Navy slow to adopt modern ship-designing tools, GAO finds
The service is getting in the way of shipbuilders who want to go digital, the watchdog said.
PATRICK TUCKER | MAY 3, 2024 05:13 PM ET
NAVY INDUSTRY C4ISR
One reason the U.S. Navy is behind on its shipbuilding goals is that it’s been slow to embrace the kinds of digital-design tools that have revolutionized the process of building commercial ships and military aircraft, the Government Accountability Office says in a new report.
Such tools—3-D modeling, digital twinning—have helped the Air Force fast-track the design, prototyping, and experimentation of new platforms.
“Navy shipbuilders’ use of these tools remains more limited overall than what we found for commercial builders,” the GAO wrote in “Navy Shipbuilding: Increased Use of Leading Design Practices Could Improve Timeliness of Deliveries,” which was released on Thursday.
It’s not a small issue. The United States will be heavily reliant on new ships to deter China from attacking Taiwan or other countries in the Pacific. But China right now has a larger Navy with more than 370 platforms and “is expected to grow to 395 ships by 2025 and 435 ships by 2030,” according to the Defense Department. The U.S. Navy, by comparison, expects to maintain its fleet of around 290 battle force ships through 2030.
https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2024/05/navy-slow-adopt-modern-ship-designing-tools-gao-finds/396313/
