Recently, the U.S. Army is developing a brand-new super cannon, which claims to have a range of up to 1,150 miles (1850 kilometers). Although this super cannon was developed by the Army, the US Navy may be more interested in this ultra-long-range weapon.
American "Popular Mechanics" magazine began to discuss this issue. From various factors, if the new super cannon is fitted on a battleship, it will be possible to replace the aircraft carrier as the main navy.
The U.S. Army is undergoing a "range revolution"
In recent years, the U.S. military has developed a number of long-range artillery, including a long-range super cannon with a range of 1,850 kilometers, an AGS naval gun with a range of 150 kilometers, an XM1299 self-propelled howitzer with a range of 70 kilometers, and Advanced HVP long-range shells and more.
For decades, the US military has been short of investment in long-range artillery, especially the level of Army artillery has been stagnant in the 1970s. The M109A6 howitzer with the longest range in active service in the US military has a firing range of only about 40 kilometers, which is far from the world's advanced level.
However, as the US military is stretched out, the cost advantage of artillery has become increasingly prominent. As a result, the U.S. Army first restarted the development of new types of artillery. The focus of research and development was on range to make up for the disadvantages of U.S. artillery in range.
Among these new types of long-range artillery, the long-range super artillery with a range of 1850 kilometers has attracted the most attention from all parties. The outside world generally believes that this super cannon is already a "strategic weapon" and is specifically used by the US military to make up for the shortcomings of medium-range missiles. It may be deployed in East Asia as a deterrent weapon. In terms of size, the
super cannon is almost the same as the large-caliber naval guns of traditional battleships. Therefore, the U.S. Navy also began to be interested in it. The reason for the elimination of the
battleship: The firepower range is only a few tenths of the aircraft carrier
The US Army’s super artillery is called the "new vehicle-mounted long-range artillery launching system" (SLRC), which achieves an ultra-long range with a large caliber and long barrel. The disadvantage of this super artillery is that it weighs far more than ordinary artillery. The barrel alone may weigh hundreds of tons, but for traditional battleships, this weight is nothing.
takes the "Iowa" class battleship as an example. The MK7 406 mm naval gun equipped with this ship has a single gun weighing 121 tons, and the total amount of triple-mounted turret and bomb supply structure is 1,730 tons. The historical Japanese battleship "Yamato" is even more exaggerated. The single body of the 460 mm naval gun weighs 165 tons, and the triple turret is 2,774 tons, almost equal to a destroyer. Therefore, the US SLRC super cannon can theoretically be mounted on a battleship. The only question is whether to use a single-mounted turret or a double or triple turret. The large-caliber naval guns of traditional battleships
have long been eliminated by history. The fundamental reason is that the range of firepower is too short. Even the strongest "Yamato", the 460mm naval gun has a maximum range of 42 kilometers. Faced with an aircraft carrier with a striking distance of hundreds of kilometers, a battleship with a range of only a few tenths can only be passively beaten. In the age of missiles, the shooting range of battleships’ artillery was even worse than that of destroyers’ anti-ship missiles.
However, the SLRC super cannon with a range of 1850 kilometers has completely reversed this situation. The
ultra-long-range cannon makes the battleship rise again?
At present, whether it is an aircraft carrier or a destroyer, the combat distance of carrier-based aircraft and anti-ship missiles as the main means of attack rarely exceeds 1,000 kilometers. For example, the F-35C fighter's sea strike radius (without air refueling) is 1200 kilometers, the F/A-18E/F is 700 kilometers, and the latest LRASM long-range anti-ship missile is 800-900 kilometers. In this way, if the SLRC super cannon is installed on a warship, it can provide the US Navy with an economical and efficient means of attack. It is said that the price of each shell of the super cannon is 500,000 U.S. dollars, and it is guided by satellite positioning. The cost is much lower than that of ordinary cruise missiles, and the firepower is stronger than F-35C. Moreover, the strike distance of 1850 kilometers will stabilize the existing aircraft carriers and destroyers, and the prospects are very attractive. However, the only thing that can install this super cannon is a battleship. Or, install thisThe tonnage of the new artillery warship will inevitably return to the level of traditional battleships. The reborn battleship of
also has many other advantages: First, the SLRC super artillery is deployed on the battleship instead of on the ground, so there will be no need to consider negotiations with allies, which is more flexible and convenient for the United States; second, the battleship is a mobile platform. It can be flexibly deployed in various regions of the world, and it also increases the difficulty for the enemy to lock the target. In addition, a new battleship can be equipped with multiple sets of super cannons, with as many as 4-8 gun barrels or more, and the salvo will be very powerful.
"Popular Machinery" magazine even suggested that this new battleship be named the "Montana" class. The old "Montana" class was the successor to the "Iowa" class, but due to the status of the battleship being replaced by an aircraft carrier, It was finally abandoned in the late World War II.
Although the so-called "New Montana" class battleship has attractive prospects, the shortcomings are also obvious, and the most terrible thing is the cost. Although super artillery has good economics, it is another matter to build battleships. Even if it is just a few turrets, regardless of armor, the air defense system, fire control system, electronic system and command system all cost money. Yes, so the cost of this type of battleship may still rival that of an aircraft carrier, at least as much as an amphibious assault ship. In this case, it is equivalent to adding a new "golden swallowing beast" to the US Navy, which is contrary to the original intention of "reducing costs."
Another point is that the US Army’s SLRC super cannon is still in the initial development stage. At this time, it is too early to discuss the "reenactment of the splendor of the giant cannon", let alone the issue of "battleship replacing aircraft carrier". (Author: Tao Mu sword)
