Northrop Grumman has been awarded contract to build first of the LHA(R) Amphibious Assault Ships that will replace the aging LHA 1 class with a new design that eliminates the well deck and improves aviation support and C2 attributes.
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LHA 6 coming soon (relatively speaking) to a MEU near you
- Thread starter HeyJoe
- Start date
Northrop Grumman has been awarded contract to build first of the LHA(R) Amphibious Assault Ships that will replace the aging LHA 1 class with a new design that eliminates the well deck and improves aviation support and C2 attributes.
If it eliminates the well deck.... isn't that just a CV then?
I'm sure the USAF might say that, but it is designed to be an Amphibious Assault Ship with reconfigurable command and control, berthing and support for Marines and a field hospital. You really can't call it a CV because it doesn't have enough magazine and ordnance lift capacity nor catapults to serve as a CV.
With the well deck eliminated, how do you load the Marines on the amphibious vehicles and LCACs?
You haven't heard of STOM (Ship to Objective Maneuver)? Instead of lengthy and somewhat limited (and predictable) landing options of an amphibious nature, Ospreys and CH-53E Assault helo force take the Marines to their objective(s) via air. You still have option of using other well deck platforms if needed.
Interesting. I heard it was coming, but didn't realize it would come this quickly (relatively speaking, of course). I've been looking for more information on the LHA-6, but it is rather limited.
Does anybody know - with no well deck, will the vehicle decks be all but eliminated, as well? And will this mean the ESGs will need to bring more LPDs/LSDs to transport/offload the vehicles that (I'm guessing) won't be carried on the LHA-6? In any event, it will be interesting to follow the ship's development.
On a related note, LPD-18 (USS New Orleans), made it to San Diego last month. Sure is a unique-looking vessel.
Does anybody know - with no well deck, will the vehicle decks be all but eliminated, as well? And will this mean the ESGs will need to bring more LPDs/LSDs to transport/offload the vehicles that (I'm guessing) won't be carried on the LHA-6? In any event, it will be interesting to follow the ship's development.
On a related note, LPD-18 (USS New Orleans), made it to San Diego last month. Sure is a unique-looking vessel.
Here's what the Navy is saying about LHA 6 (formerly LHA (R)). Note: even though it revives LHA, it is based on the Wasp LHD class.
Amphibious Assault Ships Replacement (LHA(R))
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Description:
Amphibious Assault Ships are designed to embark, land and support Marine expeditionary forces for extended periods of time. These ships resemble smaller aircraft carriers and are capable of supporting Marine aircraft and landing craft.
The U.S. Navy currently operates two classes of "big deck" Amphibious Assault Ships: the LHA 1 Tarawa class and the LHD 1 Wasp class. The LHA(Replacement), or LHA(R), class will replace the LHA 1 Tarawa class, which is nearing the end of its service life. As the next generation "big-deck" amphibious ship, LHA(R) will be optimized for aviation, capable of supporting current and future aircraft such as the tilt-rotor MV 22 and the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).
Background:
Amphibious warships provide the Marine Corps a superb means of ship-to-shore movement using helicopter and landing craft. These large warships are designed to sail into harm's way, and provide a rapid buildup of combat power ashore in the face of opposition.
Building upon these inherent capabilities, Amphibious Assault ships are also called upon to support humanitarian, disaster relief and other contingency missions on short notice. When Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, Bataan (LHD 5) and Iwo Jima (LHD 7) braved rough seas to provide assistance to the city of New Orleans and function as a center of operations for rescue workers.
LHA(R) will play many of the same warfare and humanitarian roles as the preceding Tarawa class. LHA(R) will assume the role as the centerpiece of Amphibious Ready Groups and Expeditionary Strike Groups. These are groups of a number of U.S. Navy ships and an embarked landing force of U.S. Marines that are trained, organized, and equipped to perform operations both at sea and by land. Additional LHA(R) roles include troop support, particularly in the form of helicopter and landing craft ship-to-shore movement.
LHA(R) will facilitate forward presence and power projection as an integral part of Joint, Interagency, and Multinational maritime expeditionary forces, supporting the Marine Corps tenets of Operational Maneuver From the Sea (OMFTS) and Ship to Objective Maneuver (STOM).
Program Features:
The LHA(R) amphibious assault ship is designed specifically to meet future Navy-Marine Corps requirements, able to support the expanded capability of 21st century expeditionary strike platforms such as the MV-22 Osprey helicopter and the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter airplanes. LHA 6, the first ship of the LHA(R) program, will be able to operate and support a detachment of 20+ Joint Strike Fighters. LHA 6 features several aviation capabilities enhanced beyond previous amphibious assault ships. These include an enlarged hangar deck, realignment and expansion of the aviation maintenance facilities, a significant increase in available stowage for parts and support equipment, and increased aviation fuel capacity.
LHA 6 will be multi-functional and versatile, modifying existing Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I) spaces to allow for flexible mission dependent reconfiguration. LHA 6 will also have increased cargo magazine capacity, better survivability, and greater service life margins.
LHA 6 will use the same gas turbine propulsion plant, zonal electrical distribution and electric auxiliary systems being designed and built for LHD 8, the final of the Wasp class amphibious assault ships.
Status:
The Navy began procurement of long lead time material for LHA 6 in Fiscal Year 2005 and the construction of LHA 6 is scheduled to begin in Fiscal Year 2007. The LHA(R) program plans a spiral development approach that continues the successful and low risk evolution of large deck amphibious assault ships that began with the Tarawa class and continued with the Wasp class. By providing an affordable and sustainable amphibious ship development program, LHA(R) will ensure that the Nation's amphibious fleet remains the centerpiece of Expeditionary Warfare, in support of the Navy and Marine Corps Global Concept of Operations, well into the 21st Century.
I was wondering all the same things. No well deck? I would imagine the vehicle/cargo deck is gone too. So in order for everything to add up and for the MEU T/E to stay correct, they're gonna need to put another ship with a well deck in the ESG, I think. I understand that this is perfect for very far inland STOMs (over Pakistan to Kandahar in early 03 comes to mind), but Marines need their hmmwvs and AAVs to have much mobility after the initial assault objective is secured. Of course I'm sure it's been thought of, but it is interesting to speculate about. It's also interesting to see how 21st century OTH capability is changing the way ships are built.
Nope, I actually hadn't. I knew that Marines were launched via helos off of the flight deck, just seemed to me that eliminating the well deck was going to give up a large part of the mission of the LHA. I guess I have a lot more to learn.
Holy hell! We only carry 4-8 Harriers at a time right now! Do they plan on having 2 big decks per MEU?
Don't worry, there is plenty of time to learn about STOM and OMFTS and there will be places and times where you'll learn all about it before you live it. Here's some light reading on the various terms and concepts in case you want to dig into it and here's a historical perspective from the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA)
phrogpilot73
Well-Known Member
Nope - notice it says 20 JSF, not a mix of 20 JSF and other platforms. I think they're talking max numbers, similar to the "Harrier Carriers" that were used during OIF.
I still don't buy into not having a well deck. The LPH is retired (no well deck), and the LHA/LHD both have well decks. Without a well deck, you are required to move Marines via air/small boat to other ships with a well deck to utilize LCACs and LCUs. What happens when the weather is crap? No more surface option to fall back on... Where are all the vehicles for the MEU? Specifically the JTF enabler, the BLT's vehicles, etc... Not enough room on the current little deck amphibs... It will be interesting to see what they envision. I'm not sold.