DriftLittoral Combat Ship
LCS · Navy · Lockheed Martin / Austal USA · truncated
−40%
$32.0B (2011) → $19.2B (2021)
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Baseline
$32.0B (2011)
Current estimate
$19.2B (2021)
Cost growth
−40%
Units
55 → 35
Quantity change
−36%
Unit-cost change
−6%
IOC
2008 (LCS-1) → 2010 (LCS-2)
Schedule slip
+2 yr
Cost basis
BY
Confidence
high · reconciled
Stated SAR totals against the program’s April 2011 APB (55 ships, $32.0B BY2010): the total fell to $19.2B only because the buy was truncated 55 → 32 → 35 — unit cost ran over the APB at the 2013 trough and ended ~6% under it at program close, while the Navy decommissions hulls early. The often-cited 2004 baseline exists only as UNIT costs (May 2004 APB PAUC $547.2M BY2010) or GAO’s 4-ship first estimate; no document states a 2004 program total, so Drift anchors to 2011. Mission modules are a separate MDAP, excluded.
Source: LCS SARs (seaframe program only, BY2010$): Dec 2013 (DTIC ADA614839) p.16, Dec 2017 p.21, Dec 2019 p.19, Dec 2021 (final SAR, 22-F-0762) pp.13-14 — April 2011 APB $32,011.0M / 55 ships vs final estimate $19,151.8M / 35 ships. TY pair: $37,438.8M → $22,339.1M.
Drift — an independent project by Aous Abdo · Analytica DSS, built from public GAO, CRS and DoD sources. Cost growth has many causes; a larger number is not by itself evidence of mismanagement. How this is built · Explore the data →