Navy's newest badass aluminum warship: USS Independence (LCS 2)

[Analog]

Independence is a 419-foot aluminum trimaran, the first of its design in the Surface Fleet. It has a displacement of 2,800 metric tons, is capable of speeds in excess of 45 knots, and can operate in water less than 20 feet deep. Propelled by four water jets in addition to two diesel and two gas turbine engines, the ship boasts a range of over 3,500 nautical miles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1uZfwws2WI

 

[OulOat]

Why is it leaking water?

 

[Analog]

Why is it leaking water?

bilge

 

[Possessed Freak]

I love its armament. A 57 mm cannon. Hell a damn 4 stack had a 3" gun.

 

[bobsmith1492]

Why is it leaking water?

You're leaking gray matter out your ear.

 

[bobsmith1492]

I love its armament. A 57 mm cannon. Hell a damn 4 stack had a 3" gun.

Did you see the Aegis?

Also:

"The Raytheon Evolved SeaRAM missile defense system is installed on the hangar roof. The SeaRAM combines the sensors of the Phalanx 1B close-in weapon system with an 11-missile launcher for the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM), creating an autonomous system."

 

[Possessed Freak]

Did you see the Aegis?

Hell of an offensive weapon... oh wait.

[edit]You mean the Phalanx system?[/edit]

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

It's got 4 racks of RAM shielded by the door in the rear.

 

[Number1]

What is the point of the design of that ship?

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

What are you yanks compensating for, hmm? :hmm:

It is pretty fucking cool looking.

 

[bobsmith1492]

Hell of an offensive weapon... oh wait.

[edit]You mean the Phalanx system?[/edit]

Er, right, the Phalanx. I can't help but think that, if they programmed it to, it would make a great anti-aircraft cannon.

 

[shiner]

What is the point of the design of that ship?

To kick ass and chew gum, and it's all outta gum.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

What is the point of the design of that ship?

Speed, stealth, low draft, missile ship, multi purpose platform.

 

[bctbct]

Aluminum doesnt seem like a good material for something that might face small arms fire.

 

[mizzou]

would be awesome to see if sea shephard got their hands on one of these

 

[Regs]

Looks bad ass.

 

[destrekor]

If I were a boat, I'd sex that.

Wait, what does that even mean?
Still wanna sex it though....
:ninja:

Seriously that LOOKS badass. How formidable it actually is, who knows. But the anti small ship capabilities of the newer vessels is pretty damn insane. A lot of capabilities for defense even though they don't seem to have much on them. Just, the offensive and defensive equipment on board is just a hell of a lot smarter than anything before.
The Phalanx system itself, for example, is super badass.

And I think ships like the LCS is what they ultimately want to get railguns onto in the future, though larger ships will be the ones to get the first generation railguns, just due to the enormous bulk of the systems and the amount of space required to produce the necessary energy.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Railgun_usnavy_2008.jpg
Plasma. That's fucking plasma! And note the massive, what I assume to be pressure wave riding in front of the kinetic projectile.
PLASMA merely from riding the tube. Nuts!

 

[lifeobry]

It looks pretty badass. But that guy on the machine gun needs some cover, he's going to get owned by an RPG.

 

[MarkXIX]

Aluminum doesnt seem like a good material for something that might face small arms fire.

You might think that, but a majority of armored vehicles have aluminum as the primary component of the hull. We're not talking soda can aluminum here, we are talking more than an inch thick or more.

 

[TehMac]

I love its armament. A 57 mm cannon. Hell a damn 4 stack had a 3" gun.

Missiles can solve a lot of problems. Why do you think most battleships are retired? If not all of them.

 

[BeauJangles]

Why do we need this exactly?

 

[shiner]

Why do we need this exactly?

These ships are designed to work close in to shore in shallow water. Something the Navy currently lacks.

 

[BeauJangles]

These ships are designed to work close in to shore in shallow water. Something the Navy currently lacks.

That might be important, but I don't really see how all these new toys are justified when we're spending billions of dollars on two wars and running up an ever-increasing deficit. I know that the Navy has been planning this stuff for years, but it still seems silly and completely unnecessary given the problems we're currently facing.

 

[bobsmith1492]

It was "only" $700 million; subsequent production should be much cheaper.

 

[shiner]

That might be important, but I don't really see how all these new toys are justified when we're spending billions of dollars on two wars and running up an ever-increasing deficit. I know that the Navy has been planning this stuff for years, but it still seems silly and completely unnecessary given the problems we're currently facing.

I'd rather spend money on military hardware than be throwing it at poorly run banks/GM, Etc, etc, etc.......but that's another discussion and doesn't really belong in this thread.