From Aviation Week magazine
Navy Oks Aviation-Heavy, Smaller Amphibious Assault Ship
By Michael Bruno
After $1 billion in additional cuts to its proposed design and construction costs that trimmed its multimission aspect in favor of an aviation role, the Defense Acquisition Board has approved Northrop Grumman Corp.’s Landing Helicopter Assault (LHA)-Replacement amphibious assault ship program to enter system development and demonstration (SDD).
The milestone B review occurred Jan. 11, although it previously was scheduled for Nov. 22, 2005, according to the board’s Web site. Navy Rear Adm. Charles Hamilton III, program executive officer for ships, told the Surface Navy Association’s national symposium on Jan. 12 that officials cut “desirement” out of the program to get to a first-ship $2.762 billion (fiscal 2007 dollars) price with which they could live.
“We go from a high-price ship to an affordable ship in a way that gets the capability we need and no more,” Hamilton said, noting that new Navy chief Adm. Mike Mullen has pushed programs to streamline requirements and identify must-have features.
The design of the LHA(R) had been the subject of considerable controversy within the Navy for some time, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
The Navy conducted an analysis of alternatives (AoA) considering six different designs, from one that would be essentially the same as the LHD-8 to another, called the Dual Tram, that would weigh 70 percent more than existing amphibious assault ships and have two separate flight decks so that fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft could operate simultaneously. That is something not possible on current LHA and LHD ships, the CBO reported in November 2004.
According to the AoA, the Dual Tram design would have a displacement of 69,000 tons, as large as the former Midway class aircraft carriers, and cost an average of about $3 billion apiece. But the CBO estimated the cost would be closer to $4 billion each.
“It had a pretty pricey sticker on it,” Hamilton said Jan. 12.
In February 2004, officials settled on a new 50,000-ton LHA version they called LHA Plug Plus. “But certainly the affordability issue was still out there,” the admiral said.
The final version – the 45,000-ton LHA 6 – is a modified LHD variant reconfigured to meet aviation-specific requirements. Senior officials decided to close the well deck – a source of major debate between the Navy and Marine Corps – because closing it makes the LHA(R) more specialized than earlier amphibious assault ships that could launch smaller landing crafts.
The LHA(R) will replace the aging LHA Tarawa class ships, and may eventually replace the LHD Wasp class as well.
Anybody has drawings about the discarded designs?. The “Dual Tram” seems to be the ultimate LHA ship! 😮
I’m very interested in unbuilt designs
Thanks
Antonio
By: pometablava - 4th February 2006 at 17:37
Dear Jazz,
Thanks a lot for the LPH additional info.
I have been trying to get more info about this designs on Friedman’s “US Amphibious Ships and Landing Craft” (2002) ISBN 1-55750-250-1 and Brown and Moore “Rebuilding the Royal Navy” (2003) ISBN 1 59114 705 0 but there are no references 🙁
The ship with the 17 marking has features in common with Spanish “Príncipe de Asturias” and BPE ships
Cheers,
Antonio
By: Arabella-Cox - 30th January 2006 at 03:24
Funny, that the LHA(R) has a Airwing Approximately the same size as the CdG and the forthcoming CVF’s???
By: Arabella-Cox - 28th January 2006 at 05:41
I believe that pic is the modified LHD 8 (“Plug-Plus”) proposal which was 10ft wider and 77ft longer than a LHD 8.
Some info here http://www.navy.mil/palib/cno/n75/Htm/5000PopD3.htm and here http://hqinet001.hqmc.usmc.mil/p&r/concepts/2004/PDF/CP%2004%20Chap%202%20pdfs/CP04%20CHAP%202%20Emerging%20Capabilities%20-%20pp039_Amphibious%20Assault%20Ship%20Replacement%20%20LHA%20R.pdfIt does seem strange that the winning design appears to have a old style island and Sea Sparrow launcher, I was expecting to see integrated masts and VL silos similar to the USS San Antonio (LPD 17) class http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=30684
Well, I am confused? Stealthy Bridge or Wasp Bridge? Regardless, I sure everyone can agree that is will be approximately 10ft wider and 77ft longer………….than the LHD-8 :rolleyes:
By: JAZZ - 27th January 2006 at 22:46
LHP -LPH
Hi Pometablava
LHP – should read LPH, which interestingly enough is the British Classification -Landing Platform Helicopter which is very similar to the US classification LHA LHD.
back to the ‘LHP’ pictures
Top picture is US from Popular Mechanics Oct 1990 ‘Battleforce 2030 one design many missions’ now it discribed a family of such vessels as ‘carrier dock amphibious’, ‘carrier dock logistics’, carrier dock support’….this terminology i was not familiar and classified it as LPH.
Another picture of the proposal can be found in ‘Proceedings’ January 1992 P99.
The following to design concepts should be labeled LPH’s and in that respect are likely to be British concepts. Thats about as much as I can tell you, other than they would have been acquired on a visit to Cranfield University’s library in 1995 or their abouts.
By: Super Nimrod - 27th January 2006 at 16:32
You would have thought that they would have taken that opportunity to incorporate a stealthier Island regardless, even if they just welded on a few deflector plates and didn’t do a full redesign :confused:
Or are the changes so subtle Ihavn’t noticed them ?
By: SteveO - 27th January 2006 at 15:04
Is the smaller of the two Pic’s the Winning Design? All of the pictures that I have seen. Show a more conventional bridge similar to the Wasp Class…… :rolleyes:
I believe that pic is the modified LHD 8 (“Plug-Plus”) proposal which was 10ft wider and 77ft longer than a LHD 8.
Some info here http://www.navy.mil/palib/cno/n75/Htm/5000PopD3.htm and here http://hqinet001.hqmc.usmc.mil/p&r/concepts/2004/PDF/CP%2004%20Chap%202%20pdfs/CP04%20CHAP%202%20Emerging%20Capabilities%20-%20pp039_Amphibious%20Assault%20Ship%20Replacement%20%20LHA%20R.pdf
It does seem strange that the winning design appears to have a old style island and Sea Sparrow launcher, I was expecting to see integrated masts and VL silos similar to the USS San Antonio (LPD 17) class http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=30684
By: pometablava - 27th January 2006 at 08:58
The winning design is going to be the smallest design, which is basically an updated Wasp design.
Look at SteveO link
http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=27386
JAZZ pics are the more ambitious proposals which all had been cancelled
By: Arabella-Cox - 26th January 2006 at 16:29
Here are some larger versions of JAZZ’s pics.
Is the smaller of the two Pic’s the Winning Design? All of the pictures that I have seen. Show a more conventional bridge similar to the Wasp Class…… :rolleyes:
FLY NAVY 😎
By: pometablava - 26th January 2006 at 11:28
Thanks a lot guys!!
The Dual Tram really looks as the ultimate LHA. A very expensive but highly capable ship operating Bell heavy quads, Bell 609 gunship derivative and F-35 fighters…
Anyway this ship would be only justified in a Superpower against Superpower scenario which is not the case in early XXI Century.
Even the winner design (the most austere) has no equal in any other Navy so I think it is the right choice.
JAZZ, I’m also fascinated by this LHP concepts. Unfortunately, pics are too little to appreciate details so I have google a bit looking for info. Since no results had been returned, may I ask you for more info?. What is the role of an LHP?
Thanks in advance
Antonio
By: Arabella-Cox - 25th January 2006 at 02:18
So, I take it the winning design is really just a enlarged LHA/LHD with a Stealthy Bridge? Also, is it true that the Dock Well is not part of the Design???? :rolleyes:
FLY NAVY 😎
By: sferrin - 24th January 2006 at 16:22
Well damn, that “dual tram” design is pretty cool looking. Expensive looking too. Ah well, chances are if they’d bought it someone would have been saying “well what do we need these expensive Nimitz class for?” not understanding the difference.
By: SteveO - 24th January 2006 at 15:28
Another LHA(R) pic from July 18, 2005 here http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=27386
By: SteveO - 24th January 2006 at 15:20
Here are some larger versions of JAZZ’s pics.
By: JAZZ - 24th January 2006 at 09:01
LHA-R
Hope to see the definitive LHA-R design soon. attached is some LHA-R artrists impressions, the top one seems to be the ‘dual tram’ impression. also for good measure a couple of concepts from the mid-late 1990’s for an LHP.
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January 23, 2006 at 10:26 pm