U.S. Navy Officials Suppressed Bad LCS-1 Test Results

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U.S. Navy Officials Suppressed Bad LCS-1 Test Results

By Michael Fabey mike_fabey@aviationweek.com
Source: AWIN First

August 16, 2012


U.S. Navy emails and other documents suggest that officials muzzled bad test results for the first Littoral Combat Ship (LCS-1) variant, the USS Freedom, at a crucial time in the program’s development, when the service was considering which seaframe to pick for the $30 billion-plus fleet.

Top program officers for the ship and at Naval Sea Systems Command (Navsea) told subordinates to avoid certain language in the test-result reports because of concerns over the downselect decision, the documents show. One naval officer said in an email he would delete the offensive wording of the report.

The Navy acknowledges it clamped down on “widespread” discussion of “preliminary” test results, but says it did so to prevent an “unfair comparison” between LCS-1 and the competing LCS-2, the USS Independence, because the second ship had yet to go through the same trials.

Article continued @ Aviation Week

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If they didn't you can be sure LM would have their lawyers out about "unfair competition" or some such.