As the next generation of U.S. amphibious assault ships and the largest tonnage amphibious assault ship ever built, the LHA-6 U.S.A. class inherits the tough style of the Tarawa and Wasp class amphibious assault ships, while drawing heavily on the LPD-17 amphibious docking ship, the LHA-6 U.S.A. class amphibious assault ship.
The LHA-6 "America" class inherits the tough style of the "Tarawa" and "Wasp" class amphibious assault ships, and at the same time, to a large extent, draws on the experience of the LPD-17 amphibious dock transport ship construction practices, equipped with a large number of advanced equipment, to maintain the ability of oceanic delivery and maritime combat capabilities, while emphasizing the stealth performance, automation, and the degree of comfort of the personnel and other aspects.
Since the hull structure of LHD-8 was referred to during the design process, while emphasizing on increasing the number of carrier planes and the area of main compartments, its overall layout and design is similar to that of LHD-8, i.e., it adopts a steel monocoque hull type with a full through flight deck. However, unlike the LHD-8, the LHA-6 removed the landing craft and well deck design. The flight deck is equal in length to the hull, and the deck is equipped with two aircraft elevators, arranged in the middle of the superstructure and at the ship. Below the flight deck are hangars, cargo bays and a vehicle deck.
In order to effectively reduce the probability of the LHA-6 amphibious assault ship being detected by enemy detection systems, the U.S. Navy drew on and adopted the successful experience of the LPD-17 amphibious transport ship, the shape of the island building is designed to be a large inclined surface, while reducing the hull of the external surface of the appurtenances and electronic antennas.
On this basis, the main engine, auxiliary engines and transmission devices are also mounted on shock-absorbing and sound-insulating double-cushioning elastic mounts, which reduces the underwater acoustic signals; and a heat-sensitive water-jet cooling system has been set up in the chimney exhaust ports, nacelles and other places where infrared signals are generated as the main source of heat to effectively reduce the strong infrared signals.
The power system of this class of ships is different from that of the US Navy's previously constructed amphibious assault ships of all classes such as the Wasp, Tarawa and Iwo Jima, which used steam turbine power systems, while the latter three used steam turbine power systems. The latter three used steam turbine power system, while the LHA-6 "United States" class used advanced gas turbine - all-electric propulsion. This type of propulsion has good quiet performance, high propulsion efficiency and fast start-up speed, which is the future development trend of large surface ship power.
The current use of this propulsion mode is also the newly commissioned Spanish "Juan Carlos I" class. The ship is equipped with two sets of LM2500+ gas turbines produced by General Electric, with a power of 52,199 kilowatts. There are also two electric motors with a power of 3,729 kilowatts. Maximum speed is 22 knots.
This class of ships utilizes two-shaft propulsion with two adjustable pitch propellers. In addition, large amphibious warships are generally equipped with auxiliary power facilities such as bow thrusters in addition to the main power plant in order to carry out combat missions on complex beaches and inshore waters, but there is no such equipment in this class of ships according to the official information released by the U.S. Army so far.
The LHA-6 "U.S." class is most noteworthy for its strong aviation capability and force projection. In order to improve the aviation combat capability and increase the number of aircraft, the designers expanded the hangar deck area, set up two high hat area, each high hat area installed overhead cranes for maintenance of carrier aircraft; at the same time increase the aviation fuel storage capacity, can carry 3,400 tons of aviation fuel, almost twice as much as the LHD-8 ship, and store more aircraft parts and security equipment.
The class can effectively carry nearly 38 carrier aircraft, with a typical load pattern of 12 MV-22s, four CH-53K Sea Stallion helicopters, eight AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter gunships, four MH -60S helicopters, and 10 F-35B Joint Combat Aircraft.
In addition, the class of ships has enhanced amphibious transport capabilities, especially cargo and vehicle transport capabilities, the ship's cargo hold volume of 3,965 cubic meters, the vehicle deck area of 2,362 square meters, able to accommodate advanced amphibious assault vehicles, M1A2 main battle tanks and other armored vehicles, 1,800 people of the Marine Corps and its equipment.
Providing a strong ocean-going combat support capability is one of the main objectives of the design of this class of ships, so during the design process designers emphasized attention to improving the habitability of the ship's crew and medical and health care conditions, in accordance with the requirements of the class of ships equipped with a 600-bed hospital, six operating theaters, four dental treatment rooms, an X-ray room, a blood bank and several laboratories. The class also separates internal compartments with firewalls, installs fixed foam fire extinguishing systems and uses non-combustible materials to improve explosion and fire prevention capabilities and increase the life expectancy of the warships.
From the information obtained so far, the U.S. Navy claims that unlike previous amphibious assault ships, the LHA-6 "U.S." class does not have a corresponding docking bay, and can not carry LCAC air cushion landing craft. But because the LHA-6 and LHD-8 have a degree of inheritance in the overall design, and multi-plane landing has always been the emphasis of the U.S. military.
As a new generation of amphibious assault ship on which the U.S. Navy has high hopes, the LHA-6 will carry out more burdensome tasks in a wider area of the sea, and the threats it faces are more diversified, and the operational environment is more complex, although vertical landing has become more and more the main style of landing operations, but in some geographical areas, the air cushion landing craft play an irreplaceable role, so the U.S. Navy won't remove such important The LHA-6 should retain the ability to carry LCACs.
Like the Tarawa, Wasp and LHD-8 amphibious assault ships in service, the LHA-6 is not equipped with much offensive weaponry, only two 20-millimeter six-barrel MK-15B. Millimeter 6-barrel MK-15Block1B "dense array" close-in defense guns, two 21 RIM-116 "Ram" short-range air-to-ship missile launchers, two RIM-162 "advanced Sea Sparrow "(ESSM) launchers and seven MZ machine guns, making them quite lean and concise.
The Dense Array Block 1B has been improved from the prototype by installing an improved Ku-band search and tracking radar, a new in-gun control station and remote control station, upgraded computerized fire-control system, and a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera, in addition to the same gun architecture. It can carry out 24-hour passive search and tracking with multi-spectrum detection and tracking capability, which improves the close-range anti-missile capability under strong electromagnetic interference environment.
Meanwhile, the Dense Array Block 1B has improved its gun barrel, which is longer and heavier than the original. The new system improves the firing accuracy of the close-in defense system by simplifying the scattering pattern of the projectile and using a new muzzle suppression system.
The MK244 Enhanced Destructive Munition (EDM) used is an improved version of the existing MK149 munition, with nearly 50 percent more penetrating kinetic energy when striking a target at the same muzzle velocity, making it more lethal against anti-ship missiles, speedboats and aircraft. The system has a maximum rate of fire of 4,500 rounds/minute and a maximum range of 3 kilometers.
"Ram" missile is the U.S. Navy's new generation of air defense shield, which uses the "Rattlesnake" missile shape, combat section and engine, using the "Tail Stinger" missile's Infrared guide head. Because of the small size, the ship's radar and electronic system requirements are low, can be widely carried in large warships and small combat boats and merchant ships.
The live-fire interception experiments, the success rate and can * rate is quite high, the U.S. military has been in the latest construction of the new ships generally installed this type of missile, to replace part of the "dense array" of close-in defense guns. "Ram" missile length of 2.79 meters, body diameter of 127 mm, wingspan of 262 mm, the missile weighs 70.9 kg. The missile has a maximum flight speed of more than Mach 2, a maneuvering overload of more than 209, and an operational radius of 9.6 kilometers.
The Advanced Sea Sparrow is the latest improvement of the Sea Sparrow missile, an international cooperative project to improve the RIM-7 NATO Sea Sparrow, officially numbered RIM-162. Officially designated RIM-162, the missile is based on the RIM-7P but bears little resemblance to the RIM-7P, making it a completely new missile.
It is a tail-controlled (i.e., normal layout, with the control rudder in the tail) missile, using a small-span ratio wing with a controlled tail similar to the standard naval air missile, instead of the original rotating wing.
The use of a thrust vectoring system allows the missile to achieve a maximum maneuvering overload of 50 g. The missile also employs a new single-stage, large-diameter (254 mm) high-energy solid rocket motor, a new autopilot, and a blunt high-explosive pre-fabricated fragmentation battle section, significantly enhancing the effective range compared to the RIM-7P, and reaching the standard for medium-range ship-to-air missiles.
The ESSM utilizes a number of modern missile control technologies, inertial and mid-range guidance, X- and S-band data links, and active radar guidance at the end. This special composite guidance allows the ship to face the most serious threats. It is reported that the LHA-6 ships will be equipped with RIM-163D missiles using the MK29 box launch system.
Little information has been released about the radar and electronic warfare equipment of the LHA-6 "America" class ships. Given that this class of ships will serve as the core and mainstay of the U.S. Expeditionary Strike Group, its combat command system configuration will not be lower than that of the LPD-17 class amphibious dock transports.
Therefore, I just speculate based on what has been available, the ship will be equipped with the maritime global command and control system, the Navy Tactical Command and Support System, the JTIDS Joint Tactical Information System, the AN/USQ-119 (V) 27 Joint Maritime Command and Control Information System, the AN/KSQ-1 Amphibious Assault Command and Control System, the Link 16 data chain and a series of advanced littoral amphibious warfare systems.
In addition, the SPS-48E three-coordinate radar, which appeared on the Wasp, LHD-8, LPD-17 and other ships, should be equipped on the LHA-6 due to the advantages of stable performance and long detection range (up to 402 kilometers). Electronic warfare equipment will use the latest SUQ-32A (V) 3 electronic countermeasures system, with early warning, reconnaissance, electronic jamming and other functions. Due to the large space on the ship, also equipped with a number of jamming bomb launchers, and electronic warfare system *** with the composition of a complete active and passive electronic jamming and countermeasures system.