Ron5 wrote:Caribbean wrote:
Poiuytrewq wrote:
How much more than £250m do you think an Absalon based design with almost no offensive weaponry would cost if built by Babcock?
On a base cost of $225m in 2007, a straight 3% inflation (probably appropriate for a COTS/MOTS design) would give a modern price of around £230m @ 1.4 USD/GBP. 6% inflation (more towards the leading edge) would give a price of c. £300m. Pick your own price point out of that range. I think the Absalons came into service with little more than the guns in place at first
Thanks
It would appear to be at least in the ball park then and not way outside the price range.
The problem with the costs for these programs is that prompted by their local politicians, teams from the UK & US descended on Denmark to find out how on earth they built frigates so cheaply. The answers came back that there was no silver bullet and that once the special conditions around the costings and the reduced build standards were removed, they weren't really any cheaper.
In the days when Think Defence was an active forum, there was a regular poster who was an active MoD naval architect, who commentated on such matters and I remember when he was asked on this topic. I wish I could remember his forum name. APATS maybe? The conversations are still available and I think they would have occurred when discussing the Type 26.
Of course this is a cue for our resident Europeans who bristle every time I mention their lower naval standards compared with the US & UK but whatever. Truth hurts.
Bottom line is that a "proper" 6k ton frigate is going to cost about 600m and a 4k frigate about 400m. Pounds not dollars.
That looks like black propaganda pedalled by US as its just too embarrassing, the last US designed warships were the three GD BIW class 15,600 ton Zumwalts, costing ~$4.4 billion each excluding R&D which if included would nearly double the cost, and even then they had to cut capabilities including the volume search S-band radar with its 22 feet high array panels to minimise costs.
HII is one of the two main shipbuilders for USN, Burkes, Ford nuclear carriers, Virginia subs. etc along with GD. HII also build the USCG NSC, Dec. 2016 HII awarded $486 million contract to build its ninth NSC, whereas Eastern Shipbuilding a commercial shipbuilder won the contract for the new USCG OPC at $264.4 million, both contracts exclude GFE. NSC ~4,600T ship v. OPC ~3,600T ship, $105.6 thousand per ton for the HII NCC v $73.4 thousand per ton for the Eastern Shipbuilding OPC, so HII are ~ 44% more expensive than Eastern Shipbuilding. The above is as realistic cost comparison as you can obtain, same contracting agency USCG, same standards and terms and conditions, with the exception that Eastern Shipbuilding priced based on multi year buy whereas HII on one off though ninth of class.
The Danish Navy/MOD/ODT opened their books for the Iver Huitfeldt class ships, but as said it would be too embarrassing and cause to much of face if it was admitted to be true, but it doesn't stop it being reality. Reflected in far east as China launched four 4,000-ton Type 054A guided-missile frigates in 2017, total twenty nine in class and the lead ship of an improved 5,000-ton variant, the Type 054B is expected to be commissioned in 2018 with improved anti-submarine warfare capabilities and IEP, likely feature 32 VLS cells and similar armament to the Type 054A class. If US and UK cannot build warships for sensible costs in ~20 years the Chinese fleet will be larger and with very capable ships.
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......thought my answers would look silly in another thread. But i shall henceforth abstain from posting anything but news in this one.
