WASHINGTON — Talks between Lockheed Martin and the Greek Navy will proceed, as the corporate has modified its pitch to safe a chunk of the nation’s floor fleet modernization program.
Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy collectively provided the official U.S. bid to the Hellenic Navy in December, in a letter of settlement that expired March 17.
Trade sources informed Protection Information the U.S. Navy has prolonged the LOA via Sept. 18, giving the U.S. crew extra time to speak with Greek officers and resolve if the deal will go ahead.
Greece initially laid out a multi-pronged method to modernizing its floor fleet: shopping for new frigates and corvettes, upgrading its 4 Hydra-class MEKO frigates, and acquiring used floor ships to function whereas the MEKOs are of their mid-life improve program.
The official U.S. pitch was for Lockheed Martin to improve the MEKOs with the corporate’s suite of merchandise centered across the Aegis Fight System; the Hellenic Navy to purchase some variety of the corporate’s Hellenic Future Frigate, additionally centered across the Aegis system and designed particularly for Greece’s mission wants, the primary of which might be constructed within the U.S. and later ships in-built Greece; and the U.S. Navy to offer 4 decommissioned warships to function a short lived gap-filler.
Greece introduced Sept. 28 it could purchase three Belharra frigates from France, however Lockheed Martin Vice President and Normal Supervisor for Naval Fight and Missile Protection Methods Joe DePietro informed Protection Information his firm is pitching the Hellenic Navy on shopping for extra new ships to spherical out this system.
DePietro stated in a Feb. 17 interview Greece initially wished as many as 4 to 6 frigates and 4 to 6 corvettes. Not solely has Greece solely inked a deal for 3 frigates — leaving the door open to purchase extra — however DePietro stated Greece additionally made clear it wished its home shipbuilding business concerned. Naval Group, which builds the Belharra frigates, will assemble Greece’s ships on its manufacturing line in Lorient with its personal predominantly French provide chain.
Lockheed Martin stated it sees a gap to push for ship modernization and even ship building with Greek shipbuilders and suppliers.
The crux of Lockheed Martin’s revised pitch is that it might promote Greece a barely completely different floor combatant than the Hellenic Future Frigate — both the Freedom-variant littoral fight ship with lethality and survivability upgrades to fill the corvette piece of the plan, or the bigger Multi-Mission Floor Combatant at the moment being constructed for Saudi Arabia that the HF2 design was derived from — and be prepared to start out manufacturing straight away on the Hellenic Shipyard exterior Athens.
DePietro acknowledged the LCS is bigger than a typical corvette — about 3,300 metric tons, in comparison with a standard corvette that is perhaps 1,500 to 2,500 metric tons — however stated the ship’s use of water jets as a substitute of propellers permits the LCS to function in shallower waters than European corvettes. Whereas the worth tag of about $400 million apiece is a little more costly than the opposite choices, he stated it comes with the coaching and spares help related to a U.S. overseas navy gross sales case.
On the MMSC choice, Lockheed Martin stated it might use the confirmed work directions from the new MMSC line at Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Wisconsin and instantly convey them over to the Greek shipyard — whereas the unique HF2 proposal was a associated however distinct ship design and could be thought of a brand new begin. In that case, Lockheed Martin had initially proposed understanding the kinks with its skilled workforce in Wisconsin on the primary ship.
Lockheed stated it has already had conversations with George Procopiou, who final 12 months bought the Hellenic Shipyard in Skaramagas, simply west of Athens.
“We’ve met with him now 5 instances, and we acquired to the purpose the place, on the final sit-down, I used to be strolling him via the module breakdown of the development of an LCS or an MMSC, elements, materials flows, what could be accomplished within the yard and the way we want optimize the yard,” DePietro stated, including they talked via what buildings the yard would want to duplicate the ship building mannequin at Marinette Marine.
“Mr. Procopiou is keen to make a big funding like we did in Marinette to make that transformation,” DePietro stated.
DePietro stated Lockheed Martin hasn’t signed formal agreements with the shipyard, however the different shipyard in Greece — Elefsis Shipyard, simply up the waterfront from Hellenic Shipyard — doesn’t have a transparent proprietor proper now and isn’t ready to have these detailed discussions.
Lockheed would possible do the MEKO repairs and modernization on the Hellenic Shipyard as effectively. This implies the workforce there could be skilled to do ship building and restore to U.S. Navy requirements.
The Navy this 12 months will deploy its first Freedom-variant LCS from Florida to U.S. sixth Fleet in Europe and/or U.S. fifth Fleet within the Center East, kicking off what’s anticipated to be a steady LCS presence on the opposite facet of the Atlantic. The Navy has a contract with Spanish contractor Navantia to conduct floor ship upkeep in Rota, Spain, however DePietro stated the addition of LCSs to the area would require extra upkeep capability.
The Hellenic Shipyard would have the amenities and the skilled workforce to do these repairs, if the Navy opted to do use the yard as an Japanese Mediterranean upkeep hub to enhance the work going down simply exterior the Med in Rota.
It stays unclear if Greece is concerned with Lockheed’s proposals, with talks being prolonged however no agreements reached.
Megan Eckstein is the naval warfare reporter at Protection Information. She has lined navy information since 2009, with a concentrate on U.S. Navy and Marine Corps operations, acquisition applications, and budgets. She has reported from 4 geographic fleets and is happiest when she’s submitting tales from a ship. Megan is a College of Maryland alumna.