You're a naval architect, and the USN calls on you to design a new, large, fast surface combatant to replace the Iowa class. The missions of this new warship?
-Fast carrier escort
-Surface combatant
-Area air defense
-Naval fire support platform
You are put in charge of designing a ship that meets these missions, though how you meet them is entirely up to you. Guns or missiles, armour or stealth, gas turbines or nuclear power, you make the decisions.
Why am I asking this? Plain old curiosity as to what form a modern battleship would take.
I'd go with a ship in the 35-45,000 tonne range. Long and slim, and nuclear-powered (with gas turbines for back-up), to hopefully achieve a speed of 30+ knots. Radar would probably be AN/SPY-3, maybe the SAMPSON system designed by the RN. Double-hull design, with extensive compartmentalization for survivability. The ship would incorporate radar signature reduction features, like the elimination of right angles and reduced equipment on deck, giving the ship a very clean superstructure. Cooling systems on the funnels, similar to those on the Type 45s, would reduce the infared signature as well. This might not make the ship stealthy, but it would make it just a bit harder to target. Prairie/masker would be used to reduce the sonar signature as well. Armour would most likely be equivalent to that of the Iowas, as no other surface combatant I can think of can put a dent into that kind of armour today. Armaments? I'd go with a single 16"/50 two gun turret of a new design based on the Mark 7, but enhanced by the improvements of modern technology. Another four 155mm single gun turrets would round out the gun armament. Missiles, however, would be the primary armament, with an extensive peripheral VLS, to give the ship an even greater missile capacity than the Ticonderogas. ASROC would also be used, to give the ship a bit of it's own ASW capability. CIWS would be covered by four Goalkeeper guns mounted on the superstructure, supplemented by four RIM-116 SeaRAM launchers. Aircraft complement would include MH-60R Seahawks and UCAV drones.
Of course, I'm just an enthusiast. I'm sure all you professionals have far better, more practical ideas. Or don't think the Iowas shouldn't be replaced at all, and that gap in the mission capabilities of the USN is irrelevant given the nature of modern naval warfare.
-Fast carrier escort
-Surface combatant
-Area air defense
-Naval fire support platform
You are put in charge of designing a ship that meets these missions, though how you meet them is entirely up to you. Guns or missiles, armour or stealth, gas turbines or nuclear power, you make the decisions.
Why am I asking this? Plain old curiosity as to what form a modern battleship would take.
I'd go with a ship in the 35-45,000 tonne range. Long and slim, and nuclear-powered (with gas turbines for back-up), to hopefully achieve a speed of 30+ knots. Radar would probably be AN/SPY-3, maybe the SAMPSON system designed by the RN. Double-hull design, with extensive compartmentalization for survivability. The ship would incorporate radar signature reduction features, like the elimination of right angles and reduced equipment on deck, giving the ship a very clean superstructure. Cooling systems on the funnels, similar to those on the Type 45s, would reduce the infared signature as well. This might not make the ship stealthy, but it would make it just a bit harder to target. Prairie/masker would be used to reduce the sonar signature as well. Armour would most likely be equivalent to that of the Iowas, as no other surface combatant I can think of can put a dent into that kind of armour today. Armaments? I'd go with a single 16"/50 two gun turret of a new design based on the Mark 7, but enhanced by the improvements of modern technology. Another four 155mm single gun turrets would round out the gun armament. Missiles, however, would be the primary armament, with an extensive peripheral VLS, to give the ship an even greater missile capacity than the Ticonderogas. ASROC would also be used, to give the ship a bit of it's own ASW capability. CIWS would be covered by four Goalkeeper guns mounted on the superstructure, supplemented by four RIM-116 SeaRAM launchers. Aircraft complement would include MH-60R Seahawks and UCAV drones.
Of course, I'm just an enthusiast. I'm sure all you professionals have far better, more practical ideas. Or don't think the Iowas shouldn't be replaced at all, and that gap in the mission capabilities of the USN is irrelevant given the nature of modern naval warfare.
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