Multi-Purpose-Warship

This was something that my MP sent to the MOD for consideration in the 2010 defence review on my behalf. It was turned down. Reasons given none.

I leave you to make up your own mind.

So what type of warship do you built so that in twenty years time is capable of defending against weapons yet to be designed?

Now with all the problems facing the Royal Navy. Both 2010 and in the future. It desperately needs a flexible responsive design of warship which due to cost will not reduce the fleet to a hand-full of warships.

So what is the answer?

The Multi-Purpose Warship. (MPW) Is one class multi-functional warship with a simple design concept which could be built for the Royal Navy and the export market? A design whose idea is for the warship’s flexibility to change roles in a matter of hours by simply changing the weapon silos aft and therefore being ready to deal with any problem in the future.

Built using the ‘Board Margin’ to permit a ten-percent growth during the design process. In all constructions of the MPW the hull, engines, accommodation, and its attended machinery would be standardized to one fits all. The interchangeable weapons systems can be removed when the ship is in for a refit and so being made available to other operational MPWs. The ship can be refitted by any civilian ship yard, thus creating competition. The secondary weapon system fitted, will be standard for every ship varying only for future needs. However; the key to this ship and its future is the main weapons can be changed for different roles from pirate chasing, air-defense, surface and sub-surface warfare. simply by changing the two weapon silos aft. If an Apache Helicopter is fitted for pirate chasing the silos can act as both flight deck and hanger. Another advantage is the MPW never becomes dated, because it is not build around the weapon system like the ships in service today. On the expense, mid-life refit in around 10 years’ time for the type 45s who will need to update the ship’s ageing weapon system. The MPW will constantly be updated throughout its service life, from launch to the scrap yard.

The operation room would be standard for all MPW. The software being Linux based and fully integrated. Each weapon system will come with its own software compatible with the ship’s on-board computers. A simple plug and play system earning the ship the sobriquet of the IPOD warship.

In conclusion.

It’s time Royal naval Ship Design got away from this failed concept of building warships around weapons system. The life of a warship is twenty- five years, a weapon system is five maybe ten years at best. It makes no sense in a Warship costing £1.3billion for it to be obsolete for the last fifteen years of its operational life.

Post Script

Strangely six months later I found out from friends at Agusta Westland Yeovil that some of the Army's Apache gunships were being modified to operate at sea. One wonders who thought of that, and who took the credit?