Shared Modular Build of Warships

How a Shared Build Can Support Future Shipbuilding

Laurence Smallman, Hanlin Tang, John F. Schank, Stephanie Pezard

ResearchPublished Mar 25, 2011

Some recent shipbuilding programs in the United States and Europe have involved multiple shipyards constructing major modules of each ship for final integration and testing at one shipyard. Most modern shipyards have the capability to build and integrate modules, whether those modules originate at that shipyard or at another. Some yards might need to modify their facilities, however, to handle large blocks, rather than completed vessels, at the waterfront. Shared build might not maintain skills at all shipyards equally, but it might help maintain skills at multiple shipyards.

It requires the cooperating shipyards to set aside any competitive tendencies and help each other to the overall benefit of the program.

Potential benefits include maximizing the learning curve, cross-yard learning, and outsourcing benefits. The Navy needs to decide what it wants from a shared-build strategy, then monitor and manage the program to ensure that it delivers the required outcome, as well as the vessels called for in the program.

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Smallman, Laurence, Hanlin Tang, John F. Schank, and Stephanie Pezard, Shared Modular Build of Warships: How a Shared Build Can Support Future Shipbuilding. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2011. https://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR852.html.
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The research described in this report was prepared for the United States Navy. The research was conducted within the RAND National Defense Research Institute, a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, the Unified Combatant Commands, the Navy, the Marine Corps, the defense agencies, and the defense Intelligence Community.

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