In March 2019, when Meta-defense was still relatively “green”, we published an article entitled “ Should we build cruisers again for the French Navy ”. This highlighted the probable return of large, heavy surface ships of the cruiser type.
Through their concentrated firepower in terms of both anti-ship and anti-aircraft, as well as land-based strikes, these ships represent an ideal complementary offensive capability to submarines and aircraft carriers, particularly for eliminating modern defense systems. denial of access, while constituting powerful escorts for capital ships such as aircraft carriers and large amphibious vessels, particularly in the face of saturation attacks.
Since then, things have evolved rapidly . With the entry into service of new large surface vessels such as the Chinese Type 055 heavy destroyers, but also with the increase in the capacities of the Arleigh Burke Flight III or Sejong le grand destroyers, the return of the cruiser, even if it is not does not have the name, has become widely established in many major world navies, including in Europe.
Indeed, the future Italian DDx heavy destroyers , but also to a lesser extent, the German 10,000 heavy frigates of the MKS180 program , meet this classification.
If, for the moment, no program of this type has been announced in France, it seems that across the Channel, the Royal Navy is also tending to turn to this type of ship to replace its destroyers Type 45 anti-aircraft guns of the Daring class.
According to the British site Ukdefencejournal.org.uk which published this photo (in the main illustration), the work surrounding the future class of destroyers which will, it seems, be designated as Type 83, is only at the level preparatory studies.
However, during a naval conference, the Royal Navy released an illustrative visual for this new class, and the ship appears to have all the attributes of a heavy destroyer, or even a cruiser.
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