Reporter asked, is the Trump-class battleship aimed at China? Trump said: "It's targeting everyone, not just China."
Dage thinks that this is not a traditional battleship, but rather a "missile battleship" with a displacement of up to 35,000 tons and a length of nearly 270 meters - twice as large as the current Ticonderoga-class cruisers, even exceeding the Iowa-class from World War II.
It is equipped with a 128-cell Mk 41 vertical launch system, 12 high-speed missile dedicated launch wells, and integrates the AN/SPY-6 advanced radar, as well as reserved interfaces for laser weapons, electromagnetic guns, and even nuclear cruise missiles. The crew size is between 650 and 850 people, far exceeding the 300 or so on modern destroyers, which seems "retrograde" and even "absurd" in today's highly automated era.
According to the disclosed plan, the U.S. Navy plans to first build two prototype ships, then procure 10, and the ultimate goal is to deploy 20 to 25. Notably, this plan directly led to the cancellation of the DDG(X) destroyer project, which was originally intended to replace the Arleigh Burke-class - meaning that the U.S. military is abandoning the incremental upgrade path and instead betting on a completely new concept of a "naval firepower platform."
According to the design concept, hypersonic missile capabilities can strike land or sea targets thousands of kilometers away, while lasers and electromagnetic weapons are used to counter drone swarms, small fast boats, and even ballistic missiles.
These threats come not only from major powers, but also from non-state actors or regional powers in the Middle East, Africa, etc. In other words, it is a "multi-domain, multi-enemy" platform, emphasizing global rapid response and high-intensity sustained combat capabilities, rather than merely confronting China in the Western Pacific.
However, a warship equipped with AN/SPY-6 radar, 128-cell Mk 41 VLS, 12-cell conventional hypersonic missiles, laser cannons, electromagnetic guns, and nuclear cruise missiles would basically remain on paper or in PPTs. Other than that, the power required for these facilities cannot be solved. Do we need to install a nuclear reactor? Then it becomes a matter of "adding water when there's too much flour, and adding flour when there's too much water," eventually resulting in something that is no longer a warship.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1852266332779657/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.