Post by Uzb3kistan on Jul 20, 2005 1:12:22 GMT -5
Collins Class Sea/Air Carrier (SCVN)
Introduction
The first concept and use of a submersible aircraft carrier was by the Japanese in WWII. Even though it never saw combat, it inspired Naval leaders all over the world and saw a potential future for these types of submarines. The Shaitan Corporation was one of these organizations inspired.
Named after the Irish revolutionary leader Michael Collins, the Collins Class SCVN is the Navy's newest carrier. The new class is truly a technological breakthrough, not only in the Submarine world, but also a breakthrough in Naval History. The Collins Class utilizes the latest technologies in Naval Warfare, to conjure up the most powerful, the fastest, and the most efficient carrier in the world. Much like the Osiris Class (SSHBN), the Collins Class proves to have really revolutionized how the Navy's commanders think about Naval Warfare, and how the politicians think about war all together. The Collins Class gives a new meaning to the word "mothership", as the men have came around to calling the Osiris Class. The Collins Class is newer, faster, and more powerful than the older Osiris Class. With a displacement of approximately 326,000 tonnes, it's one of the largest in the world.
The Osiris Class was thought to be the introduction to the next generation of undersea warfare. With it's ability to house unmanned sea vehicles, and special operations craft, it was thought of to be an introduction to the new undersea carriers. More-so is the new Collins Class, with the ability to house and launch an entire air wing, and a sea wing, which uses the latest in 'undersea fighters'.
Design
The apparent extraordinary design tells the enemy just that; the Collins Class is out of the ordinary. The design is like no other in the world. The 'submarine' is one of the largest in the world with her displacement of approximately 326,000 tonnes. Her length is a total of 1,500 feet and a beam of 630 feet (wingtip to wingtip). Even though smaller than the Osiris Class, the Collins Class can deliver the same payload and more. The Collins Class is designed to be very flexible and universal. This allows for technological insertion and innovation in the future, without having to redesign the hull and consequently designing a new submarine.
The Collins Class Submarine is the world's first supercavitating carrier. Supercavitation is a naval revolution that changes underwater warfare drastically. Implementation of this technology into many of the Naval ships and weaponry envisions a future for Naval Warfare that promises high speed hyper-kinetic fights, instead of the slow and silent. This technology seems to be science fiction, however, in actuality, it has been invented years ago and even used by the Russians with the Shkval torpedo in the late 1970's. However, it wasn't until recently that the Navy began to implement the technology into it's larger systems.
Before this technology, Naval submarines and warships were haunted by the drag of of the water. After all, water is around 1,000 times thicker than air, and that meant big problems in the speed of Naval ships. However, if the ship has a special shaped 'cavitator' on it's nose, a bubble of air forms around the entire ship, and the ship is therefore no longer moving through water, but rather through air. This is known as Supercavitation, and Uzb3kistan Naval ships are already using this technology on the service and submerged. Supercavitation was difficult to develop for the larger ships, and thus was born the ideal of ventilated supercavitation. Ventilated supercavitation pumps air into the bubble to increase it's size and to ensure that the bubble covers the entire projectile, also allowing much larger ships, like the Collins Class, to have the technology.
With a frame made out of Titanium , giving the Submarine a high mass efficiency, a high strength-to-weight ratio, and a lighter weight. Although expensive, the costs are made up with the lower maintenance costs. The Titanium frame also protects the submarine from certain dangers that haunted previous crews. Such as the crushing of the hull due to pressure depth. The Titanium allows the submarine to go deeper than ever before, and it can even hold up to some older torpedoes, like the Mk 48 ADCAP torpedoes. The Collins Class has a double hull made out of Shaitan Corporation designed special advanced polymer matrix composite materials, or advanced PMCs. Giving it an even higher strength and protection against outside aggression. The composite materials are then reinforced by extra layers of titanium, depleted uranium, carbon nanotube reinforced amorphous steel, and anechoic materials to add extra strength and stealth to the hulls; and an active degaussing system to help prevent MAD detection. The Collins Class has photonic masts, that are basically arrays of high-resolution cameras, which will send the visual images to flat-panel displays in the control room; eliminating the need of periscopes.
Figure 1.1- Launch bay; click for larger image.
Featured in the Collins Class submarine is a large Launch Bay, capable of carrying over 100 air and subcraft. The Collins Class Carrier is designed to carry one aircraft wing, and one subcraft wing, and other air/subcraft. Running along both the port and starboard side of the Collins Class are a number of huge hangar bays which house both the air and sea wings. Entire top sections of the hull open up when the Collins is on the surface. to allow the air wing to launch sorties. She has the equivalent open deck space of a Nimitz class aircraft carrier. Subcraft take off through the launch bay positioned in the middle of the ships, with launch doors opening to the sea below (see figure 1.1). Whilst supercavitating the Collins Class can launch subfighters through dedicated supercavitating slingshot tunnels. Landing is far more difficult, as a flight deck is lowered to the edge of the supercavitational bubble and pilots have to make a precision landing catching the line with their arrestor hooks.
Figure 1.2- The crew-loved spacious staterooms; click for larger image.
One of the most bragged about topics of the crewmen and women of the Collins Class Submarines is it's large comfortable staterooms and facilities. With the introduction to the newest integrated propulsion systems, a significant amount of room was increased, and a significant amount of needed crew was decreased. Thus, the Shaitan Corporation was able to design much more comfortable living quarters and other facilities. Navies all over the world were striving for ways of cutting down on crew sizes, so that the quality of life on board the Naval ships was higher, and the operation costs were lower; thus allowing to build bigger and badder ships with larger payloads. With the cutting edge automated systems throughout the ship, the Collins Class is home to a standard crew of only 2,100 men and women. Which, only 1,000 belong to the ship's company, while the rest belong to the air and sea wings.
The Captains and Officers of the Collins Class Carriers are bragging about one thing in particular also; the bridge (Click Here to see a picture). Upon first sight of the bridge, it really is a spectacular sight to behold. As if it came straight out of NORAD, or NASAs Control in Huston, the bridge is at about 100 feet in length as it is the central command for the entire ship. With numerous levels, the brightly illuminated command center has all of the centers that an older submarine might have in different rooms, such as communications, fire-control, etc. The highlight of the bridge is the massive curving viewscreen that relays information from all areas of the vessel, and can project a full view of the surrounding terrain. One might think how they got the screen to curve around the bridge like that. However, such screens are not science fiction, and have already been designed, developed, and ready for mass production in 2005. Paper-thin, plastic, flexible screens are a reality in the military and everyday life. People in Uzb3kistan might be reading a newspaper that suddenly flashes updated news, or a child might be 'watching' a fully animated comic book, and companies have already made animated t-shirts. The technology is real, and it proves to be very useful in military life. New orders being relayed by satellite to a unit are no longer "printed" on paper, but rather sent and updated on the bridge's display screen. The Captain may also 'download' the orders onto a smaller, pocket-sized screen that can be rolled up into a pencil-sized tube, or smaller.
Propulsion
With previous ships, such as the Osiris, regular and Pebble Bed Nuclear Reactors were being used. With the designing of the Collins Class, the Navy decided that it was about time for an improved power system and source. Sourcing both fuel for the reactor and rocket engines from the seawater around it, the Collins Class is the most environmentally friendly carrier existent in the world today. The Collins Class Carrier is powered by twin SC/CHS-1 hydrogen 'breathing' rocket engines, which produce a massive amount of thrust, shooting the Collins Class to a top speed of approximately 850 knots. Silencers are fitted to the engines. The presence of white noise emitting transducers allows the Collins Class to be just as silent as an older SSN submarine. As for more silent and slower movement, the Collins Class has twin secondary MHD/pumpjet propulsors.
The Collins Class' single fusion reactor
When under research and development, the Shaitan Corporation scientists understood that in order to create the new "environmentally friendly" fuel source system (which extracts hydrogen from the surrounding water), they would need to provide a more powerful plant. There is a great amount of energy to extract the hydrogen from the submarine's surrounding water, therefore the Collins Class Carrier is powered by a single fusion reactor. Although expensive, it gets the job done. The power generated is then electrical power that goes into the Submarine's integrated electric power, and Advanced Shaftless Propulsion Systems (ASPS). With the ASPS, the submarine can overcome selected technological barriers that have a significant impact on a submarine's infrastructure and cost. The ASPS features a shaftless propulsor that eliminates the need for a traditional shaft that penetrates the submarine's pressure hull. This revolutionary change in submarine design will dramatically reduce the ship's weight, size and cost, freeing up critical space for mission payloads. The integrated electrical system provides advanced electric technologies that disperse the power through the ship by a central system, allowing power to be shifted and given to the propulsion, or the other onboard systems. The system features "plug-and-play" maintainability, larger payload and mission capacity, and reduced crew sizes. The system also features many more Auxiliary Maneuvering Units, which are small propulsors at the bow and stern of the nuclear submarine, used to greatly enhance the vessel’s maneuverability.
Electronics - Sensors and Countermeasures
The electronics systems is a vital to a submarine's success. The Collins Class Carrier features the latest up-to-date technologies to keep the nation's Naval forces up to par, or even better than the world's Naval powers. When it comes to detection systems in Naval Warfare, it's vital who can detect another first, and farther away. It was in the Shaitan Corporation's best interest, therefore, to design and develop detection systems that will see the enemy, long before the enemy sees you. Also, the Shaitan Corporation understands the importance of Countermeasures in submarine warfare, because once that torpedo is in the water and is heading toward the Collins Class SCVN, the SCVN needs to have the right equipment to either eliminate that threat, throw it off, or escape it.
The Collins Class is equipped with a TB-29 submarine thin-line towed array, and a Shaitan Corporation designed AN/SQR-74 Tactical Towed Array SONAR (TACTAS). The TB-29 submarine thin-line towed array is a Commercial Off-The-Shelf version of the legacy TB-29 towed array. Compared with the legacy array, the TB-29 uses COTS telemetry to significantly reduce the unit cost while maintaining equivalent array performance. The TB-29 is longer than the thin-line TB-23 and has a sensor location system. The AN/SQR-74 Tactical Towed Array SONAR is the next step up from the AN/SQR-19 Tactical Towed Array SONAR. It now features three separate parallel lines, which are over two miles, in which the individual hydrophones use fiber optic coils and lasers. Tiny changes in the behavior of the laser light will result when the coils are influenced by sound waves in the surrounding ocean. Analysis of such data promises to greatly increase the sensitivity of the array to the presence of enemy submarines and other targets. The new system provides a 310nm range of detection.
The Collins Class is also equipped with other systems which are linked to supercomputers designed for recognition, targeting, and RADAR/LIDAR enhancement, etc,etc. Equipped, is the Shaitan Corporation developed AN/UQQ-7 bow-mounted spherical array sonar acoustic system, which has a range of about 63nm. Also equipped is the newly Shaitan Corporation designed SC/LUR-16E modern hull-mounted sonar that gives the SSHBN a full 172nm. The SC/LCL-9 LIDAR gives the Collins Class Submarine the ability to actively search, and do it silently. The SC/PGS-16 is currently the primary Surface Search Radar for the Submarine fleets, giving them a search capability of about 330 miles on perfect environment conditions. However, that is just the main ship's systems.
The Collins Class is constantly able to upload relayed messages from any military unit integrated into the military Network-Centric Warfare System; which virtually integrates every air, sea, ground, space, and intelligence unit into a real-time 'internet' that allows any unit to send any other unit a common tactical and strategic picture. This includes early warning systems. Currently in the arsenal of the Navy are the new Shaitan Corporation SWACS (Seaborne Warning and Control System), which functions like it's airborne counterpart, only this time it's under water. The system is a passive/active/LIDAR-based electronic system designed to carry out seaborne surveillance, and C3 (command, control, and communications) functions for Naval defence forces. Modern SWACS systems can detect sea and subcraft from up to 300 km away, well out of range of most torpedo weapons. In combat, SWACS systems can communicate with friendly subcraft, extend their sensor range and give them added stealth, since they no longer need their own active sonar to detect threats. Not only does the Collins Class' hangers carry the sub and air combat craft, but it also houses a number of logistical, and reconnaissance air and subcraft; both manned an unmanned. The craft can leave the main ship, and travel out to give the parent ship an added range of detection. Much like patrol aircraft on regular aircraft carriers, these patrol subcrafts patrol the sea, and can relay back it's findings to the parent ship. Also the aircraft can warn the parent ship, or may ward off any enemy ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) aircraft.
The Countermeasure electronics on the Collins Class have proved to be up to par with the leading Naval technologies around the globe. The Collins Class Submarine is equipped with 4 decoy tubes. The tubes fire FCD-1 "Brilliant" Decoys, which is intended to conspicuously mimic the maneuvering and noise signature of the parent sub. The purpose is to draw an enemy's attention away from the parent sub, allowing the parent sub to sneak away from the battle area undetected, or to escape enemy torpedoes because those torpedoes will be lured toward the decoy. The decoy contains a propulsion system and fuel supply like a regular torpedo. But the decoy is unarmed, and the space available because there is no explosive warhead is used instead for additional computers and sonar emitters. This gives the decoy the ability to be programmed -- before launching -- with complex instructions regarding how to behave regarding changes in depth, course, speed, etc., and also to give off appropriate noises like a real full-sized submarine. The decoy might be programmed to act like a different class of sub than the parent, to further confuse and distract the enemy. The term "brilliant" refers to an advanced state of on-board artificial intelligence routines that allows the decoy to make autonomous real-time decisions once launched that further aid the tactical goals of its parent sub during combat or intelligence-gathering missions.
However, like anything, the decoy system isn't failsafe. Therefore the Navy doesn't like to rely on one system for defense against an incoming torpedo. Thus, the Shaitan Corporation responded with the design of a new "Active out-of-phase emission" system. The SH/MEI-05 is the newest implemented technology in the Navy. What Active out-of-phase emission, and this system, does is weaken the echo which an enemy sonar receives from a submarine’s hull, by actively emitting sound waves of the same frequency as the ping but exactly out of phase. The out-of-phase sound waves mix with and cancel those of the echoing ping. This increases the submarine's stealth technology and less likeliness of a direct hit with a torpedo. However, say the enemy submarine already has a good firing solution and drops torpedoes heading toward your submarine? No problem; this worry by the Naval Forces was heard by the Shaitan Corporation scientists when they developed the SH/MEI-05A, an advanced version of the SH/MEI-05 that not only the Active out-of-phase emission on enemy submarines, but takes it a step farther with incoming torpedoes and other inbounds. Using the same technology, only more advanced; it actively emits back to the incoming torpedo to make the Submarine seem, to the inbound, that it is in a different location, and therefore causing the inbound to miss it's target by overshooting or undershooting and detonating prematurely. There are also more systems mounted in the Collins Class that help prevent possible enemy torpedo collision. The Collins has a total of ten deployable ATDS guns; which are an underwater "anti-torpedo artillery" system, which shoots rapidly, supercavitating rounds at inbounds, and is guided by SONAR and LIDAR. Mounted on the submarine are six smaller 8 inch torpedo tubes, designed to launch Shaitan Corporation designed countertorpdeos, that target incoming enemy torpedoes.
Armament
With the new Shaftless Propulsion System (ASPS), freeing up a lot of critical space for mission payloads, much more weaponry can be stored on the Collins Class. The Collins safely holds thousands weapons, including anywhere from torpedoes, Vertical Launch weapons, mines, small anti-torpedoes, and weaponry for air/subcraft etc. Because not only is there sub/aircraft traffic in the Launch bays, but also nearby submarines and aircraft may be tendered and refitted, if a tender craft or a Osiris Class is not nearby. The Collins has twenty forward 21 inch torpedo tubes, capable of launching any torpedoes of the UT series, or of similar size; and two forward 1000mm tubes, designed to launch any new Ultra-heavyweight torpedoes, including future indigenous designs, as well as purchased foreign designs (most notably the Draka-made 'Tempests'). The Collins Class Submarine features a twenty tube VLS system, designed to launch any of the Uzb3kistan VLS rated missiles. As well as two Heavy VLS tubes, capable of launching heavyweight anti-shipping missiles, or ballistic missiles. Also deployable are ten Advanced Delivery System mini-submarines that are new electric-powered mini-submarines for the transport of special forces from a parent nuclear submarine to the forward operational area and back, within a warm and dry shirtsleeves environment.
Propulsion: 1 Fusion Reactor; Twin SC/CHS-1 hydrogen 'breathing' rocket engines; Supercavitation; Advanced Shaftless Propulsion System (ASPS), and Electric Integration. Twin secondary MHD/pumpjet propulsors.
Displacement: Approximately 326,000 tons
Length: 1,500 feet
Width: 630 feet (wingtip to wingtip)
Crush Depth: 4km
Armament: 20 21in. torpedo tubes, 2 1000mm torpedo tubes, mining system, 10 ATDS guns, 6 counter-torpedo 8 in tubes, 20 VLS tubes, 2 heavy VLS tubes
Air/subcraft: 100+ Combat air/subcraft, 10+ Recon/Logistical air/subcraft
Special Warfare: 10 deployable Advanced Delivery System mini-submarines (optional)
Countermeasures: 4 FCD-1 "Brilliant" Decoy tubes, SH/MEI-05 and SH/MEI-05A systems, ATDS guns, counter-torpedoes, and other deployable craft
Detection Systems: TB-29 submarine thin-line towed array, AN/SQR-74 Tactical Towed Array SONAR, AN/UQQ-7 bow-mounted spherical array sonar, SC/LUR-16 modern hull-mounted sonar, SC/LCL-9 LIDAR, and SC/PGS-16 Surface Search Radar, other deployable craft
Crew: Minimum 2,100 men and women officers, 160 Special Forces men/women (optional)
Cost Per Unit: 140.5 Billion USD
Production Rights: Not Available
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Will be updated upon completion of naval air and subcraft technology posts.