<p>Submarine designs have traditionally been evolutionary, with each new
design being more capable than the last. Issues like speed, depth, and
combat/weapons systems have dominated the design process because of concerns with
the increasing capability of Soviet submarines. Only cursory attention has been paid
to affordability. As a result, the SEAWOLF submarine is estimated to cost
approximately twice as much as an improved-LOS ANGELES Class submarine (its
predecessor).</p>
<p>
The combination of a reduced Defense Department budget and
increased unit costs is projected to result in an Attack Submarine force level of less
than 40 ships over time as opposed to current force levels of 90-100 ships. The Navy
has on occasion stated that 60 submarines is the minimum needed to meet its mission
requirements, which have changed with the decrease in the Soviet threat.
Accordingly, the current Navy focus is to explore ways to reduce unit submarine
costs to less than half of SEA WOLF.</p>
<p>
This project will examine the submarine from a Life Cycle Cost
perspective starting with the definition of need, mission definition and requirements,
trade-off analysis and cost allocation all resulting in a conceptual submarine design
that meets the cost target of 50 percent for acquisition and 75 percent for operations
and maintenance relative to the SEA WOLF submarine program.</p> / Master of Science
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/41165 |
| Date | 16 February 2010 |
| Creators | Gunter, Robert Lee |
| Contributors | Systems Engineering, Blanchard, Benjamin S. Jr., Fabrycky, Wolter J., Tibbitts, Barrick F. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Master's project |
| Format | BTD, application/pdf |
| Relation | LD5655.V851_1992.G867.pdf |
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