The Navy is rolling out it’s new littoral combat ship, the U.S.S. Independence. The 127 meter long trimaran hull will pull 60 knots (that the Navy will admit publicly to), with a crew of 40. In addition to the advanced sensor package, it carries a configurable mix of guns, missiles and helicopters. It can even carry Strykers and Humvees to put ashore after it softens things up with missiles and it’s Bofors 57mm gun.
Plus it just looks cool.
U.S.S. Independence
Filed under: Miltech, US Navy | Tagged: LCS, Miltech, US Navy |
Urbin Technology 
So, they’re using a SAK 57mm? Good for them.- right now it’s the largest autocannon in the world.
Course, on a ship that size, a 155 with an autoloader might have given them some more punch.
Unfortunately, I think the Navy is going to wind up selecting the USS Freedom for their choice of Littoral Combat ship, as it’s the more traditional monohull design..
The ship has a gun because the Fighter Pilot “mafia” in the Navy isn’t going to repeat the mistake make on the F-4 Phantom jet.
I suppose it’s an issue one must take littorally.
Ahem.
The thing is – that 57mm autocannon only really gives line of sight capability – while a 155 with an autoloader means over the horizon ranges..
The Zumwalt class destroyer was going to mount a pair of exotic 155s, with a range approching 60 miles, and a fire rate of up to 10 rounds a minute.
So? It has a gun. That is all that is required.
The Navy isn’t interested in ship mounted cannon. Missiles are much more sexy.
Trying to insert logic into Naval ship design will just give you a headache.
That’s the problem. Automated counterbattery is getting so good, and so cheap, that even the thirdworld has it these days. We had to hack into Syrias defense net to perform that strike not too long ago.
Shooting down Artillery is not really an option at this point(at least, for them), so a long range, high fire rate gun is a good idea. The fact that it’s a cheaper explosive delivery system by orders of magnitude(Block III Tomahawks have a production cost of half a million dollars, a “dumb” 155 costs $300)
Of course, it will never happen – the Fighter Mafia finally succeeded in getting rid of the BBs, and they don’t want anything remotely like it coming back. They had to fight tooth and nail to get the “G” retrofit of the Ohio class boomers to act as firesupport/SF base, and that uses nothing but missiles.
I agree. Sadly, the best option isn’t the one that gets funded.