>Saudi Arabia has turned down a US Navy offer to build four frigates based on the Lockheed Martin littoral combat ship (LCS) design
>Reportedly, the Saudis balked at the price tag for the MMSC package – thought to be more than $3 billion but less than $4 billion – and were unhappy with the time it would take to complete detail design of the ships, carry out systems integration, build the vessels, deliver them and install infrastructure improvements in the kingdom.
>One source thought the time to deliver the first ship would be around seven years, which the Saudis reportedly think is excessive.
http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/naval/ships/2016/01/10/saudi-navy-frigate-lcs-fleet-modernization/78610778/
>>28512736
well...i don't blame the arabs. Shit is expensive as fuck.
>The US wants nearly 4 billion for 4 retarded corvettes
EPIC
>>28512736
This is just a god damned convertte that costs a billion piece.... Why the fuck would anyone pay that much for a fucking convertte that much? And I believe Saudis are more interested in Turkshit arms now as they need them to have a regional/muslim ally that can push Iran around if things come to that rather than ''evil, infidel America''
I mean, it has a great range, stability and speed but for fucks sakes... 1 billion a piece.
Wow bravo US Navy
What a great deal
Does anything even think that they made this offer with a straight face?
>>28512894
*anyone
What a littoral piece of shit.
>>28512931
>28512931
booo.
>>28512931
>What a littoral piece of shit.
Been saving that one for a while have you?
>>28512885
1 billion a piece from LM when the product isn't even ready yet
>>28512894
>Hello Ahcmed, I have a great offer to you! You won't find anything like this anywhere else!
>Just take a look at this corvette, looking nice aint she? Look at dem curves Habibi
>I am gonna give you these four corvettes for 4 billion
>Look at your face, shocked at my great offer, just take it and go!
>>28512736
>Lockheed Martin
Only US is dumb enough to believe their lies.
>>28512736
Why did you post an Independence-class LCS? LM makes the Freedumbs.
>https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_class_littoral_combat_ship
>Cost: $704 million First Ship[1] Future Ships $360 million
>360,000,000 times 4 equals 1,440,000,000
>charging Saudi Arabia between 3 and 4 billion
Yep, the match checks out.
It's a shit deal.
>the move is thought to be part of a continuing negotiation over price and schedule, not a rejection of the overall deal
Lets see how many anons do not actually bother reading OP's article.
>>28513268
If you bothered to read that far, why were you unable to comprehend that Saudi Arabia is buying a new design?
>>28513325
Oh, you're right.
What design? Got a link?
>>28513415
Literally just an LCS with SAMs and some Saudi FCS and AMR
>>28512736
Lockheed-Martin always wins in the end.
I installed the compasses on the LCS-10 Gabrielle Giffords.
The money earned on that contract bought my son his first AR-15.
>>28512736
thats not the Lockheed version in your pic op. How lazy are you. or just ignorant?
>>28513548
Do you work for Sperry?
Will it hurt our Navigat if I kill the breaker to it?
>>28513682
No, I don't work for Sperry. I install and calibrate magnetic compasses, not electronic gyrocompasses.
>>28513830
A compass adjuster? That is a pretty neat job. I'm a merchant mariner, so I've met a few of you guys. It's a pretty small field, right?
>>28513860
Dis guy.
>>28512736
WHy aren't they selling the OHP's?
I'm sure some backwater navy would like a cheap frigate.
>>28513860
Well, it's a pretty polarizing job, but it really attracts people with a positive attitude.
>>28513883
>polarizing
Why?
For some reason I read this as clitoral combat ship every single time someone posts something about it. Every time.
>>28513860
Yep, and I'm also technically a merchant mariner as well, and have a captain's license.
It just allows me to coordinate with the captain of the ship so I can adjust for precise movements without legal trouble. I did navigation as first a quartermaster and later as a BM in the USCG, so I'm one of the few in the country thay knows this sort of work.
>>28513891
You can't really not see the pun there, can you?
>>28513883
kek
>>28513891
whoosh
>>28512736
LOCK MART SHILLS ON SUICIDE WATCH
>>28513919
It's also nice being self-employed, and having such a small field that I only bump into 1-2 guys in a given region. I operate out of the Gulf Coast as well as the Atlantic Coast of Florida. So I pretty much get to set the prices, and nobody really bats an eye. Especially big Cruiseliners, shipping companies, and oil companies.
>mfw I make $7500 for sitting around on a drill ship for maybe an hour
>mfw I get 2-4 of these jobs in a row at a given time
I paid for my kid's brand new car in a single job day of work.
>>28513919
I'm on T-EPFs now, and we have flux gate compasses vs. a true magnetic compass. It's kinda sad not having a binnacle, truly one of the last vestiges of 'old school' navigation.
>>28514001
What the hell? How do I get involved in this?
>>28514036
It's a very niche and specialized trade much like masonry.
The USCG used to teach it back in the day, but now they're dumping it... just like how OCS grads don't have to learn celestial navigation.
>>28514001
Do you need any special certifications for that, or do you just really have to know your shit?
It's been a looong time since I was read that section of Bowditch.
Ever go to the Port of the Propeller club in Galveston?
isnt Australia considering replacing their patrol boats with a boat based off the LCS?
>>28514090
I wouldn't put it past Austal to fuck their own country as badly as they're fucking us.
>>28514029
Traditional compasses have such a smaller margin of error compared to fluxgates and gyros. Pretty sad that they're being replaced.
>>28514070
You just have to know your shit. Besides having to go through the process to get a TWIC card as well as helicopter crash-test certified, nothing.
I've never been to any Propellor Clubs, I just mainly sit at home helping my son recover from surgery, or play video games.
>>28514130
Okay, I've met one of your competitors then lol
Sounds pretty chill. I'd seriously consider doing something like that once I get tired of sailing. Guess I know what I'll be reading up on during my next watch.
>>28514090
PLS NO
>>28514070
Currently at school in Galveston, an avid sailor, and I'm working on my pilots license.
Are you me?
>>28513303
So far so good.
>>28514284
Are you working on the Elissa? Kinda wish I did that when I was there. Didn't do too much sailing, but I did spend some time on 420s on Offatts Bayou.
Pilotage, or aviation pilot's license?
I graduated '11.
$1 billion a piece sounds like "get fucked" pricing to me.
>>28514467
It sounds like a small run of a custom modified design pricing to me.
>>28514528
Plus spare parts and technical support, probably.
>>28513325
>New design
It's an LCS variant Lockmart failed to pitch to the navy and is now peddling to other countries
For SA four of the higher end ones of the MEKO class would be better and way cheaper.
Atleast it is working
What other choice does Arabia have?
Russian? Russians can't even make a frigate, much less a corvette the class of an LCS.
China? Although China is very good with ships, I doubt they have the global reach/shrewd merchants that can rival America.
British? LoL! (it means Laugh off Loud for those who do not know)
>7 years to build 1
Why even fucking bother Saudi Arabia won't even be a country in seven years
>>28518982
The House of Saud will stand until the tribe of Israel is extinguished.
>>28519024
Good luck sandnigger
>>28519024
Not without that oil money
>>28512736
They essentially want 4 custom built ships based upon the LCS design.
That is a retardedly small number, of course unit price is going to be retardedly high.
>>28519043
Not him, but oil goes up and down.
>>28519051
I hope it goes up again, my overseas transactions are getting fucking rekt
>>28512957
that would mean 2-3bn when it's fully operational
>>28519213
I dont invest in oil, its akin to long term day trading for me, or currency's.
Defense company's now....I invested in NG last year.
>>28513869
We do sell OHPs, but only second rate countries like Taiwan that can't afford brand new ships actually buy them.
>"JUST bloat my procurement and operations costs up, f.a.m."
>>28512802
lol
>>28512931
I don't know why a laughed
>cap the US Navy’s buy of the LCS and its frigate variant at 40 ships rather than 52
Wait they reduced the buy AGAIN? Oh shit my littoral combat sides.
Good news though desu.
>>28513548
That ship sounds like it could take a few hits and keep going.
>>28522048
No the frigate variant will be extra, I believe
no?
Anyways the navy were giant retards with the whole procurement of it.
>>28518880
>What other choice does Arabia have?
see >>28518879
So the US was trying to hawk their shitty, overpriced and unwanted weapons systems to the biggest supporter and funder of terrorism on the planet.
When you cunts ever learn?
>>28523250
>to the biggest supporter and funder of terrorism on the planet.
Uh, no, because that'd be us. The US.
>When you cunts ever learn?
Learn what? No really, we know exactly what we're doing, and we're doing it on purpose. We've been doing it for centuries now, which for a nation only a little over two centuries old, is really something.
>b-but afghanistan
Broke the Soviets and ultimately was a major factor in their dissolution. Downside, we had to kick in doors for a while and got to spend a lot of money on guns and military hardware. Oh wait, that's not much of a downside.
>Arab Spring
I'll admit I have no idea what our end game is here, but it's pretty clear we're purposefully destabilizing the middle east. And boy is it working.
>9-11
kek
>Iraq
See Arab Spring. We knew well ahead of time how it would turn out. Dick Cheney predicted it before he was VP. And the tribal warfare and sectarianism he cautioned of is exactly what happened. It's what he wanted.
>>28513303
I assume it's a dead deal though. Just like the Indians "continuing negotiations" with the PakFa.
Saudis are gonna be poor soon.
>>28523309
What about all this marxist internationalist shit they've been pushing in Canada and europe
Whats the endgame there
Maybe they didn't even plan out their domestic policies too well because Donald J Trump 2016 will be elected to undo most of em
>>28523309
>See Arab Spring. We knew well ahead of time how it would turn out. Dick Cheney predicted it before he was VP. And the tribal warfare and sectarianism he cautioned of is exactly what happened. It's what he wanted.
Instigating a massive invasion to plant ticking time bombs and jihadist proving grounds all over the Middle East would do that.
>>28523411
>What about all this marxist internationalist shit they've been pushing in Canada and europe
That I don't know.
I just know our fucking with the middle east is no different from what we've been doing to South America and to Asia for a long fucking time now.
>>28513512
looks like a monohull as well
Is there anything actually bad about the LCS?
50 needed crew for a 3000 ton frigate is pretty good, no?
It's hardly the fault of the LCS that their main weapon was cancelled, and that the module meme means they don't actually have working equipment.
>>28523649
Because for such a second line minor vessel, the cost of the program has been fucking astronomical, even by military project overrun standards.
>>28523649
>Frigate
It's barely a corvette
>50 crew
One of the reasons why it's fucking garbage
>>28520136
Looks like CGI
>>28523649
50 crew is such a small number that a couple of Iranian speed boats could arrest the entire crew no problem.
>>28523649
>passive aggressive attempt to call LCSs shit
>still have to lie
:^)
>>28523896
>the cost of the program has been fucking astronomical
>unit cost is half of what an OHP was
What's going to happen is with Carter cutting 12 LCS' that'll free up slots for Saudi Arabia and LM will eventually lower the price along with FMS monies the Saudis will buy.
>>28514090
No. Austal's offering is much smaller for SEA1180 at 300 tonnes.
http://dtrmagazine.com/issues/november-2015/
Go to page 24.
>>28518880
France/DCNS - Gowind (The Saudi's western fleet uses French warships)
Germany/TKNS - MEKO
Netherlands/Damen - SIGMA
Britain/BAE Systems - Corvette (Oman bought 3 as the Khareef class) among older designs, generally good warships. Nothing to scoff off.
Turkey - MILGEM
Russia is a no go, but they can make frigates and corvettes. Look up Project 11356M which they've sold to India and 20381, it's engines they're currently stalling on. Algeria is also buying corvettes off them.
That said, the Saudis will end up buying the LCS. The version they'll get will have two sets of Mk 41 cells and an Airbus TRD-4D radar.
>>28523309
bluepilled as fuck
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMQ0B2ivjPs&list=PL4C29D87AA600650F&index=4
>>28523649
well, you can get a corvette that does about the same thing for a fraction of the cost. The surface warfare component of the LCS is what is lacking: there is no other navy in the world with the long reach of naval strike missions from carrier borne aircraft. Thus, the US navy primarily relies on aircraft for anti-shipping missions, and this is evident by the latest Burkes not being equipped with harpoons.
In fitting with the strategy, many smaller navies can't afford or justify the cost of a significant surface combatant that doesn't carry actual anti shipping missiles, even with the surface warfare module (with NO VLS or anti shipping missiles).
It's also a very experimental design with low crew numbers, meaning that the workload can potentially be much higher, and that highly trained people are very hard to replace without a large institutional training program.
With all that in mind, smaller navies see this as wasteful; a lot of money for not a lot of capability, especially compared to the Sa'ar class or Milgem class that can be had for cheap and that also are outfitted for antishipping missiles to give them a more well-rounded investment in national defense.
>>28527571
>The surface warfare component of the LCS is what is lacking
I assume you are aware existing ships are being fitted with OTH missiles this year.
>>28527842
NSMs?
