ARLINGTON, Va. - Capt. Scot Searles, amphibious assault and connectors program manager, is confident it can get its Ship to Shore Connector (SSC) production line up to four-per-year delivered this year despite past technical problems that led to a production slowdown. In mid-January, Searles said both the Navy and contractor Textron Systems have resolved the challenge of micro cracks in SSC's composite blades through both changes to the blades and software. The Navy and Textron conducted extensive studies in 2020 to understand micro-cracking and why. They developed two solutions: Reinforce existing blade design and modify the propeller control software. Both fixes have been backfit onto the four craft that have been delivered and have been inserted into the production line. Work continues for alternate blade designs that would be cheaper over the life of the craft, he said. The four craft turned over to the Navy have all gone to the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City, Fla., for test and evaluation work. (Source: Defense News 01/21/22) Gulf Coast Note: Textron Systems delivered its first SSC (100) to the Navy on Feb. 6, 2020. SSC is a replacement for Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) vehicles. The Navy has awarded a follow-on production contract to bring a total number of 24 craft to be built at Textron's shipyard in New Orleans, where it has four facilities. With blade issues resolved, Navy seeking four Ship to Shore Connectors a year (defensenews.com)
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