P-3 fixes, new amphib top Navy wish list

P-3 fixes, new amphib top Navy wish list
By Zachary M. Peterson - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Feb 14, 2008 19:57:56 EST

The Navy wants roughly $4.6 billion in extra funding on top of its $149 billion fiscal 2009 Navy Department budget request to fix maritime patrol aircraft, buy another amphibious ship and enhance weapons.

The service’s prioritized list of items that didn’t make it into the budget request is sent annually to the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee by the chief of naval operations. This year’s list has 20 items.

Topping the list is $548.3 million in “critical maritime patrol improvements” to fix cracks in the wings of the Navy’s P-3 patrol aircraft fleet and bolster research and development for its replacement, the P-8A multimission maritime aircraft. In December, the Navy grounded 39 of its 161 P-3s — nearly one in four — because of concerns that a structural defect could cause either of the aircraft’s wings to break off in flight.

Second on the list is the 10th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship, which would cost $1.7 billion. The ship also appears on the Marine Corps’ unfunded priority list. A 10th LPD 17 ship would fulfill Marine Commandant Gen. James Conway’s requirement of having 30 operational available amphibs and would also support the Navy’s “mission of expanded naval operations,” according to the justification provided with the list.

Rounding out the top five unfunded priorities on the list are requests for $180.3 million for spare parts for aircraft, two T-AKE cargo ships at a cost of $941 million, and $10.7 million to enhance the Close-In Weapons System, which include “critical” ship self-defense improvements, the request states.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/02/navy_unfunded_080214w/



uhc comment: This is the Navy's part of the extra $30,000,000,000 --> http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=259x11462