Zumwalt combined several novel technologies, with three out of four judged to have worked in this discussion. Such a result could satisfy an experimental organization such as DARPA while leaving an operational navy criticized for the missing capability. The Littoral Combat Ship is also characterized as an attempt at a large technological leap. Ambitious experimentation carries a possibility of failure that must be accepted when setting expectations. A later reply argues that a navy asked to undertake DARPA-like experiments should receive comparable success and failure criteria.
Notable Point · 3:49:46-3:55:37
Zumwalt, LCS, and the risk of technology leaps
DARPA can tolerate experimental failure, while an operational navy is expected to field every major system successfully.