The Canadian Navy estimated in 2007 that a new fleet of Surface Combatant Ships would cost around $15 Billion for Sixteen (16) or maybe even Seventeen (17) ships. Today in 2015 however, the talk is about building Fifteen (15) or fewer ships with a price tag around the $26 Billion.
How has the price nearly doubled in 8 years without a single ship being designed, built or tested?
The problem is too that the cost of $26 Billion might not even be the final cost.
Keven McCoy, the President of Irving Shipbuilding has informed the public that the final cost is still unknown because the discussions with the Royal Canadian Navy about the design, selection of technology, selection of weapons systems and overall types of ships the Navy is predicting it will need by the 2030s. Once the selection process is done, the final costs can finally be set.
If the price tag continues to rise, will future governments scale back the project even further? Less ships or less capabilities?
How is it that we set a price without a design process yet? That is like agreeing to buying a luxury car, without seeing it or any information about its specifications and performance capabilities. If you agree to this type of purchase, don't be surprised if all you receive is an early 1990s Geo when it arrives.
To see the original article:
Cost of Canadian Surface Combatant Ships a Moving Target
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