future usmc aav (efv) turns out to be a big failure

[dunkellic]

apparantly the thing really...erm sucks.
just go ahead and read the article about it in the washington post


i´m just gonna quote some of my favourite statements:

After 10 years and $1.7 billion, this is what the Marines Corps got for its investment in a new amphibious vehicle: A craft that breaks down about an average of once every 4 1/2 hours, leaks and sometimes veers off course.

The cost of the amphibious vehicle effort has increased 50 percent, to about $12 billion from $8 billion, with another cost bump projected after the program is relaunched.

Problems range from leaks in hydraulics systems to software glitches, according to the reports. Last year, the vehicles completed just two of 14 planned tests.

General Dynamics "seems to be focused on production rather than on solving significant design and engineering problems," the Navy report said. "This must be changed if the Program is to move ahead successfully."

But even the lower targets have been hard to hit. Marine Corps officials were distressed to discover that the prototypes encountered an "operational mission failure" on average every 4.5 hours in tests last year. There were 645 failures within the subsystems, overwhelming the three-man maintenance crew, according to a report by the service's testing agency.

During testing, the software operating the guns didn't always fire on command, for example.

in my opinion, they should scrap that thing and make a competition out of it (like the jsf programm)

[{9thInf}Dr!fter *E*]

How are the Marines going to get 2 the beach? First the V-22 and now this....
Get the row boats ready.

[NYgurkha]

lets bring out the oldschool Buffalo with dual .50cals!!!

(and rest of the money on bringing A10's back into productin!!!)

[{9thInf}Dr!fter *E*]

Originally Posted by NYgurkha

lets bring out the oldschool Buffalo with dual .50cals!!!

(and rest of the money on bringing A10's back into production!!!)

To hell with that. Fix the damn thing! The whole reason behind all these new assault ships and what not is to carry the USMC's over the horizon landing forces. The V-22 can’t stand in the air and that landing craft can’t stay afloat. A buffalo may have dual .50 cals but it’s a slow pig in the water like all other tracks. Littoral warfare is going to be a major focus of the USN in the 21st century. Coastal warfare and keeping the ChiCom Navy in check. Without those vehicles it totally throws a wrench in the whole concept of intercoastal warfare for the marine corp.

[NikovK]

30 mph, keeps up with an Abrams on land and carries 17 Marines? That's something of a big order to fill.

Keep in mind this is a Washington Post article.

A craft that breaks down about an average of once every 4 1/2 hours, leaks and sometimes veers off course.

An amphibious ship that LEAKS? What the hell garbage is this?

Problems range from leaks in hydraulics systems to software glitches.

Oh. So it doesn't actually leak water into the cabin and sink. The hydraulics are just not-to-spec. And as for "veering off course", you'd think they didn't come equipped with a driver and a compass.

Thank you Washington Post.

Anyway, the machine is suffering from over-complexity and needs a good dose of KISS engineering (Keep It Simple, Stupid), not a one-way to the scrap heap OR the production line.

[ArmedDrunk&Angry]

I believe I heard similiar things about the Bradley.
We need a guy like Truman to shake up the defense industry.
The cost overruns alone should send people to the unemployment line let alone that many systems failures.
I am, of course, taking it with a grain of sand considering the source.

[dunkellic]

Originally Posted by ArmedDrunk&Angry

I believe I heard similiar things about the Bradley.
We need a guy like Truman to shake up the defense industry.
The cost overruns alone should send people to the unemployment line let alone that many systems failures.
I am, of course, taking it with a grain of sand considering the source.

apart from the cedibility of the source - something like this shouldn´t happen and i´m not talking about the usa only, in germany some military "endavours" get out of hand too (cost and developement-wise).

seriously, if a company would order something like this from another company and the results would turn out in a similiar way, those guys wouldn´t see one single pence - but if it is a state-given contract, there seems to be no limit on what can go wrong and how big the budget is...

[ArmedDrunk&Angry]

Because it's " not my money ", or that's how they must think to pull stuff like this.
It just pisses me off to think I'm paying for this and people are getting promoted in General Dynamics and yet they produce something that doesn't work.
Is it me or is 30knots an awful lot of speed to ask from an APC ?

[eddie]

30kts is quite fast on water tbf, but the fact it might not even meet basic targets means that counts for sh*t

[{9thInf}Dr!fter *E*]

Originally Posted by ArmedDrunk&Angry

Is it me or is 30knots an awful lot of speed to ask from an APC ?

Thats around the speed most of our blue water ships are publicly listed at.