Posted on 04/15/2009 12:12:08 PM PDT by Onelifetogive
Not sure what to think.
Sounds like an awesome ship...
Austal's ship, The Independence, can roar from zero to 50 knots in minutes...
On its bow is the baddest gun in Alabama: a 57 mm cannon that can fire 220 rounds a minute, with computer-controlled precision and a nine-mile range.
Bama ping!
ONE WUP ASS MACHINE! ! ! !
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pegasus_class_hydrofoil
They had a perfect solution but they were decommissioned in the 90’s.
Seems to be a 2009 version of the old PT boat. Small, very fast, armed beyond its size, and nothing to argue with.
You complete the task at hand with the appropriate tools. The Bainbridge showed you don’t need an elephant to squish a mouse.
How many of these for the $$$$$ of a carrier?? Different tool for different jobs.
A PT Boat on steroids.
WAAAAY overkill for these pests. Pirates have to get close to take over a ship. A few men standing watch with 308 rifles can keep a few thugs in an open boat at bay. A few shots at their engine should disable them enough to be easily run over.
Let me tell you the weakness of these vessels. First..they rely on very light weight to go fast. Hence they have no ability to absorb any damage. Even a RPG would pierce the hull or superstructure. Second..they require lots of hp to go fast..so they burn a huge amount of fuel. And if you can guess..fuel is weight and they can’t carry a lot..so they have liimited range and limited staying power.
If they rely on helo’s and small boats to extend their reach..you might as well have a heavier longer legged vessel to support the helos and boats.
Cheaper solution: long-endurance Predator-type UAVs that can be launched from a base ship (not a super-carrier), patrol long stretches of water, and engage pirates with rocket and machinegun fire
All valid points. I’d like to add that in the current financial crisis, and with the Navy canceling their Littoral Combat Ship program, this Aussie tri-maran is a pipe-dream. Ain’t gonna happen.
But somebody tell me why we are not building fixed wing and rotary drones by the 100s...equip them with two or four missles each. Fly them off "pocket" carriers for fixed wing or back of destroyers for rotary. Relative to other methods discussed, they are cheap.
Then...simply "search and destroy". Keep them flying until a) all pirate vessels at sea are sunk and their "crews" killed and b) track outbound vessels back to launch points and destroy completely these points.
Were we to do this, I would predict that these scumbags will begin to kidnap innocent kids and women and put them into the "pirate vessels" so that when we sink the vessels, we kill the women and kids too.
Same thing with the shore launch points.
But until or unless that would happen, I think the use of drones should be encouraged.
I’ve thought the same thing. The manufacturer of the Predator designed a naval version (called the Mariner) to compete for the Navy’s BAMS program a couple of years ago. A carrier version was designed, with features such as arrestor gear, foldable wings and reinforced landing gear.Put this model into production, perhaps they could be operated from our Tarawa-class fleet (presently being decommissioned). Equip them with a navalized version of the Hellfire, or some other suitable naval munition, and turn them loose to patrol 24/7/365. When pirate activity is spotted, then it’s weapons free time. Fast, lethal response at a lower cost and no US lives at risk.
I think theold PT boat, with modern weapons would do the job for less money. This one looks like little over kill too.
barbra ann
Good Lord! Is it up to me to remind the Navy that it owns helicopters and jets!?
We need to have C-130s and C-17s LAPES fast attack boats into trouble areas.
And drones?
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