The US Navy is beginning construction on the long-delayed, horrifyingly expensive new DDG 1000 destroyers. Estimated cost for the first 2: $3.3 billion each. And last I heard, its new, rather ingenious missile silos (they're along the hull of the ship and would act as protection by blowing outward if the ship is hit) and its long-range heavy guns (which fire rocket-assisted, GPS-guided munitions) still don't work after years of testing and development.
Meanwhile, the Littoral Combat Ship program continues to be plagued with cost overruns, construction delays, and other sundry problems. These ships would be frigates, but seem to me as underarmed as the program seems undirected. Two of each potential version of this new class were to be built, but now the Navy is settling for one of each as it tries to nail down these "cheap" ships' sky-rocketing pricetags.
Why am I so unexcited about the Navy's new ships? Am I missing something? And why the name that sounds like my local TV station's latest weather radar (DDG 1000)?
It does look fucking cool though...
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