New Coast Guard OffShore Patrol Cutter - Expands Homeland Defense defensemaven.io - Kris Osborn Kris Osborn By Kris Osborn - Warrior Maven (Washington D.C.) Coast Guard ships are built for the specific purpose of Offshore Patrol Cutter port quarter Note: I have had to revise some of my conclusions about when benchmarks would be achieved. I offer blunt, uncompromising guidance on national security solutions, bringing complex security issues and oft-neglected defense topics to the attention of interested. Despite Huge Losses, United Airlines Tries Talking Positively. [31], On October 11, 2019, the Department of Homeland Security approved a limited extraordinary relief for the offshore patrol cutter contract as a result of damage to Eastern Shipbuilding facilities caused by Hurricane Michael, and adjusted the offshore patrol cutter detail design and construction contract with Eastern Shipbuilding group for up to the first four hulls. Fairbanks Morse has announced that their diesel engines will be used in the Offshore Patrol Cutter. What Can The Beleaguered Airline Business Expect From 2021? With some luck and savvy leadership, it can only get better from here. The contract to build these mid-sized 3,500- to 3,700-ton cutters was awarded in 2016 to a scrappy underdog, Florida-based Eastern Shipbuilding Group. The Rolls-Royce equipment was selected by Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) Inc. for the USCG OPC fleet’s first nine vessels, with an option to add two more. These awards support the Coast Guard’s strategy to mitigate OPC program risk and complete the program of record by establishing a new, fair and open competitive environment to complete the OPC program of record. © 2021 Forbes Media LLC. Few high-quality naval shipyards are eager to be associated with a design they are not familiar with that they fear might result in a problematic “dud” of a ship. [30] Delayed by the impact of Hurricane Michael in October 2018, steel cutting for USCGC Argus began on January 7, 2019. The Coast Guard selected Eastern Shipbuilding Group Inc. (ESG) to build the ship, by choosing them to continue into phase 2 of the OPC development, which includes detail design and construction. [11] The Heritage-class cutters are equipped with the same 220 rpm Bofors 57 mm gun as mounted on the USN's Littoral combat ships and the USCG's Legend-class cutters. The strategic environment has changed enormously since the Offshore Patrol Cutter entered it’s detailed design phase. Joe Biden Could Rescue The Last Nuclear Treaty—But Don’t Expect Him To Negotiate A New One, Clarified ‘Unfair And Deceptive’ Language Improves Airline Pricing Transparency, Russia Is Building Four Special Submarines To Haul Its Weird Doomsday Drone. Energizing this contest is the Navy’s next generation frigate program, as certain shipyards that are not entirely confident in their frigate bids face an existential crisis should they lose the frigate contest. [9], The Saab Sea Giraffe AN/SPS-77 multi-mode medium-range naval radar system provides three-dimensional air and surface search functions. The contract to … The second risk is that even if the cutter design provided by Eastern Shipbuilding Group can be built for about $421 million, that the design emerges as a compromised and unworkable vessel. I offer blunt, uncompromising guidance on national security solutions, bringing complex security issues and oft-neglected defense topics to the attention of interested policymakers and the general public. In total, the 25-ship deal could be worth up to $10.5 billion. Back when the Offshore Patrol Cutter contract was inked in 2016, Eastern Shipbuilding Group had something of a swashbuckling reputation. The OPCs will replace the ageing medium-endurance cutters (MECs) that USCG uses for its operations. publishing op-eds and papers in places like the Washington Post, the Los Heritage-class offshore patrol cutter programme details In September 2016, USCG contracted Eastern Shipbuilding Group to supply nine Heritage-class OPCs. The Service needs new mid-sized cutters. Several of the Service’s 29 existing mid-sized cutters are over fifty years old, unreliable and obsolete. [27], On September 7, 2017, it was announced the USCG exercised a fixed-price option to procure long lead time materials for the first Heritage-class cutter. A total of 60 have been funded through FY2020, including four in FY2020. The Coast Guard’s mid-sized cutters are just too old and infirm to do the job they need to do. Shipyards in key 2020 battleground states like Bath Ironworks shipyard in Maine, the Fincantieri Marine Group shipyard in Wisconsin and, potentially, Philly Shipyard in Pennsylvania, should explore their options. To win this contract, Eastern Shipbuilding Group had to beat several larger and more experienced defense contractors. The … On July 21, 2017, Eastern Shipbuilding completed its Initial Critical Design Review for the Offshore Patrol Cutter. Previously, I served as an U.S. [4] Construction of the first vessel in the class began in January 2019. maritime conflicts or challenges posed by maritime disruption from China's Coast Guard and maritime militias. On Friday, the U.S. Coast Guard announced its massive but troubled 25-ship Offshore Patrol Cutter program will be restructured. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) announced the award of Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) industry studies contracts to eight shipbuilders on March 20. 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