VLS and Other Thoughts

Here is the CNO watching a demonstration of a proposed system to reload vertical launch cells at sea:

It's probably well past time that this got done. One of the lessons of modern war has been that the expenditure of ammunition during wartime is almost always at a far higher rate than peacetime planners (or politicians) are willing to accept. Part of that is because complex stuff, which is anything above small arms ammunition, needs to be inspected and reworked to ensure reliability, and that ccosts money, but that's probably not germaine to this post.

In a hot war, those VLS ships are going to be blowing missiles out of the tubes at a rather high rate and, once those rounds are fired, what is left is a rather large ship with less combat ability than a Gearing-class destroyer. That those in WESTPAC would have to withdraw far to the east in order to rearm is crazy.

Incidentally, the need to lift really heavy shit to carriers is why the Navy is stuck with the CV-22 for COD: C-2s can't haul replacement engines for F-35s. But I digress.

The ship that brings out the canisters for reloading should hold them in a vertical position, with the missles connected to a fire-control system. That ship could datalink to a DDG/CG and, in an emergency, the missle ship could command their launch. That probably would be an emergency because the chances are that a resupply ship would not be able to keep up with a warship if speed is called for.

By the way, the Navy's standards sure have slipped if they are demonstrating stuff with running rust to the CNO. It's not a new problem.