Summary
Last June, the British and Dutch announced that they had committed to jointly developing the Multi Role Support Ship. Halfway between the LPD assault helicopter carrier and the large logistical support ship, the MRSS was then presented as a building close to certain existing classes , such as the San Antonio of the US Navy or the Chinese Type 71 .
On the occasion of the DSEI exhibition which has just opened its doors in the London suburbs, a new visual, in the main illustration, of the ship was presented by the Dutch Minister of Defense, Kajsa Ollongren .
However, this differs radically from the first visuals released last June , and reveals a new approach for the ships. At first glance, the ship looks like an assault helicopter carrier of which many exist.
The Multi Role Support Ship much better armed than the LPDs
We see, in fact, that the armament of the ship is much more substantial than on classic LPDs. Thus, in addition to an imposing naval gun at the front, probably 5 inches (127 mm), the ship is protected by two smaller caliber artillery systems on the bridge and the roof of the aircraft hangar.
Given the size of the turrets, it is likely that these are medium caliber guns, between 40 and 57 mm, specialized in close-in anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense.
With such a caliber, the ship simultaneously has powerful anti-missile CIWS (Close-incoming Weapon System) systems as well as close self-defense capabilities against aircraft, drones and naval craft.
16 vertical silos and 8 anti-ship missiles
A system of 16 vertical silos appears behind the main artillery piece. These are most likely missiles intended for the ship's anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense, such as the CAMM-ER or the ESSM, both capable of carrying four missiles per silo with the Mk41 system.
Each ship would then have 64 short and medium range anti-aircraft missiles, capable of intercepting supersonic targets up to 50 km away, to protect itself, while its naval artillery will provide a second defensive curtain.
In other words, where modern assault ships often fail in their self-defense capabilities, the Multi Role Support Ship seems particularly well equipped in this area.
The rest of this article is reserved for subscribers -
Classic subscriptions give access to all Flash articles, Analyzes and Syntheses, without advertising , from €1.99.
Premium subscriptions also provide access to articles over two years old in the archive, as well as advanced research tools , and to publish two press releases or job offers per month for free in the Partners section ( + Push social networks / application).
[…] Last June, the British and Dutch announced that they had committed to jointly developing the Multi Role Support Ship. Halfway between the […]