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The establishment of any large project faces a tangle of performance, cost, and project schedule, especially the costly U.S. Navy. After a series of serious setbacks such as the Seawolf-class attack nuclear submarine, the Littoral Combat Ship, the Zumwalt-class large destroyer, and the latest Ford-class aircraft carrier, the ford, the U.S. Navy finally stopped "messing with black technology" and turned to a pragmatic route.
On January 12, 2022, David Hart, program manager for the U.S. Navy's DDG(X), revealed the latest concept drawings and a large number of design details of the class at the National Symposium of the Naval Association on Surface (SNA), combing through the technical information of the class and exploring the important changes in the U.S. Navy's shipbuilding route described above.
Pictured: The Zumwalt-class destroyers, covered in black technology, ended up building only 3 poor ones.
The U.S. Navy is finally learning to be obedient, and the newly released next-generation destroyer (DDGX) concept is no longer science fiction, but more targeted
Author: Academic Plus Observer Walker (specializing in foreign military dynamics and international current affairs)
The main content and keywords of this article
1. Technical overview, using proven technologies: combat system (following the Arleigh Burke Flight III destroyer); power system (reference Zumwalt class evolution into all-electric propulsion); ship design returns to tradition; concept design (in preparation for launch of new hypersonic weapons)
2. Reasons for the update: Expand the platform upgrade space; increase the range and climate adaptability to meet the needs of Indo-Pacific and Arctic operations; improve the survivability of warships (integrated power system)
3. Design management model transformation: The U.S. Navy ship project has no choice but to transform; ship design management process optimization reform (each ship class has a senior technical supervisor, and key systems must pass land simulation tests before boarding) ;DD the "suite" mode of the G(X) project; the latest progress of the DDG (X) project
4. Conclusion: Expensive Navy! The current major projects are in the pre-concept demonstration phase (Navy version of the next generation fighter NGAD, next generation destroyer DDG(X) and next generation attack nuclear submarine SSN(X))
At present, the families in the United States cannot withstand their tossing and turning as much as before--the landlord's family has no surplus grain.
On April 30, 2020, the U.S. Navy announced that the Constellation-class Frigate (FFGX) project was selected by the Italian Fincantini Group, which was based on the European Multi-Purpose Frigate (FREMM) jointly developed by France and Italy, which has been in service since 2012 and has matured in all aspects.
Marked by the Constellation-class frigate program, the U.S. Navy began to shift to a more pragmatic shipbuilding route, adopting proven, proven technologies to reduce risk and strictly implement project schedules. The Next Generation Destroyer (DDGX) program, which succeeds the 30-year-old Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, also takes this route.
On January 12, 2022, David Hart, program manager for the U.S. Navy's DDG(X), revealed the latest concept drawings of the class and a large number of design details at the Surface Naval Association (SNA) National Symposium, from which it is clear that the U.S. Navy has seen important changes in the shipbuilding route described above.
Image: Rendering of the U.S. Navy Constellation-class frigate FFG(X).
1. Technical overview
Use proven technology
After reading the DDG(X) profile, those who are accustomed to the US military constantly pulling "sci-fi" weapons out of their pockets may be disappointed. This time, the so-called "next-generation destroyer" can be said to be quite "bland".
Figure: DDG(X) design concept drawing (not finalized, for concept notes only).
It lacked the egotistical shape of the Zumwalt-class destroyers or the tall electromagnetic catapults of the USS Ford. In simple terms, judging from the latest disclosures of the US Navy, the DDG(X) is basically equivalent to an Ali Burke Flight III destroyer in a new hull.
(1) Combat system: DDG(X) follows the combat system of the Arleigh Burke Flight III destroyer, including the AN/SPY-6 active phased array air surveillance radar and the baseline 10 Aegis combat system, and the future radar array size can be expanded from 14 feet (4.27 meters) to 18 feet (5.49 meters) to improve the detection distance and accuracy of the radar.
Figure: Illustration of the AN/SPY-6 aerial surveillance radar and baseline 10 Aegis system used on the Flight III batch of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.
(2) Power system: The reference Zumwalt class will evolve into all-electric propulsion - the power of the gas turbine will be converted from the turbine generator into the flow of electricity in the ship's power grid through the turbine generator, so as to promote the warship and drive the various equipment of the whole ship.
(3) Ship design: Judging from the concept drawings that are not the final design draft released so far, the ship design returns to tradition, although it also clearly emphasizes the stealth requirements, but it is not as exaggerated as the Zumwalt class, but it is easier to remind people of the Ali Burke class.
(4) Conceptual design: In the conceptual design, the DDG (X) is equipped with a 32-unit Mk-41 missile vertical launch system in front of the superstructure, which can be replaced by 12 larger units for the launch of the Navy's new hypersonic weapons. The current Arleigh Burke-class destroyers have 96 vertical-firing units, and it has been revealed that the future DDG(X) will at least not fall below that number in terms of missiles.
In addition, the concept design includes two RAM point defense anti-aircraft missile launchers of 21 units each, which are used to intercept incoming anti-ship missiles in the inner layer of the air defense circle. In the future, it can be replaced with two laser weapons with a power of 600 kW each, and a laser weapon with a power of 150 kW is installed in the front of the concept design superstructure.
(5) There is also a strange so-called "destroyer payload modular option" in the concept map, and there is speculation that it may be similar to the modular combat system concept of the Littoral Combat Ship, which can be flexibly matched before the mission is left. However, since the concept of the Littoral Combat Ship has failed, it is expected that it will probably not be so complicated, just a functional module that can provide limited variations.
That's it? Well, that's it. Judging from the latest disclosures, the main weapons and equipment of DDG(X) are basically these.
Pictured: A U.S. Navy hypersonic missile is launched from a Pacific missile launch facility on Kauai, Hawaii, on March 19, 2020.
2. Cause
Why the replacement?
So the question arises: since the DDG(X) is just an Allie Burke in a new hull, why come up with such a replacement plan?
2.1 Expand the platform upgrade space
You know, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers can be regarded as the most successful surface ships in the U.S. Navy. Since production began in 1985, the latest Flight III batch will remain in production until after 2027, and the destroyers will remain in service with the U.S. Navy's fleet until the 2060s.
Figured: Schematic of the U.S. Navy's Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Flight III.
It is precisely because of the excellence of this type of warship that the FOLLOW-up replacement plan of the US Navy for more than a decade has not been implemented. Until now, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers upgraded to the Flight III batch, although still able to provide reliable integrated air defense and missile defense capabilities, have been exhausted and no longer have the ability to continue to move forward.
Catherine Connery, deputy program manager for the U.S. Navy's DDG(X), said at the workshop: "When we upgraded the Arleigh Burke Class Flight III batch... We consume the amount of redundancy of all services on the platform. All the space, weight and power have been allocated. There wasn't enough room on that class of ships to accommodate a new system that would require more power or a larger footprint. ”
This is the most important reason why the U.S. Navy finally made up its mind to establish the DDG(X) Program Office on June 4, 2021.
2.2 Increase range and climate adaptability to meet the needs of indo-Pacific and Arctic warfare
In addition, with the evolution of the global maritime strategic situation, the US Navy's emphasis on the Indo-Pacific region has increased year by year, and the combat area and combat environment of warships are changing compared with the past.
Because the follow-up plans for the Ticonderoga-class cruisers are unclear, as these aging cruisers retire from active service, the U.S. Navy is likely to rely on destroyers for some time. Compared with cruisers, the biggest shortcoming of the previous Arleigh Burke-class destroyers is "short legs" - insufficient range and limited self-sustainment at sea, which has formed many restrictions on their use. Especially looking at the vast Indo-Pacific region, this "short board" is even more magnified.
As a result, the U.S. Navy has made detailed requirements for the new generation of destroyer programs in this regard: more than 50% increase in range and more than 120% longer forward deployment time compared to the previous generation of Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, which requires DDG(X) fuel consumption to be reduced by more than 25% and less reliance on naval combat logistics replenishment resources.
As the global warming trend becomes more pronounced, the U.S. Navy has also specifically called for improved DDG(X) operations in the Arctic. Previously, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers were designed to operate primarily in the tropics.
Pictured: The U.S. Navy's Allie Burke-class destroyer HMS Gridley (DDG 101) moored and refueling at the Tromsø pier in Norway inside the Arctic Circle.
2.3 Improve the survivability of warships
In addition, the U.S. Navy certainly does not ignore the survivability of warships, which they have always attached great importance to, requiring DDG(X) to be able to maintain better maneuverability and integrated air defense and missile defense capabilities than the Arleigh Burke Flight III batch after damage. At the same time, stealth requires more than 50% lower acoustic, infrared and underwater electromagnetic signals than the current Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.
The need to improve maritime endurance and accommodate future technological developments has made the application of integrated power systems on DDG(X) inevitable.
(1) The integrated power system (all-electric propulsion) can effectively improve energy utilization efficiency and reduce fuel consumption;
(2) In the future, the continuous enhancement of various sensors such as high-performance radar, the continuous improvement of the computing power on the ship, and the gradual practical application of directed energy weapons that directly use energy as ammunition have put forward higher requirements for shipboard electricity. In this case, only an integrated power system can meet the needs from all sides.
(3) Provides application flexibility for warships: Commanders can now decide to flexibly allocate energy in terms of both power and firepower – either by temporarily reducing mobility in exchange for higher combat capabilities, or by temporarily reducing combat capabilities in exchange for faster speed.
Figure: Schematic diagram of the integrated power system used on the Zumwalt-class destroyer.
3. Design management mode
Design management model transformation
3.1 The U.S. Navy's ship program is helplessly transformed
This time, the DDG(X) adopted this way of first transitioning mature technology to a new hull with high redundancy, and then continuously upgrading and modifying according to various developments to have more and more powerful combat capabilities, it is really the members of Congress who have fed up with the "blind aggressiveness" and "profligacy" of the US Navy in a series of projects mentioned earlier.
The long delay and serious overrun of the ford-class aircraft carrier's first ship, the Ford, became the last straw that crushed the camel.
Pictured: The USS Ford did not deliver the ship's last advanced weapons lift until late 2021, nearly four and a half years after it entered service in July 2017.
3.2 Ship design management process optimization reform
The FY2020 Defense Authorization Act, which mandates that the U.S. Navy must have a senior technical director for each ship class. This role will oversee the ship design process, better understand critical systems early in new ship development, and develop plans to reduce development risk through extensive testing and digital modeling efforts.
At the same time, the ship's critical systems must pass the land simulation test before they can be put on board, a requirement that was apparently made after the advanced weapons lifts on the FORD aircraft carrier were installed on the ship without land testing and could not be delivered for use.
Pictured: The AN/SPY-6(V)1 air defense and missile defense radar system being installed and tested at the Land Combat Systems Engineering Development Base in Morristown, New Jersey, USA.
3.3 "Bundle" mode for DDG(X) projects
The DDG(X) project "had the privilege" to be one of the first major projects to pass this new program under the leadership of the Senior Technology Department.
Since there was no mature precedent for the DDG(X) program at the beginning of its inception, the U.S. Navy adopted a method known as a "set" this time, that is, through extensive prototyping and observation to understand a variety of different design attributes, and finally narrowed down to a single design solution.
Its various design models and integrated power systems are currently being prototyping, system integration testing, and full-scale demonstrations at the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center's onshore test sites in Cadlock, Maryland, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with the goal of completing critical system testing to fully expose the risks before the next milestone node is approved.
Pictured: The U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center test site in Cadlock, Maryland.
3.4 Update on the progress of the DDG(X) project
The relevant shipyard personnel were added to the project team in March 2021 so that they could advise the project on the feasibility of construction at an early stage and identify as early as possible future cost savings and construction efficiency.
The DDG(X) project is still in the concept stage, and with the disclosure of project concept information to the public, it means that this phase is likely to have been completed and will move on to the preliminary design phase. The U.S. Navy applied for about $79.7 million in a fiscal year 2022 budget request issued late May 2021 for concept development work. The follow-up plan is to enter the detailed design phase by fiscal year 2026, and construction will begin in fiscal year 2028.
Since the Flight III batch of Arleigh Burke-class destroyers was still under construction at this time, a well-thought-out transition plan might be needed to help manage the construction schedule for these large surface combat ships.
Conclusion
Expensive Navy
Major projects currently on the U.S. Navy's desk also include the Navy's next-generation fighter NGAD to replace the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the next-generation destroyer DDG(X), and the next-generation attack nuclear submarine SSN(X), all of which are understood to be in the early stages of concept demonstration. Relatively speaking, the next-generation destroyer DDG(X) is entering the preliminary design phase and may be the fastest project among them.
Does the U.S. Navy really have the ability to advance three major projects at the same time: air, surface and underwater?
I'm afraid, it's hard.
【Reference Link】
https://news.usni.org/2022/01/12/navy-unveils-next-generation-ddgx-warship-concept-with-hypersonic-missiles-lasers
https://news.usni.org/2021/06/04/navy-stands-up-next-generation-destroyer-program-office-construction-start-planned-for-fy-28
https://news.usni.org/2021/06/02/navy-wants-110m-in-fy-22-rd-funds-to-develop-next-generation-destroyer-submarine