IAFM - Ship Types - CVL-150

“Economy of Force: Allocate minimum essential combat power to secondary efforts.” 

-US Army Field Manuel 3-0, Operations, 2001

 

The IAFM includes two aviation ships: the large, 70-80,000 ton conventional carrier (CV55) and the smaller, SC-150-based CVL-150.  In the Battle Force 2045 version of the IAFM, I include sixteen CVL-150s and sixteen CV55s.  

Small carriers have a long history in the USN, but fell out of favor after the retirement of the WWII-era CVE and CVL classes, and the LPH amphibious assault ships.  There were various attempts to resurrect the small carrier throughout the years.  Perhaps most notably was the Admiral Zumwalt-era Sea Control Ship in the 1970s.

By U.S. Navy - Original: Naval Aviation News, March 1972, p. 42 and Additional: GlobalSecurity.org, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8094777

This design was never built for the US Navy, but it was sold to Spain and Thailand, who built the Príncipe de Asturias and HTMS Chakri Naruebet.

Príncipe de Asturias 
By PHC JACK C. BAHM - DoD Media photo page Photo description page: Defense Visual Information Center Photo ID DN-ST-92-08604, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2544231

Roles

Doctrinally, carriers serve the following roles,

• Eyes of the Fleet
• Cavalry 
• Capital Ship
• Nuclear-Strike Platform
• Airfield at Sea
• Geopolitical Chess Piece

Nowadays, the Nuclear-Strike Platform role has gone away.  Clearly the CVL can execute the Eyes of the Fleet role, for distributed task forces. A task force consisting of multiple frigate arsenal ships (FMGs) and a CVL  could be considered a "Capital Task Force", given the massive volume of offensive fires it can generate with scouting from the CVL.  Such a task force could also perform the hit-and-run Cavalry role and Airfield at Sea, albeit contributing fewer sorties.  However small CVEs made significant contributions as Airfields at Sea during the Pacific campaign in WWII.   As a Geopolitical Chess Piece, the CVL may not be the queen, but a task force incorporating a CVL could be an effective bishop, knight or rook.  

Missions

In the IAFM, the light STOVL carrier serves the following, primary, "Economy of Force" missions:

• Anti-Submarine Warfare 
• Sea Control 
• Distributed Lethality Scouting
• CAS/COIN
• Small Marine Unit aviation support (LPH)
• Mine Countermeasures
• Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief.

Design

The CVL-150 makes use of the common SC-150 architecture, so hull components, propulsion, electronics, sensors and combat systems are shared.   All SC-150 ships have some unique hull sections, and designs, but commonality and modularity should drive down construction hours required, and thus costs.  This comes at the price of perhaps not producing the "optimal" design for any specific variant, but rather "good enough" designs that are more producible and require less up front design for each variant.  The CVL-150 is a bit longer than the rest of the SC-150s, with a hull plug, allowing for a longer flight deck.

CVL-150 and Príncipe de Asturias

Armament & Sensors

The CVL-150 has a small VLS of 16 Mk41 cells, carrying ESSM and VL-ASROC.  Since it will operate with a cruiser as part of a task force, this level of self-defense armament is sufficient.  It also has a Phalanx or SeaRAM launcher on the stern.

For sensors, CVL-150 uses the fixed-panel EASR radar like other members of the SC-150 family.  It retains the bow sonar as well, for self defense and torpedo detection.

Air Wing

Given the size similarities, I used Príncipe de Asturias's air wing as a surrogate for sizing CVL-150's air wing.  According to Wikipedia, Príncipe de Asturias's air wing notionally consists of the following,

• 12 x AV-8B Harrier IIs (SF: 2.06)
• 6 x Sikorsky Sea King SH-3H (SF: 1.41)
• 4 x Agusta-Bell AB-212 (SF: 0.65)
• 2 x Sikorsky SH-3 AEW (SF: 1.41)

With the spot factors (SF) above, I used ~40 "spots" (one spot = folded CH-46) for the CVL-150's air wing.  (Note, these estimates are very rough, but should be close enough to get an idea of the numbers of aircraft the CVL-150 could carry.)

The primary aircraft carried by the CVL-150 would include the F-35B, the MH-60S/R, and Marine aviation.

Future Aircraft

Two new aircraft considered for the CVL-150 are the stealthy STOCAV and long-endurance STOBAR UAV.  These aircraft can fill out the air wing with greater numbers of aircraft, as well as provide a long endurance ASW and ISR platform.   The STOBAR UAV might necessitate adding arrestor wires to aid in landing.  However since it is a light aircraft, these don't need to be as robust as on a large carrier. 

Another possibility is to include one or two light catapults, to facilitate launching smaller UAVs, loitering munitions like IAI Harpy, or even horizontally-launched cruise missiles.  Perhaps a sled-mounted LRASM or JASSM. This obviously wouldn't allow for a high rate of fire, but missiles stored in the magazine could be reloaded at sea via UNREP, something a VLS-based system can't do right now.

The British Converteam 15m long EMKIT design comes to mind.  It could accelerate a 524kg mass to 51m/s in 15m.  A somewhat longer or higher voltage variant might be needed to launch cruise missiles, but the 15m version could handle the rest.

EMKIT

The Converteam documentation indicates the EMKIT Low Voltage version can launch up to a Predator A sized UAV (1,000kg).

Sea Control Mission

For general purpose, sea control (including ASW and ASuW) CVL-150 might carry the following,

• 12 x F-35B (SF: 2.69)
• 8 x MH-60R (SF: 0.65)

Along with a CG-150, this forms the center of a Hybrid Surface Action Group - Command Element(SAGCOM),

SAGTF with 1 CVL-150, 1 CG-150, 1 FPD-150, 1 FMG 150 and 2 FFGs

This task force could carry as many as 20 MH-60Rs for ASW and ASuW, in addition to the 12 F-35Bs.

Surrogate LPH Mission

Additionally, the CVL-150 can be used as an LPH carrying a modified Marine air wing.  It is obviously too small to carry the current, full MEU ACE, but a future smaller, redesigned MEU ACE could be embarked.

The CVL-150s contribution to the modified ACE (notionally) is as follows,

• 5 x MH-60S (SF: 0.65)
• 4 x F-35B (SF: 2.69)
• 7 x CH-53K (SF: 2.41)
• 12 x STOCAV (SF: 0.65)

Yes, there are no V-22s in this ACE.  The MH-60S takes its place as the primary hauler of Marines.  This obviously reduces the range and speed with which the ACE can operate.  However it can carry a full Marine squad of 13, costs only about a quarter as much as a V-22 ($25M APUC vs $97M APUC), and can fit in a much smaller deck spot.

I envision buying a further upgraded MH-60S using the new GE T901 engines, which provide 50% more power and 25% better fuel efficiency.

I'd also outfit each with with an evolved Block 3 Armed Helicopter Weapon System,

The MH-60S Multi-Mission Combat Support Helicopter is a ship-based, medium lift, general-purpose helicopter. Designed for all weather, day/night operations, the aircraft is the Navy’s primary helicopter for airborne logistics and, with appropriate upgrades, CSAR, CVPG/SAR, SWS, SUW, and Airborne Mine Countermeasures (AMCM) operations. It also provides increased MIO combat capability in the AHWS configuration.

The Navy adopted an evolutionary block development and acquisition strategy to field the aircraft enabling a time-phased fleet introduction of platform capabilities. Blocks 3A and 3B provide Armed Helicopter capability; the difference between Block 3A and Block 3B configurations is the added Link 16 (data link) capability of the latter. Two discrete kits make up the AHWS, known as the “A Kit” and the “B Kit.” The A Kit represents permanent modifications to the airframe and the B Kit consists of removable mission equipment and weapons systems.

In order to expedite development and minimize integration costs, the AHWS integrates previously fielded and proven weapons and sensors that, for the most part, can be installed to meet the demands of a specific mission or tactical scenario. Major components of the AHWS include the AGM-114 Hellfire Missile System, the AN/AAS-44C Multi-Spectral Targeting System, and the crew-served weapons consisting of the GAU-21 .50 caliber Machine Gun and the M-240D 7.62 mm Machine Gun System.

The MH-60S AHWS also includes an integrated self-defense countermeasures suite. The suite includes the APR-39A(V)2 Radar Warning Receiver, the AAR-47A(V)2 Missile and Laser Warning System, the ALQ-47 Countermeasure Dispensing System, and the ALQ-144A(V)6 Infrared Countermeasures System.

Since all of the MH-60s are capable of carrying armament, the AH-1 can be retired.  

Additional close air support and ISR would come from the twelve VLO STOVL UCAVs (STOCAV).

STOCAV

The interior spaces of the CVL-150 would only be able to accommodate limited numbers of Marines and their gear and supplies, so a CVL-150 operating as an LPH would normally sail with one or more FPD-150s.  

Mini-ESG with 1 CVL, 1 CG, 1 FMG and 3 FPDs

The mini-ESG shown above could have the following systems spread across all ships,

ACE

• 4 x F-35B
• 12 x STOCAV
• 12 x MH-60R
• 15 x MH-60S
• 7 x CH-53K

Sensors

• 1 x IAMD/BMD radar (CG-150)
• 5 x EASR radars
• 6 x hull sonars
• 2-3 x VDS/Towed arrays

Fires

• 700 x VLS cells
• 25 x IRBMs
• 12 x N-MLRS
• 5 x gun mounts

GCE 

• 1500-1800 Marines
• 6 x LCAC spots
• Up to 5,700 lane meters of vehicle space 

Not too shabby for a "small" MAGTF.  Its organic fires far out-strip the existing MEU/ESG.  

Conclusion

A "sea control" carrier may not be able to carry the same size or breadth of air wing as a super carrier.  I don't even include an AEW aircraft in the mix above.  It also can't produce anywhere close to the number of sorties as a super carrier, or carry as much ordinance or fuel.   But the key is, it doesn't have to.  That's not its mission.  The CVL-150's job in the IAFM is to provide an "Economy of Force" option that's more capable than just a traditional surface combatant SAG.  A task force centered around a CVL-150 can effectively execute "secondary" missions, such as sea control, presence, convoy escort, Marine/MAGTF aviation support, ASW task force support, and so on.  This frees the large carrier task forces to focus on their primary warfighting missions.