pixelesque 12 hours ago

Back to Zumwalt / LCS again? :)

Maybe try modifying someone else's again!

Semi-seriously, the Aus versions of the Type 26 (Hunter class) may actually be a good start: it has Aegis Combat System integration (albeit not via RTX) and a larger mast for the SPYs already as RAN needed those changes from the stock Type 26.

It (Type 26) also has better protection and safety than other European designs due to RN design standards being a lot closer to USN ones (and a lot of the modifications to FREMM were related to that).

balderdash 11 hours ago

There’s an obsession in the navy with number of ships. It’s not an insignificant number, but it’s line comparing the number of severs you have vs. the competition without taking into consideration their specs.

jleyank 13 hours ago

That’s two cancelled classes…. Seems they’re not sure what they want or can’t hold to a plan. Why not keep building Burke class ships and use missile systems to handle shallow water action. Or drones, possibly gunships with standoff capability.

  • ianburrell 11 hours ago

    They are building more Burkes. The Burkes are overloaded so can't add anything else to them.

    Before the costs exploded, the Constellation class frigates would have been half the cost of Burke. There are jobs that need a warship, like patrol off Yemen, but the LCS don't have the defenses.

    Also, this is not a good sign for Navy ability to build the DDG(X) which will be the successor to the Burkes.

  • sunscream89 13 hours ago

    Or maybe drones have transformed the spectrum of naval warfaring.

    • ianburrell 11 hours ago

      Drones don't make a big difference to naval warfare because need large ones to have the range and carry big warhead. Then they need speed to cover that distance. That means have basically invented the anti-ship missile. Ships also have the space to carry defenses. The missiles then either get smarter, stealthier, and supersonic to get through.

      The big recent change in naval warfare is that anti-ship missiles have gotten common. Ukraine used locally built ones to sink a Russian cruiser. Yemen and Iran have been making them.

      • sunscream89 10 hours ago

        You are an idiot.

        Don’t worry, everyone is an idiot when it comes to warfare.

        Did you know, you can defeat every sonar technology known to man with a simple variance on surface area of approximately 1cm? Radial distribution is sufficient though quirky things like Penrose tiles should work.

        “Not supposed to happen” is the last thing I like to hear of others!

    • jleyank 12 hours ago

      I think drones and shoulder launched weapons has forced a rethinking of 20th century weaponry.