NAVY NEWS
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And in other news at the U.S Coast Guard; "For years the Coast Guard has been pushing for funding to procure a new class of icebreakers as its legacy fleet ages and a warming climate is turning international attention to the Arctic". "The current plan is to procure six icebreakers — three heavy and three medium variants. The lead ship is slated to be fielded by 2023 and will cost under a BILLION dollars, Zukunft said".
I don't believe they will have ANY torpedo tubes designed in. . .
For any FF(X) or FFG(X) ship, I’d highly recommend that the US Navy adds triple torpedo tubes to the design because the melting Arctic ice might warrant the new frigates to transverse the Arctic Circle. In the event of war, lurking enemy submarines under the ice, or trailing the frigate would be too close for the use of MH-60s and ASROCs. Furthermore, having torpedo tubes could help combat submarines in littoral environments.
The FFG(X) frigate is a ship that will serve for 30 to 40 years into the future. What the USN decides to add or eliminate will have repercussions for decades to come. Surely the FFG(X) should have similar or better capabilities than the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates, such as a 76mm gun (the 57mm cannon cannot hole the side of a ship to sink it, as demonstrated in a Canadian FleetEX and other videos showing the airburst capability), SBROC chaff, possible Prairie-Masker, hangar with helicopter, Nixie torpedo decoy, bow sonar, VLS, SeaRAM or Phalanx CIWS, OTH missiles, ESSM and Standard, possible Tomahawk, and perhaps 25mm or 30mm cannons and RIBs. The FFG(X) should be better than the LCSs and remedy the deficiencies and lack of armament and armor in the LCS class.
If cost is an issue, perhaps the USN can build a fleet of “hi-low” mixes epitomized for either ASubW and AAW with some ships constructed for the air-to-air role with better radars and more SAMs (31 VLS cells for over $1B) and others optimized for the ASubW role with better sonars, towed array, torpedo tubes, etc. (16 VLS cells for under $1B) and perhaps even ice-strengthened ASubW hulls and bows for Arctic sailing. These two classes of ships could utilize the same ship design, just named differently and constructed with some modifications adjusted for cost and air or sub-surface roles.
Such a “high-low” AAW vs. ASubW approach could help the US Coast Guard and their new incoming icebreaker fleet---the ice-strengthened ASubW variants could help patrol the Arctic, freeing the new USCG icebreakers from the burden of possessing missile and heavy armaments on the new icebreakers while the FFG(X) AAW variants join the CBGs. Both variants made off of the same ship design could be used for open ocean patrols and anti-drug patrols, having enough armament to adequately defend themselves in peacetime and against low to medium intensity threats. With a 76mm gun, they could still provide adequate shore bombardment and defense coverage.
The key of course would be for the USN to request that these Government Furnished Equipment sensors and armaments be installed in the beginning so that they’re there when they’re needed. The USN could always upgrade or remove them in the future, but it would be very hard to incorporate them if they’re not installed (just like the LCSs can’t have any more heavy armaments added to the original design besides Griffin and Longbow missiles).
"The lead [US Coast Guard icebreaker] ship is slated to be fielded by 2023"?
DD at 12:31 PMMake that 2027 at the earliest.