NationStates Jolt Archive


Secret IC: PIW developing Leander-class light command and control battleship

Sarzonia
07-06-2005, 15:38
Background
The Leander-class 'baby superdreadnaught' is an outgrowth of a project started by former Portland Iron Works engineers who defected to Doomingsland to create a warship that would combine some of the favoured aspects of superdreadnought designs in a more compact form. The decision was originally made to shelve the project because of a lack of utility in the Incorporated Sarzonian Navy; however, the defection forced the ISN to ask the Portland Iron Works to resume development. The ultimate result is the new Leander-class trimaran light command and control battleship.

Command and Control The primary function for the ISN would be to serve as a command ship where sending a superdreadnaught would not be cost-effective or practical. However, for navies that are looking for a cost-effective warship to serve as the flagship of their fleets, the Leander can fit the bill capably with a fleet defence system adopted from the Shield-Bearer-class guided missile cruisers that have been a mainstay of the ISN for years. Adapted for the Leander, it can allow the ship to command fleets of up to 200 ships.

Armament
Unlike the newest classes of superdreadnoughts sporting massive 25 inch or 30 inch guns, the Leander carries a modest outlay of 20 inch guns; however, with 15 of them arranged in five triple turrets, Leander is still capable of bringing a powerful broadside to bear in support of coastal bombardment or anti-ship engagements. Her aircraft complement of 24-36 aircraft allow the ship to project limited air power when needed. In addition, the Mark 136 VLS allows the ship to fire the massive Scourge and Scorcher anti-ship missiles adapted from the Russian Shipwreck and Sunburn missiles. The two 650 mm torpedo tubes allow the ship to fire the new ultralarge Bayonet torpedo. The design incorporates many design elements that facilitate survivability against kinetic energy attacks; namely, KERI foam installed in void spaces, kinetic reducing ceramic plates, and composite rods. The titanium used to construct the Leander also has some resistance to kinetic attacks. Its use of a honeycomb frame gives it additional stability and survivability.

Leander-class Trimaran light command and control battleship
Length: 394 m; Beam: 92 m; Draught: 13.6 m
Displacement: 296,530 tonnes full load
Armament: 5 x 3 508 mm ETC guns in A, B, C, X & Y positions; 6 x 155 mm naval railguns port and starboard; 8 x 140 mm ETC guns port and starboard; 4 x 64 Mk 136 VLS; 2 x 650 mm TT; 14 x 'Rattlesnake' CIWS
Protection: 680mm-820 mm advanced armour composite (titanium, vanadium, aluminum, ballistic ceramics); double-bottomed, reinforced keel with void spaces, which have KERI foam for limited protection against KE attacks. Honeycomb frame; composite rods and kinetic reducing ceramic plates provide additional protection against KE attacks.
Aircraft: 24-36 STOL aircraft on two small runways.
Complement: 3,100 plus 80 air crew.
Propulsion: Four Pebblebed nuclear reactors, two internalised waterjets. Compulsators provide power to naval railguns from central power system. Extensive thermal insulation reduces noise emissions from Pebblebed reactors. Four diesel turbines provide emergency propulsion. 34.8 knots.
Sensors: AN/SPY-3B MFR multi-function radar; AN/SPS-64(V)10 navigational radar; AN/SQS-56 (K) hull mounted sonar
Electronics Warfare Suite: AN/SLY-2 (V) Advanced Integrated Electronic Warfare System (AIEWS)
Decoys: AN/SLQ-49; AN/SLQ-25 Nixie; MK-53 Nulka DLS
Fire Control: MK-99 FCS missile fire control; Gun fire control: MK-88 GFCS (System calculates ballistic gun orders, The GFCS conducts direct firing attacks against surface radar and optically tracked targets); MK-116 mod 7 ACWSCS torpedo fire control
Fleet Defence System: MK-200 mod 2 FDS
Fleet Defence Control: MK-201 FDC
Torpedo Fire Control: MK-117 ACWSCS (Anti-Submarine Weapon Control System, Underwater Fire Control System)
Countermeasures: Towed array sonar utilizing a hull transducer or a towed active transducer or both. It is an integrated ASW, Mine Avoidance and Torpedo Defense underwater system.
Price: $35 billion
Running Costs: $2.5 billion per year

[OOC: I already use "light dreadnaught" for my Brandywine-class, though this might fit that bill more readily than that ship.]