SEALs lease a New Mini-Sub

[hartbilt]

In July of last year, SOCOM decided that NSW's ASDS (Advanced SEAL Delivery Vehicle) would not be repaired after suffering a fire caused while recharging the vessel batteries while @ port in Pearl Harbor. The Navy estimated the cost to repair the damaged unit could run $237 million, which is $180 million more that SOCOM had allocated for the project's service budget. The idea of the ASDS, an enclosed long duration mini-sub, has not been dropped from SOCOM's agenda. The Northrop Grumman produced ASDS was still in the field testing stage when the vessel meet it's demise. The current project to replaced or supplement the ASDS role will be the Joint Multi-Mission Submersible (JMMS), which SOCOM will allocated $43.4 million to the R/D, prototype phase.

The NEW NEWS on the subject.
Recently it was announced SDVT-1 has been testing a new public sector mini-sub produced by Submergence Group LLC. The unit is known as the S301. Apparently the Navy already leased at-least one unit sometime last year, as the Grumman ASDS had experienced countless issues since it's delivery.

see article;
Navy gives new minisub a try | honoluluadvertiser.com | The Honolulu Advertiser

The Naval Special Warfare Community is currently undergoing a major re-structuring, a major part included merging all the SDV Teams into one main team.

[Sidewinder Zulu]

Very nice.

I'm glad to see that the higher-ups are more interested in providing new tactical equipment for the common soldier like camouflage, new electronic gear, robotics, drones, etc, rather than some enormous intercontinental bomber, stealth aircraft, or supercarrier.

As much as we might not want to admit it, the days of massive conventional wars between superpowers are over.
Special Opz, counter-insurgency, and information/electronic warfare is where it's at.

[Epim3theus]

Hhm, most embarissing. I'd say whoever was in charge of that project should be send to Afghanistan for IED clearing with a stick, without body armour, see if he can get it right then.

[Pariel]

Wow, as usual the military-industrial complex manages to waste a ton of money.

Great procurement plan there, guys.

I can't believe I actually want to work for these people.

*EDIT* Oh, I just realized why -- obviously I can get some of the massive amounts of cash they're raping American taxpayer's wallets for.

[Tofurkeymeister]

Originally Posted by Pariel

Wow, as usual the military-industrial complex manages to waste a ton of money.

Great procurement plan there, guys.

I can't believe I actually want to work for these people.

*EDIT* Oh, I just realized why -- obviously I can get some of the massive amounts of cash they're raping American taxpayer's wallets for.

way not to troll </sarcasm>

Anyhow, that mini-sub is pretty cool. It does amaze me how a lot of money is wasted on stuff that can cost much less. If defense costs a crap-load of money, we should at least get our values worth. Good to know that they decided not to go too far over budget and instead went with a different, cheaper device.

[Hitperson]

why when i hear the term "mini-sub" do i think of 2 bathtubs welded together attached to an outboard and a kids perescope poking out the plughole on top...

i guess it is a good ivestment for them though.

[hartbilt]

The blame for the failure of the ASDS does not lie with the Navy, But with the hired contractors. Northrop Grumman should have never attempted to take on the project, and the Battery company promised alot more than they could deliver. Granted, yes, the Navy/SOCOM brass should have dropped Grumman from the project once the development costs started to sky rocket, but the ASDS was considered to be a important endeavor.

[Pariel]

Originally Posted by Tofurkeymeister

way not to troll </sarcasm>

Anyhow, that mini-sub is pretty cool. It does amaze me how a lot of money is wasted on stuff that can cost much less. If defense costs a crap-load of money, we should at least get our values worth. Good to know that they decided not to go too far over budget and instead went with a different, cheaper device.

Someone should troll the military-industrial complex. They use a ton of money, and waste lots of it.

Note that they haven't gone with this new sub, either. They're testing it, because it doesn't meet any of the SEAL's requirements. It may, with more money, lead to a replacement for the ASDS, which they couldn't afford to keep running.

Originally Posted by hartbilt

The blame for the failure of the ASDS does not lie with the Navy, But with the hired contractors. Northrop Grumman should have never attempted to take on the project, and the Battery company promised alot more than they could deliver. Granted, yes, the Navy/SOCOM brass should have dropped Grumman from the project once the development costs started to sky rocket, but the ASDS was considered to be a important endeavor.

The failure of the ASDS program is probably NG's fault because they couldn't deliver, but cost overruns lie with the Navy. When programs are clearly going over cost, your choice is to drop them or keep funneling money their way.

It's one of the major reasons the military is required to go to Congress every year for money (not that our politicians do a better job stewarding our cash anyway).

[hartbilt]

Originally Posted by Tofurkeymeister

way not to troll </sarcasm>

Anyhow, that mini-sub is pretty cool. It does amaze me how a lot of money is wasted on stuff that can cost much less. If defense costs a crap-load of money, we should at least get our values worth. Good to know that they decided not to go too far over budget and instead went with a different, cheaper device.

I think NSW/SOCOM had to do prioritizing with the budget. Given the fact that NSW is one of the smallest components of SOCOM, but NSW gets such a huge chunk of the SOCOM budget. With a big chunk of change going to fund Project Imminent Fury (Navy SEALs close-air support aircraft). ASDS wasn't all that important given the current climate of U.S. involvement and since the MK8 Mod 1 SDV remains an effective platform ( it just sucks being cold and wet in it). The addition of NSW dedicated ground-attack aircraft while greatly benefit SEALs/SOCOM units operating the Afghan theather, more so the ASDS.