The US Navy had biggly-big plans for these Littoral ships and the American taxpayers have put a gazillion dollars into this design dead end that has left them in the lurch with too few Frigates.
As the Navy and the rest of the military was busy fighting the Global War on Terror, the LCS was envisioned as a ship that could embark and deliver special operation forces close to shore on one mission, change a mission module, then begin hunting for mines or submarines next time out of port. Sort of a “jack of all trades, master of none” naval combatant.
Problem is, the mission modules have never worked as expected, and the LCS has had a multiple issues with its engines, including one incident where USS Milwaukee broke down at sea less than a month after being commissioned and had to be towed into port for repairs. The LCS was designed to operate with a smaller than normal crew, relying on automation to perform duties previously done by sailors. However, the plan has not worked out as envisioned. Now crews are overworked and the Navy has even raised one design’s assigned number of sailors.
Also, the ships have aluminum hulls and are lightly armed with virtually no striking power. One LCS recently tested the employment of the Harpoon anti-ship missile, but wider use among the LCS is yet to happen and may very well not occur. Instead, the ships are armed with Hellfire missiles that don’t have enough range or a large enough warhead to change the outcome of any engagement in favor of the LCS.
*snicker*
