Due to three technological developments, the hitherto traditional belief – that in naval combat requires the use of various sizes of manned ships, mainly frigates and larger, as integrated battle platforms, very expensive to obtain, with large manning, self-defense systems, etc. – most likely to see its limits now.
1. The first technological development is the wide range of action of missile systems, both anti-aircraft defense and mainly surface-to-surface and surface-to-surface weapons. In recent years, cruise missiles such as the Tomahawk or SCALP, as well as the NSM, RBS-15 Mk IV, Exocet MM40 Block 3 anti-ship missiles, promise to strike over 200 kilometers and much more, especially cruises. And of course we have the upcoming ultrasonic and multi-sounding missiles with radii of action that are measured in thousands of kilometers.
2. The second technological development is that of network-centric warfare, where the weapon carrier is not identified with the target tracking and monitoring body. So one high-powered radar can be on one ship, and another can launch missiles. The latter is also done by feeding data from satellite, from a UAV, from a fighter aircraft, from a ground radar, from a group of special forces in the rear of the enemy.
3. The third technological development is the development of missile weapons at sea through standardized launchers / infrastructure launchers, such as the American MK41, the European Sylver etc. Thus, the entire launcher (each type of missile) can be placed on a variety of ships, but also why not be built as a stand-alone firing unit, which is temporarily installed on each naval platform.
We now see all of the above being “assembled” into a new concept of surface vessels. Where now the main boat is a simple design, fast enough conventional boat with a large cargo area, in which the rocket launchers are placed in pre-packaged containers. The ship, which does not have special armament and electronics (apart from a basic set of shipping and self-defense) can move in any sea, launch its cargo, while being supplied with weapons at sea, as they are in containers.
‘So it is possible to tranship them from a support boat with a crane. The latter is also a great advantage in relation to the classic design frigates, corvettes, etc., where the load of the vertical launch cells is reloaded only at the port. Moreover, this “bombing-artillery type surface vessel” can be unmanned, or with a minimal crew, so that it can move semi-autonomously, without the risk of human loss.
Lockheed Martin’s Optionally Unmanned Surface Vessel (OUSV)
Lockheed Martin’s Optionally Unmanned Surface Vessel (OUSV) is one such proposal that has recently been presented as a blueprint for an unmanned or manned vessel. As shown in the proposal, the large cargo area (with the deck of the boat far ahead, reminiscent of a fast ferry) holds 4 40-foot containers and another 2 of 20-foot containers on its surface. The 40-inch containers each contain a quadruple MK41, which with a special mechanism is moved to an upright position for launching. Thus, in total, the boat (in this form that can be enlarged-reduced) has 16 MK41 cells for any weapon mix. The two 20-bit containers, in the same study, contain a SEWIP Block 2 electronic warfare system, but can also accommodate different equipment packages, e.g. some radar.
On the same subject we have the US Navy Ghost Fleet Overlord program where two ships, the Ranger and the Nomad, have achieved impressive autonomous voyage records, up to 4,421 nautical miles off the east coast of the United States, via Panama and arriving on the west coast. in the Pacific, with 98% of the wealth without human intervention. With ships now being tested as weapons carriers.
The idea
In practice, this idea is a “re-invention” of the naval bombardment, that is, the sailing vessel of the 17th and 18th centuries that had a large barge and was used for bombing naval forts or concentrations of enemy ships. We saw similar applications in World War II, when barges and small auxiliary ships were towed with infantry cannons, or rocket launchers for coastal bombardment with amphibious energy. Such had been used on the Pacific front by the Americans.
More recently, in 2017 the US Navy tested the use of a HIMARS launcher from a landing craft, again in a similar philosophy, even simpler here in its application.
In addition, China has already demonstrated similar exercises with surface-to-air artillery and rocket launchers on ships. While it has tried to convert the Jiujiang light frigate into “amphibious support” by installing 5 rocket launchers of 50 tubes each, in a caliber of 122 mm.
We have seen another version from Russia with the development in a container of a complete missile launch system, the Club-K of the company Concern Morinformsytem-AGAT. Which can use a variety of weapons such as 3M-54KE anti-ship, Kh-35UE cruise etc. A complete package consists of 2 containers, one with weapons and one with control and support systems and of course they can be transported to the deck of a merchant or warship, a train, or a trailer truck offering complete concealment.
Although the above examples are almost all for coastal bombing, the idea is the same: a ship without special naval combat standards, but carrying weapons with high firepower. In the age of rockets, the whole issue is evolving as we have seen to include high-precision and high-speed systems.
Can such ships replace frigates, cruisers, destroyers, etc.? The answer is not complete. But in combination with the many proposals for small unmanned vessel flocks (anti-submarine, surface, electronic warfare, reconnaissance, offensive) that appear internationally, they reveal a completely different dimension of naval warfare. The one that will be done from long distances with mass use of “smart” weapons, from simple platforms, usually remotely controlled, with far fewer “integrated” and manned warships, to act mainly as coordinators-controllers of a swarm of ships around them.
This vessel can be a simple merchant ship, it can be one of the fastest coastal vessels, it can be a new fleet ship, it can even be support ships, which have large cargo platforms available. In fact, these in appearance already have a great resemblance in formulation with the proposals for container weapons carriers.
Another solution here would be to use the fleet’s old amphibious vessels in a minor role, but which, loaded with such a container launch system, along with an affordable satellite communication package, could contribute to a critical phase.
Conclusion
The reinforcement of the modern Navy in weapons and platforms, can not only follow the footsteps of the “big ships”, which as we know their purchase costs are very high and require in the long run and significant funds for maintenance, training, manning. But we also need to look for similar-complementary paths, with innovation, with lower costs, with solutions that will not be easily detectable by the opponent, with high flexibility, decentralized and within localization-targeting networks. With finally significant supply in firepower.
