The Absalon as an LCS replacement. via Wikipedia.
| General characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Class and type: | Absalon class flexible support ship |
| Displacement: | 6,300 tonnes |
| Length: | 137.6 m (451 ft 5 in) |
| Beam: | 19.5 m (64 ft 0 in) |
| Draft: | 6.3 m (20 ft 8 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × MTU 8000 M70 diesel engines; two shafts 22,300 bhp (16.4 MW) |
| Speed: | 24 knots (44 km/h) |
| Range: | 9,000 nmi (17,000 km) at 15 kn (28 km/h) |
| Boats and landing craft carried: | 2 × SB90E LCP 2 × RHIBs |
| Complement: | 169 |
| Sensors and processing systems: | Thales SMART-S Mk2 3D volume search radar Terma Scanter 2100 surface search radar Atlas ASO 94 sonar 4 Saab CEROS 200 fire control radars ES-3701 Tactical Radar Electronic Support Measures (ESM) |
| Electronic warfare and decoys: | 4 × 12-barrelled Terma DL-12T 130 mm decoy launchers 2 × 6-barrelled Terma DL-6T 130 mm decoy launchers Seagnat Mark 36 SRBOC |
| Armament: | 1 × 5 inch (127 mm)/54 Mark 45 mod 4 gun 7 × 12.7 mm Heavy machine gun 3 × VLS with up to 36 RIM-162 ESSM/RIM-7 Sea Sparrow (Mk 56/Mk 48 VLS) 8-16 × Harpoon Block II SSM 2 × Oerlikon Millennium 35 mm Naval Revolver Gun Systems CIWS MU90 Impact ASW torpedoes 4 × Stinger Point-defence SAM |
| Aircraft carried: | 2 × EH-101[1] or 2 × Westland Lynx |
| Aviation facilities: | Aft helicopter deck and hangars |
This ship my friends is damn near perfect for what I see as the future of Naval Warfare.
Imagine taking your fleet of these ships and instead of making them all multi-mission, have a certain number specialize in a particular form of warfare.
You would theoretically have one squadron designated as pure frigates to operate with the fleet...another squadron to assist in Special Ops missions...another for Riverines...Amphibious Ops...etc...
Instead of buying a whole slew of mission modules you'd buy X number for each squadron to fit their specialization.
And don't hit me with the not built here. Lockheed Martin, Northop and others can build it in their ship yards!
i'm definitely an Absalon fan, but I think a USN version should be more warship and less support ship.
ReplyDeletewell even in its current configuration its more warship than the LCS ever will be...but in its current setup its also more support ship than the LCS can hope to be so it should be a win win.
ReplyDeleteA while back, I did a mockup of a modular warship based on the Gibbs & Cox entrant into the Australian AWD program. It uses a slightly smaller Burke hull but I added an aft mission bay.
ReplyDeletehttps://docs.google.com/open?id=0ByVQu4lA4SjvM2Y1MDJhNTctN2Q5Zi00NTM3LTg0N2EtMWIzNjczZjcyZWVj&authkey=CNmbtOkP
Unfortunately my LWD would probably prove too expensive. IMHO, the Navy needs a ~$4-500 million warship. So it may have to settle for something less well equipped. I'd still go with a big hull with large growth margins.
ReplyDeleteGreat ship, although built largely to civilian specs. It doesn't have the survivability of a milspec design. But I'm all for the StanFlex concept, flexible and cost efficient. Wouldn't mind seeing a couple of such vessels in Norwegian service.
ReplyDeleteB. Bolsøy
Oslo
an awesome ship, it's range is quite good more than twice that, quoted for the lcs!! If i'm not wrong
ReplyDeleteRather than one do-it-all ship forced into 3000tons, it would be wise to look at an Absalon mixed with Eilat class Sa'ar 5 class corvettes. A ratio of one Absalon to two Eilats could be more flexible, more lethal and less expensive than two LCS.
ReplyDeleteA better bet would be the Absalon's sister class Iver Huitfeldt. The volume the Absalon has solves problems unique to the Danish navy. I am not sure what the USN would do with all that volume considering the assets it has available to it. And having being onboard Absalon I can tell you it seems a bigger space than the spec's relate. The IH fills some of the volume with an extra pair of diesels that give them a speed of 28kts. Perhaps what would be better for the USN is hybrid Absaoln/IH with the latter's extra engines but with the after end layout of the former with twin hangars. As for weapons well this IH/Absalon wouldn't need the IH's AAW fit out which would save a considerable amount even on the IH's and Absalon's modest price.
ReplyDeleteWhat is is and what it is not...
ReplyDeleteThe Absalon is medium sized Flexible Support Ship meaning it is designed for logistics support, to be a mothership. Sort of a mini-LPD of the old USN type built to merchant specs. Which yields a ship that is VERY cost effective for far under a billion like the new LPD17 class.
So I agree Absalon is a GREAT support ship design which the USN will completely ignore for more exquisite ships.
What is NOT is a warship, not an LCS for sure but its sister the Iver Huitfeldt as steve notes IS a very nice some would call "expeditionary" frigate. Certainly should be a candidate for the "next-gen" LCS. Also a design the USN will ignore.
You should look B.Smitty's T-MRV for another good suppor ship (based on existing designs).
Ahh gents the problem is the USN has said big Gators is there choice for THE way to go. And look what it got them? 2 less LSD(X). LHAs the size of CVLs.
As I have said before it takes a spectrum of ships to satisfy naval rqmts. All this stuff about getting down to one hull design is BS - stupid.