Posted on 10/10/2014 9:32:03 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
The last decade has seen some pretty awesome looking warships hit waters around the globe. On the "blue water" side of things the Star Wars looking Zumwalt Class and the minimalist art-like Lafayette Class were clearly designed with stealth in mind. Yet the "brown water" is where the most exotic vessels roam, and this is precisely where the X3K was born to fight.
An Indonesian Combat Trimaran Designed In Sweden
The X3K was built by Indonesian-based Swedish boat builder North Sea Boats, and designed in part by renowned exotic boat builder LOMOcean Design LTD. The goal was to build a very stealthy, high-speed, multi-role missile boat that could dominate the complex littorals around Indonesia while still being affordable to procure and operate.
At 63 meters in length, the X3K is no small patrol boat, but with her trimaran wave piercing hull and twin MJP 550 water jets, she can keep up with much smaller boats and even follow them into areas where there is just six feet of water. She is powered by four MAN12 diesel engines that put out 1,800hp each, that can propel her up near 40 knots during sprints. She cruises leisurely in even rough sea states at 16 knots, and has a range of over 2,000 miles.
The X3K is said to have an extremely stealthy design, with its two sets of four-tube anti-ship missiles launchers shrouded behind flat panels above and behind the bridge. Eight Chinese built C-702 anti-ship missiles can be carried for use against medium and small sized targets, or against larger targets, if fired as a salvo. Alternatively, four deadly Saab RBS-15 Mk3 advanced cruise missiles can be carried for attacking both large ships and land targets at long ranges.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com ...
Little Crappy Ships (LCS).
They are targets.
bump
I don’t think we should be choosing U.S. Navy ships by how cool they look.
Combat with who? I suspect these will be used for piracy suppression, and I suspect they will do well at it.
I do not expect that these vessels will be taking on anyone's destroyers, cruisers, or aircraft carriers. Nor do I expect that the pirates that this ship will be hounding and harassing to have an air combat component.
Active Duty ping.
I'd bet that you're right. But do navies really need vessels this fancy to deal with pirates???
Maybe not all navies, but Indonesia's sure does. Piracy suppression and interdiction is its primary mission, and it's serious.
In shallow water, it will make a great artificial reef.
Well, just wait until we have our flying subs that can also orbit the planet!
Yes, especially if they are unmanned. As much as these boats might be, they would save in terms of how no risk to human life.
>> They are...
just interceptable vessels.
They cant be seen with Radar....so one guy with a pair of Binocs can spot and direct fire.
Sometimes just because it has the toys don’t mean all the toys are worth it.
I’m there.
standard and cruise missile armament suggests they are not intended merely for pirate suppression
And I don’t think they can land helicopters.
Is anybody really building naval vessels that can sustain a beating and keep fighting? I thought that was the argument for keeping the battleships on and that argument lost with Clinton’s Admiralty.
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