SUBMARINE INDUSTRIAL BASE EXTENSION (Senate - June 29, 1993)

[Page: S8266]

Mr. D'AMATO. Mr. President, earlier this year I challenged industry to come up with ideas to reduce the cost, yet retain the capability, of current submarine systems or components.

Hughes Corp. has put together a short briefing, `Options and Alternatives for Submarine Production beyond 1993,' that outlines potential cost savings that could be applied to improved Los Angeles, Seawolf, or Centurion class attack submarines. For reasons of space, I will include only the final table from the presentation, but I would be happy to make the full package available to any of my colleagues who are interested.

I cannot vouch for feasibility, desirability, or acceptability of any of the initiatives, but I applaud Hughes' effort. Frankly, I have been very disappointed at the lack of creativity displayed by both the Navy and industry in coming to grips with cost issues. The pat answer seems to be: if you want to pay less, strip out capability. That is unacceptable.

A wristwatch today costs less then one 20 years ago, and, whereas an old watch only marked the passage of time, a watch today does everything but cook your dinner. The Seawolf is a quantum leap in submarine technology. Now we need to come up with another quantum leap within that Seawolf technology pool in terms of savings. Hughes has taken the first step. I hope others will follow.

I ask that the table I referred to be inserted into the Record immediately after my remarks.

The table follows: 

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SUBMARINE INDUSTRIAL BASE EXTENSION--SSN688 I PLUS OPTIONS
[Comparison matrix, planning estimates]
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                                    Weapons launch system (WLS) Torpedo data converter Combat control system Prototype cots (WLS) Integrated ship ((CTRL) Hull mounted array 
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Recurring cost savings (per system)                  $3,200,000               $600,000              $900,000           $6,000,000             $10,000,000        $10,000,000 
Nonrecurring cost investment                            500,000                100,000               100,000           18,000,000               6,000,000         25,000,000 
Degree of risk                                              Low                   None                  None               Medium                  Medium             Medium 
Footprint savings (square foot)                               8                      4                  None                    8                       8                  8 
Space savings (Cubic foot)                                   40                   16.1                  None                   50                      40                 40 
Weight savings (pounds)                                     500                    900                  None                1,500                   1,000             40,000 
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