LHA 6 – America - class Amphibious Assault Ship

 

LHA 6 USS America class amphibious assault ship

 

 

LHA 6 USS America class amphibious assault ship

 

 

Units

in service

Builder

LHA 6 USS America

2013?

Northrop Grumman Ship Systems (NGSS), Ingalls Operations, Pascagoula, Mississippi

 

General Information:

(for specific information, namesake & history click on the ship’s name, above)

Displacement:

44971 long tons / 45695 metric tons (full load)

Length:

257,30 meters

Beam:

32,30 meters

Draft:

 

Max Speed:

20+ knots (= 37+ km/h)

Propulsion:

2 marine gas-turbines General Electric GE-2500+ (70000shp) / 2 shafts / 2 propellers

Aircraft:

Standard configuration:

10 F-35B JSF

12 MV-22 Osprey

4 CH-53E Sea Stallion

8 AH-1Z Super Cobra

4 MH-60S Seahawk

Armament:

2 Mk.49 launchers for Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) = 2 x 21 RIM-116 missiles

2 Mk.29 launchers for NATO Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles (ESSM) = 2 x 8 RIM-162 missiles

2 Mk.15 Phalanx Close-in Weapon System (CIWS)

7 .50 cal. BMG machine guns

Complement:

ship: 1059 sailors (65 officers / 994 enlisted)

landing force: 1687 Marines (plus 184 surge)

 

The America-class amphibious assault ship is designed specifically to meet future Navy-Marine Corps requirements, able to support the expanded capability of 21st century expeditionary strike platforms such as the MV-22 Osprey helicopter and the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter airplanes. LHA 6, the first ship of the LHA(R) program, will be able to operate and support a detachment of 20+ Joint Strike Fighters. LHA 6 features several aviation capabilities enhanced beyond previous amphibious assault ships. These include an enlarged hangar deck, realignment and expansion of the aviation maintenance facilities, a significant increase in available stowage for parts and support equipment, and increased aviation fuel capacity.

LHA 6 will be multi-functional and versatile, modifying existing Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I) spaces to allow for flexible mission dependent reconfiguration. LHA 6 will also have increased cargo magazine capacity, better survivability, and greater service life margins.

LHA 6 will use the same gas turbine propulsion plant, zonal electrical distribution and electric auxiliary systems being designed and built for LHD 8, the final of the Wasp class amphibious assault ships.

 

images

 

LHA 6 USS America class amphibious assault ship - flight deck view

 

 

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