I think omni-purpose and multi-purpose are more or less used synonymously by Totoro?
I don't think anyone doubts the zumwalts will be very potent multirole vessels -- their undersea, surface, and air battle capabilities are all cutting edge, however I think many people feel the USN are sacrificing VLS space for a two hulking sets of AGS, and that practically, in a combat scenario, the few zumwalts of the USN will be relegated for land attack rather than used for every purpose.
Like totoro said, using them for area air defence would negate its excellent and much emphasized stealth shaping. Using a mixed VLS load would make the zumwalt basically a burke but in a bigger, stealthy hull with better sensors and 16 fewer cells (in effect making zumwalt a glorified burke). The most sensible, and I would argue the only sensible way to use Zumwalt, is as a self contained, self defending, survivable naval gunfire support vessel, leveraging the two AGS they've given up so much for.
There is a certain appeal big gun toting ships emanate, though. I wonder if PLAN would consider developing a "zumwalt style" 055, possibly carrying two PJ-38s, or even two dual PJ-38s much like the original AK-130 mount it was based on, ala sovremenny.
If we recall that a single AK-130 gun had an equivalent firing rate to the US Mk-45, the two dual AK-130s aboard Sovremenny provided the equivalent of two ticonderogas/spruances worth of naval gunfire support. Two dual PJ-38s on a modified 055 with IPS, can send ERGM style rounds at a faster rate than AGS (albeit of smaller calibre and probably slightly smaller range) while waiting for railguns to mature.
But that's just a pie in the sky, I suppose.
I don't think anyone doubts the zumwalts will be very potent multirole vessels -- their undersea, surface, and air battle capabilities are all cutting edge, however I think many people feel the USN are sacrificing VLS space for a two hulking sets of AGS, and that practically, in a combat scenario, the few zumwalts of the USN will be relegated for land attack rather than used for every purpose.
Like totoro said, using them for area air defence would negate its excellent and much emphasized stealth shaping. Using a mixed VLS load would make the zumwalt basically a burke but in a bigger, stealthy hull with better sensors and 16 fewer cells (in effect making zumwalt a glorified burke). The most sensible, and I would argue the only sensible way to use Zumwalt, is as a self contained, self defending, survivable naval gunfire support vessel, leveraging the two AGS they've given up so much for.
There is a certain appeal big gun toting ships emanate, though. I wonder if PLAN would consider developing a "zumwalt style" 055, possibly carrying two PJ-38s, or even two dual PJ-38s much like the original AK-130 mount it was based on, ala sovremenny.
If we recall that a single AK-130 gun had an equivalent firing rate to the US Mk-45, the two dual AK-130s aboard Sovremenny provided the equivalent of two ticonderogas/spruances worth of naval gunfire support. Two dual PJ-38s on a modified 055 with IPS, can send ERGM style rounds at a faster rate than AGS (albeit of smaller calibre and probably slightly smaller range) while waiting for railguns to mature.
But that's just a pie in the sky, I suppose.
