U.S. Surface Combatants Could Get Faster Block Upgrades in the Future


WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Navy hopes to bring the submarine community’s capability improvement process to its surface combatants, allowing for more continuous upgrades to the ships’ warfighting systems as the class builds out.


Whereas the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer program, for example, may buy 20 or 30 ships before moving to a new flight design, the Virginia-class submarine program buys boats in five-year block-buy contracts and adds in upgrades at the start of each new contract. By doing so, the submarine program makes clear to industry and government researchers when new capabilities could be inserted.


John Hootman, the deputy director of surface warfare on the chief of naval operations’ staff (OPNAV N96B), said during a panel discussion at the American Society of Naval Engineers’ annual Technology, Systems and Ships conference last week that he wanted surface combatants to conduct “every five years or so a block insertion” of new hard-kill and soft-kill weapons, sensors, computing capabilities and more.


Rear Adm. Jim Kilby, director of warfare integration (OPNAV N9I), told USNI News after the panel discussion that it was too early to commit to an acquisition model for the Future Surface Combatant program or others, but that a multiyear contracting approach with block upgrades, like the Virginia program, would support Navy leadership’s vision for building its future fleet.


https://news.usni.org/2018/06/25/surface-combatants-get-faster-block-upgrades-future


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