Re: US military news thread
One of the scenarios that article mentions is "engaging multiple incoming high-speed boat targets at a range of six kilometers". Are you sure it would be optimal to use RGM-84 Harpoons for this?
The LCS has to fight in the littorals. In the littorals it may face numoerus threats:
1) Small, perhaps swarming, fast boats mounted with machine guns and RPGs.
2) Corvettes and light frigates mounted with anti-shipping missiles.
3) Conventional diesle/electric or nuclear submarines.
4) Mines.
5) Aircraft.
The LCS is supposed to be designed to fight in this environment.
It does need a light, small missile, like the Longbow, and other weapons like the 30mm autocannons it mounts, and the 57mm naval gun, to fight the small craft. A 6-12 mile range for combating these threats is adequate.
For the larger vessles however, it needs a longer range weapon. It needs its own anti-shipping missile. The Harpoon would be great for this. One, four missile cannister would work and would be relativly easy to mount. So would a vertically launched LRASM...but that would require a VLS and then take up space in the VLS. If the corvettes get within range, it can also use its 57mm gun for this. But the smaller missiles and 30mm autocannons lack the effective range to combat these types of vessels .
The point is, for the role the LCS is meant for, it needs both capabilities. A 6-12 mile missile capability for "swarming" small vessels, and a 40-60 mile missile capability for larger corvettes and light frigates.
As to the submarines, with the capability to carry two medium ASW helicopters (SH-60s) and the capability in an ASW module to have various sonars, it should be able to handle that mission.
As to mine warfare, with a Mine Warfare module that allows for remote hunting devices, its own weapons, and the ability to carry a MH-53 Sea Draogn anti-mine helo, it should be able to handle that mission as well.
As to aircraft, its Rolling Air Fram missiles (RAM) are meant to protect it from that threat, but they too are short ranged. It would be good to equip these vessels with a 8 cell Mk-41 VLS and quad pack them with ESSM and then they would also have a very decent medium rangfe anti-air capability.
there has been a strong tendency in the US to standardize (and not just in the Navy!) but I'm aware about the Freedom and Independence classes of the LCS; I know they are pretty different so I'd think the LCS will be standardized, by simply building just the ships of one class, but this hasn't happened, has it? I understand this even less considering all those budgetary cutbacks ... What's your take on this?