The Coming Of The America Class: A Driver of Innovation

[unhappycamper]

http://defense.aol.com/2012/10/24/the-coming-of-the-america-class-a-driver-of-innovation/




The Coming Of The America Class: A Driver of Innovation
By Robbin Laird
Published: October 24, 2012

A christening of a ship of the line is rare. When it happens, thoughts of how that ship might be used, where it might operate and how it might make new naval history are part of the excitement.

~snip~

Although called an LHA, it is not. Rather than being a Landing Helicopter Assault ship, it really is a flagship for 21st century operations. These operations will be shaped by the need to operate at greater distance, and to strike with aircraft bearing significantly greater capability than the ones they are replacing. The Osprey and the F-35 Bravo can operate at greater distance, speed and lethality than what they are replacing. The F-35B will provide -- with its sister assets -- a change as big as that for which Admirals Sims and Halsey planned for with the introduction of the original aircraft carriers before World War II.

Indeed, this ship is roughly the size of the US aircraft carriers operating at the end of WW II. And as the ship's sponsor –- Lynne Pace, wife of Gen. Peter Pace, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs –- put it to the veterans of the last USS America – a large deck carrier: "I know you (the crew of the former USS America) would love the name to go to an aircraft carrier, but this ship is a mini-aircraft carrier."

~snip~

Second, the USS Ford (unhappycamper comment: around $40 billion dollars), the Navy's next super carrier, is being developed synergistically with the USS America class. According to NAVSEA officers and designers, the workflow for the USS America involving the F-35 is being discussed regularly with the Ford officers and designers. There is a cross-fertilization going on between the two new large aircraft surface assets as significant as when Sims and Halsey rethought the battleship navy and began moving to the carrier navy.



unhappycamper comment: And the best part is this bad boy costs only $3.4 billion (or so) dollars.