1. Visby-class corvette.
The Visby-class was developed in Sweden for ASuW and ASW. The Visby-class runs about 184 million dollars each. Specs:
Displacement: | 640 tonnes |
Length: | 72.7 m |
Beam: | 10.4 m |
Draught: | 2.4 m |
Propulsion: | CODOG 2 × 125SII Kamewa Waterjets 4 × Vericor TF50A gas turbines, total rating 16 MW 2 × MTU Friedrichshafen 16 V 2000 N90 diesel engines, total rating 2.6 MW 3 x generators of 270kW each |
Speed: | 35+ knots |
Range: | 2500nm @ 15 knots |
Complement: | 43 |
Sensors and processing systems: | Ericsson Sea_GIRAFFE AMB 3D surveillance radar Ceros 200 fire control radar system Condor CS-3701 tactical radar surveillance system GDC Hull-mounted sonar Hydroscience Technologies towed array sonar system GDC variable depth sonar |
Electronic warfare & decoys: | Rheinmetall TKWA/MASS (Multi Ammunition Softkill System) |
Armament: |
1 × Bofors 57 mm Mk3
8 × RBS15 Mk2 AShM 4 × 400 mm torpedo launchers for Type 45 torpedoes Mines and depth charges Provision for but not fitted with 2 × 6 127 mm ALECTO anti-submarine rocket launchers (cancelled) 8 × Umkhonto SAM(cancelled) |
Aviation facilities: | Helicopter pad |
2. Saar 5 corvette
The Saar 5-class corvette was designed by the Israeli Navy, as the latest in the Saar series which traces it roots back to Germany's WWII E-Boats. The mission of the Saar 5-class is ASuW, with a touch of AAW. The price of a Saar 5 corvette is 260 million dollars. Specs:
Class & type: | Corvette |
Displacement: | |
Length: | 85.64 m (280.97 ft) |
Beam: | 11.88 m (38.98 ft) |
Draft: | 3.17 m (10.40 ft) |
Propulsion: |
|
Speed: |
|
Range: | 3,500 nautical miles (6,500 km) |
Complement: |
|
Sensors and processing systems: |
|
Electronic warfare & decoys: |
|
Armament: | |
Armor: | Steel and aluminum |
Aircraft carried: | Eurocopter Panther, unmanned helicopter[1] |
Aviation facilities: | Helipad and helicopter hangar |
Global Security lists the ship as being armed with a Phalanx 20mm CIWS (as shown in the picture above). Changes to the design would be to replace Israeli electronics with American where possible and affordable, and possibly the addition of a 76mm gun.
3. New build Perry-class frigates
The Perry-class is a strudy design that can take a beating and keeping on moving (see the USS Samuel B. Roberts). Designed to escort amphibs and merchant convoys in a WWIII scenario they had an emphasis on AAW, but still highly capable in the area of ASuW. The last Perry-class frigate, the USS Ingraham, cost about 785 million dollars when adjusted for inflation (cost comes from the 1983-84 issue of Jane's Fighting Ships). Specs for the Ingraham:
Displacement: | 4,100 tons (4,165 t) full load |
Length: | 453 ft (138.1 m), overall |
Beam: | 45 ft (13.7 m) |
Draft: | 27 ft (6.7 m) |
Propulsion: | 2 × General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines generating 41,000 shp (31 MW) through a single shaft andcontrollable-pitch propeller |
Speed: | 29+ knots (54+ km/h) |
Range: | 5,000 nm (9,300 km) at 18 knots (33 km/h) |
Complement: | 15 officers and 190 enlisted, plus SH-60 LAMPS detachment of roughly six officer pilots and 15 enlisted men |
Armament: | 1 × OTO Melara Mk 75 76 mm/62 caliber naval gun 2 × Mk 32 triple-tube (324 mm) launchers for Mark 46 torpedoes 1 × Vulcan Phalanx CIWS 4 × .50-cal (12.7 mm) machine guns. |
Aircraft carried: | 2 × SH-60 LAMPS III helicopters |
Each of the ships discussed above could be built under license in U.S. shipyards, in fact only the Visby-class has not been built in a U.S. shipyard. In the mid-90s the Israelis had Ingalls buld the Saar 5-class. Each of these classes, barring the Perrys, are cheaper than the LCS which costs 680.7 million dollars. Each of these classes has a greater combat capability than the LCS, and greater survivability in combat. Each of these classes is better than the LCS and offers a solid alternative.
No comments:
Post a Comment