehr's joint, cross-command level, nationally and multinationally interoperable information and communication network on the Navy's ships and boats is taking place. This means that information from the German,...

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Delayed and too expensive

The US Navy's ship procurement programme is several years behind schedule. At the same time, costs are exploding. The government announces targeted measures. It has long been known that most US naval shipbuilding projects are behind schedule. The Navy's ocean-going fleet currently has fewer than 300 units, including fleet supply ships. The Pentagon estimates that 381 units would be needed to fulfil all of the Navy's global commitments. The slow pace of shipbuilding is hampering the expansion of the fleet and the replacement of older ships with new and more powerful units. This situation is Access marineforum digital+ Are you already a registered user? Log in here now - also MOV members: Read More

New construction instead of regeneration

The Class 404 tenders were designed for use in the Baltic Sea and were operated almost worldwide. Due to the constantly increasing requirements, it is time to develop a successor. It is not only since the current conflicts and the dramatic changes that have accompanied them that the utilisation management at the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) has been faced with the daily challenge of meeting changing requirements in terms of military, technical and operational aspects. And this is done during ongoing operations and with the aim of guaranteeing optimum availability of the units. These challenges are illustrated using the Class 404 tender as an...

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Germany's nuclear ship

The OTTO HAHN was launched 60 years ago. The much-noticed ship was powered by a nuclear reactor. Germany has phased out nuclear power. The issue seems to have been put to bed. A different mood prevailed in the 1950s, when the Federal Republic was still young. The USA and the Soviet Union faced each other as nuclear powers, while at the same time US President Dwight D. Eisenhower had invoked the peaceful use of nuclear power in a famous speech. This zeitgeist also reached Germany, according to cultural scientist Katharina Bothe: "Nuclear energy was to be the technology of the future." CSU politician Franz Josef Strauß headed the newly founded Federal Ministry for Nuclear Affairs, and money flowed into the...

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