7/25/2019 DOT&E - Point Paper on LCS SUW Unfair Article
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Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Surface Warfare (SUW) Testing in the
News
DOT& !esponse
On Satur"a#$ %anuar# '$ '*$ +r, S#"ne# %, -ree"berg$ %r,$
publishe" an article in
.rea/ingDefense,Com title"0 1LCS Test 2s, -ast 3ttac/ .oats
4Unfair50 +issile +issing$ Na6#
Sa#s,7 8n that article$ he references an unname" Na6# official
who conten"e" the testing of LCS8ncrement 88 SUW +ission 9ac/age
was unfair because it "i"n5t ta/e into account the planne"
surface:to:surface missiles that will be a""e" to the +ission
9ac/age in 8ncrement 888,
!egretfull#$ the Na6# spo/esman was apparentl# not familiar with
the basis for the test an" man#of his statements are incorrect or
not relate" to what was being teste",
.ecause the mission capabilit# of LCS is being intro"uce" in an
incremental manner$ the-ebruar# ;$ ''$ Capabilit# De6elopment
Document (CDD) (
7/25/2019 DOT&E - Point Paper on LCS SUW Unfair Article
Final
2/2
"escribe" in the %anuar# ;$ ';$ LCS SUW +ission 9ac/age Test
9lan title"0 1Bui"e" Test
2ehicle E Test for the Surface:to:Surface +issile +o"ule
(SUW:I:9LN:*)$7 1to pro6e the
+CS J+issile Fhaust Containment StructureK concept an" collect
"ata to support the missilesoftware "e6elopment for the LCS SS++
JSurface:to:Surface +ission +o"uleK b# engaging
surface targets from the "ec/ of a surrogate platform,7 The test
plan i"entifies that
1mo"ifications are being ma"e to the missile algorithms b# the
3rm# to optimie the see/er an"transfer alignment performance for
the LCS en6ironment,7 Aence$ this testing was focuse" on
pro6i"ing the "e6eloper much nee"e" "ata to un"erstan" the
missiles5 flight en6elop an"
gui"ance logic to allow them to write the nee"e" software
change, The missiles fire" were notrepresentati6e of the final
software configuration that will e6entuall# be emplo#e" in
tactical
roun"s, The "e6elopmental test was actuall# a series of siF
separate e6ents, ach e6ent was
prescribe" an" tightl# controlle" to pro6i"e the "e6elopers the
nee"e" information on specific
points in the flight en6elope, 6er# firing e6ent use" perfect
targeting information which willnot be a6ailable when emplo#e" on
LCSH furthermore$ the targets were controlle" in such a
manner that the# offere" a specific profile to obtain the nee"e"
technical information an" were
not representati6e of the realistic "#namic scenarios that will
e6entuall# be presente" "uring final
"e6elopmental testing an" the subseuent operational tests,
-inall#$ the largest 1rai"7 presente"to the ship in an# one
scenario was three boats$ not eight as suggeste" in the article,
The LCS5s
abilit# to "efeat a larger rai" of small boats will be eFamine"
in a future test$ which will becon"ucte" in an operationall#
realistic manner, .ecause of the limite" number of tests an"
the
artificialit# with which the# ha" to be con"ucte" to pro6i"e the
"e6eloper the information
nee"e"$ these tests cannot be use" to pre"ict an e6entual
operational capabilit#$ nor woul" it beappropriate to suggest that
an LCS was 1? for =7 when no single test with eight targets was
con"ucte", The operational testing currentl# planne" for -G '?
will pro6i"e the "ata to
"etermine the ship5s full capabilit# in a wartime scenario,
