{"id":85691,"date":"2024-05-15T16:53:08","date_gmt":"2024-05-15T16:53:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2024\/05\/15\/in-platform-design-and-construction-the-best-surprise-is-no-surprise\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T20:43:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T20:43:27","slug":"in-platform-design-and-construction-the-best-surprise-is-no-surprise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/opinion\/2024\/05\/15\/in-platform-design-and-construction-the-best-surprise-is-no-surprise\/","title":{"rendered":"In platform design and construction, the best surprise is no surprise"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This is part of a series exploring ways to strengthen the U.S. Navy\u2019s fleet. <\/i>Click here<\/i><\/a> to see the entire series.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to naval capacity, the more the better<\/a>. This includes platforms like guided-missile destroyers (DDG) \u2014 the current and future backbone of the surface force \u2014 that remain critical to the U.S. Navy\u2019s missions and, by extension, America\u2019s defense-industrial base<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the Navy considers transitioning procurement<\/a> to the next-generation surface combatant, called DDG(X)<\/a>, in fiscal 2032, the case of the ubiquitous Boeing 737 airliner can provide a useful guide to ensure these ships are scalable, affordable and relevant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, similarities abound between airliner manufacturing and destroyer construction. Both involve corporate duopolies<\/a>, large-scale production, detailed assembly, multiple supply vendors, a slow-grown workforce and rising demand<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, the newest 737 and DDG are hardly designs created from the ground up; they evolved<\/a> from successful predecessors as missions and environments necessitated \u2014 remodeled rather than rebuilt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, these platforms leveraged new technologies incrementally to mitigate risk, avoid obsolescence and keep pace with requirements. So as the Navy considers ways to bolster production<\/a> of its preeminent surface combatant and design its successor, it should study lessons from Boeing\u2019s history with 737s. Here are some of them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Incremental innovation yields efficiencies by building upon previously proven work.<\/b> Boeing\u2019s enduring, modified 737 design has allowed the company to maintain a hot production line with forecast output of a staggering 57 planes per month<\/a> by next summer. Similarly, the stable Arleigh Burke-class DDG-51 blueprint allows shipbuilders to work on multiple hulls simultaneously.<\/p>\n\n\n\t