Friday, June 16, 2006

New LHA Looking More Certain....

Defence Industry Daily reports that the new LHA is moving forward.


This is promising as the design is needed to replace the aging Tarawas which have proved most useful since they entered service in the '70's.

One point though.....At 50,000 tons it will be as big as the UK and French carriers, though only a little more than half the displacement of a full fleged US CVN. Its lack of an angled deck would preclude its handling even the limited airgroup of the UK design.

This latter shouldn't matter as it is an amphibious ship, but their is a certain segment of political though that will look at the flat deck and great size and see a cheaper replacement for an aircraft carrier, which it is not.

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