Centaur class destroyer
| |
| Centaur class | |
|---|---|
| Design details | |
| Type | Destroyer |
| Hull type | Trimaran |
| Manufacturer | FDI Group |
| Preceded by | Sabre Class Destroyer |
| Followed by | Wave King Class Destroyer |
| Service dates | 2008 (RL) to Present |
| Status | In Active Service |
| Operators | |
| The Freethinker Commonwealth File:Nationalflag Kouralia.png Kouralia | |
The Centaur Class Destroyers are large, guided-missile destroyers designed and built for the Freethinker Royal Navy. They are one of the mainstay surface combatant classes of the current FRN, and one of the most numerous ocean-going vessels in active service. By size, they rival most nations' cruisers; by capability they surpass most surface combatants in service worldwide.
The ships are amongst the largest of Freestian escort classes, and possess a modern and comprehensive array of sensors and weapons suited for high intensity combat in anti-submarine, area air warfare, and anti-surface operations, though they are optimised for the hunting and destruction of other enemy surface warships. The vessels are also capable of independent operations and engaging in other roles such as land attack, special forces support and littoral combat. The class are a common sight on Freestian deployments, operating as either battle group escorts or as dedicated hunter-killers and, in war time, commercial raiders.
Ships of this class, built to slightly different design, have been also been commissioned by Kouralia. Construction continues for both nations. A possible successor design is currently under development.
Origin and Manufacture
The Centaur class were envisioned as a powerful surface combatant, primarily intended to form the surface-warfare element of a combined Freestian naval battle group. The class had a long and protracted design process, not so much plagued by design faults but by ever evolving requirements as the FRN itself found its role changing substantially. The initial concept was for a fast-ship trimaran cruiser, designed for force projection, with all-aspect warfare capabilities.
The first drafted proposals provided by the Admiralty board included mocks up ranging between 15,000 and 20,000 tons, with various concepts emphasising either speed, survivability or versatility. With current technologies mostly exhausted in terms of extracting more hydrodynamic performance from current hull design and engines, decisions were made to adapt, for the first time in warships of their size, the concepts of both a trimaran hull and powerful water-jet thrusters. A demonstrator ship exploring these concepts was built, the FRNS Unicorn. This vessel eventually spawned a similarly designed class of corvettes, the Unicorn Class Corvette.
Two design camps emerged.
The two concepts eventually split fully, as variant needs began to rapidly offset any gains in commonality. Differences in hull shape, engineering configuration and weaponry meant that the programme was divided into two separate designs, a . The 'fastship destroyer' became the Sabre Class Destroyer, the 'trimaran cruiser' became the Centaur destroyer. Nonetheless, even as the rough outline of the vessel appeared, arguments waged over potential armament and role. Budgetary concerns were common, though the Freestian design philosphy was already evolving with the previous Furious Class Destroyer to produce larger, more powerful surface combatants. A qualitative as well as quantitative edge was desired as the shape of naval warfare changed. Survivability and fire-power became the desired traits of the vessel, and this had a major impact on layout.
The central hull was broadened to accommodate the new Mk 72 VLS, whose large diameter cells (1300mm) required significant bulkening and strengthening of the vessel's forward section. Initially two Mk 32 Arm Launchers had been installed forward, these were removed as the Mk 72 was bought online. Additional tactical length launchers were installed on the secondary hulls in the superstructure in order to take advantage of the trimaran form's greater stability, and allowing the use of the Mk 72's internal armouring to form part of the ship's own protection.
Aviation facilities were reduced in comparison to the Sabre, the ASW aspect of the vessel was considered secondary to its surface warfare needs, though facilities for UAVs were included to improve combat engagement radius.
Manufacture
All vessels of the class have been built by FDI Group across its various Navarre shipyards.
Maintenance work is undertaken at all major Royal Dockyards, however major overhauls and similar level work is completed at the Navarre Naval Base and the Docklands Royal Dockyard.
Design
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Displacement: | 23,405 tons (Normal load) |
| Dimensions: | 224.2 (l) x 60.1m (w) x 12.5m (d) |
| Crew: | 230 (Ship's Complement) 48 (Onboarded Soldiers) 700 (Overload Capacity, Emergency) |
| Propulsion: | - 3 tbc Nuclear reactors - Unlimited range |
| Performance: | - 39 kts (Sustainable) -Unlimited Range (save Stores Replenishment) |
| Armament: | - 2 x BI 155mm/52 Mk 3 ETC Naval Guns - 3 x 96-cell (12x8) Falltech Mk 72 VLS (strategic) - 4 x 32-cell (4x8) Falltech Mk72 VLS (tactical) - 4 x 25mm cannons |
| Aircraft: | -4 Medium/3 Large VTOL/Helicopter(s) -Launch Rail/Recovery Gear for UAVs (Capacity dependent on UAV design) |
| No. Ships in Class: | 3,168 (exc export versions) |
Armament
The primary gunnery system of the Centaur class are two BI D/P 155mm/52 Mk 3 ETC Naval Guns. These powerful gunnery systems are ubiquitous in the Freestian navy, and provide effective surface engagement and ground attack capability alongside a limited AAW function. Each weapon can fire 30 rounds a minute, utilising a mixture of varied ammunition types out to a range of 22 miles (conventional) or 120 miles (ERGM) rounds. Based on the principals of ETC gunnery, larger stocks of ammunition can be carried more safely. Though it varies by round, a CES of 40 metres at 10 miles (16 km) is stated for unguided munitions. The weapon is housed in a moderately stealthy, radar absorbent fibreglass housing with an armoured lining behind for defence. The positioning of the weapons allows for 360 degree fire regardless of the ship's orientation.
Guidance is provided by the Falltech IronEye targeting system attached to the GSCC, which integrates the gun into the sensor and control systems of the vessel. Each weapon is powered electronically and controlled remotely, with backup remote manual control as a reserve system.
The Mk 72 VLS is the primary missile launching system of the Freestian Royal Navy, and the Centaur carries the strategic and tactical length launcher units, which is comprised of multiple rows of the standard 8 cell block (4x2) in three 96 cell (strategic) and four 32 cell (tactical) units.
Additionally, the ship carries 26 offset individual launching tubes for the Valkyrie AAW/ABM system. These large weapons are intended for intercepting hypersonic ASMs and both space- and atmospheric ballistic and orbiting weapons and satellite systems. This system is designed to allow mounting warships complete control of the aerospace theatre. This links into both the Overlord CMS network and the EagleEye radar system, providing powerful-all aspect high altitude ballistic missile and satellite engagement capability. This weapon can engage fast moving targets up to a height of 300 miles (480km) ASL.
For self defence against small attack craft, four quadruple ASM launchers for the CASM are carried in recessed bays beneath the flight deck. The CASM missile uses active or semi-active radar homing to deliver a 260kg warhead to a range in excess of 80 miles.
For close in defence, six Falltech Mk 3B JOCIWS are carried in pairs fore, amid and aft on the superstructure. These are placed so that three systems can engage a target directly from any angle of attack.
As well, 4 25mm BI Mk 8 Autocannons in remotely controlled mounts as carried for close in gunnery and
Additionally, two twin 324mm Torpedo Tubes, magazine launched, are mounted either side of the vessel below the flight deck.
Active decoy systems are detailed in the protection section below.
Sensors
The Combat Management Suite is the Falltech General Surface Control Suite command and control suite, utilising the Overlord CMS. This is the standard escort control system installed on larger Freestian warships, and combines all sensory input and weapon control modules to provide an integrated system management function. Primary control is located in a hardened Command Centre amid-ship, with secondary locations and system housings in engineering and other citadel locations. The GSCC provides universal sensor and weapons handling and real-time coordination with other GSCC (and derivatives) equipped vessels, providing comprehensive coverage and control of neighbouring battle-space. Integrated into the GSCC is the Advanced Combat Link, a multi-role communication system enabler designed to allow compatibility with a variety of other C3/C4I systems including AEGIS and other allied formats. This can function on either a locally maintained network or a wide area system.The latest incarnation of the GSCC allows full ballistic and space warfare options as well as conventional air and surface management. A reserve manual control system is also installed.
There are two primary surface and air search radar systems. The Falltech EagleEye system is a dual band, rotating phased array housed atop the forward mast. Operating in both a D band search and I band targeting mode, its rotating assembly can complete a total horizon to horizon sweep in three seconds. Designed as a VLPI system, the wavelength of the radar itself and the pulse frequency are varied to reduce recognition at long range. The system can target up to 2,800 contacts at any one time out to the effective horizon (the total number of trackable contacts is not specified but said to be sufficient to deal with a high-end missile swarm), and is equipped with extremely effective filtering and anti-jamming capbilities to reduce the effectiveness of enemy ECM and ESM.
The Falltech PAR-SX is the second primary radar system, with two quadruple sets of the phased arrays being deploy at a +/-8^ angle to the horizon on the main mast. Designed initially as a back up, the fixed arrays allowed for greater tracking redundancy and the fixed, overlapping oversight of the multiple panels allows for greater redundancy and more economic use.
Actual operational use of the two systems is generally staggered, with the EagleEye, afforded a larger natural horizon, used for volume search whilst actual targeting is conducted by the PAR SX array. However, both systems are capable of operating in either capacity (volume search or targeting) as need requires. During peacetime, only one system may be in use to reduce maintenance costs. In addition to the above, a Falltech AS-20 LPI Short-range Air Search is incorporated into the rear mack.
The sonar suite is equally formidable. Aside from on-boarded helicopters, the ship is equipped with a hull mounted Falltech SS-24A Medium-range sonar suite and the Falltech SS-30B (mod 2) Towed Array sonar.
For electronic warfare, the Mk 605 ECM/ESM suite, the standard ECM/ESM suite for most Freestian warships is in place.
Propulsion
The decision to utilise nuclear power was made early on, and the class utilises three Thompson Engineering nuclear reactors, installed as individual units feeding into a combined Integrated Electrical Power system. They share a significant amount of their basic plant design with the Sabre class, though with different propulsion gear and layout, optimised for long range cruising and manoeuvrability. The major difference is that the Centaur mounts three rather than the two reactors of the Sabre class.
The three reactors are Thompson Engineering
In emergencies
Like most modern Freestian warships, the Centaurs utilise a Integrated Electrical Propulsion system supplied by Falltech, which vastly improves the efficiency of power transfer from the reactors and reserve power units to the engines and other systems.
Protection
Argus Defence Technologies installed degaussing and acoustic sweeping gear, specifically the ASDS and the AD Mk.1 Magnetic/Acoustic sweeping system. Both installed sets are sized for the vessel and designed to provide effective passive defence against numerous underwater threats.
The Centaur uses the standard Mk 7 Decoy Launchers common to most modern Freestian surface combatants. There are six launchers located roughly amid ship which fire both unguided chaff and flares and also active radar homing beacons. The Mk 7 decoys allow a variety of profiles to be incorporated into the active radar decoy, mimicking the signals of a variety of targets. Because the Centaurs' themselves are moderately stealthy vessels, effective use of decoys has a major impact
The Falltech Universal Towed Decoy System is also installed, equipped with two separate towing systems with multiple decoy generating stations along each line. This allows the Centaur to create a masking profile based around multiple contact generation. This system can successfully generate the audible signature of a small battle-group or a merchant convoy, as well as a smaller number of larger capital targets. Limited acoustic reception allows the UTDS to be used as the receiver as part of a towed sonar array, though this is anticipated to be used only in emergencies.
Aviation Facilities
A large, 800m2 helipad is located aft of the main superstructure. There are two staggered landing spots equiped with MAe 'Beartrap' helicopter recovery systems, allowing VTOL operations under heavy sea conditions.
Service History
So far, the class has had a limited operational career, deployed for Special Operations and Naval Gunfire Support during the Outback Insurrection and the Great Southern Invasion, and have also been very active in numerous anti-pirate and anti-Ork operations around the Commonwealth.
They are frequently deployed during the Outback Scourings, and numbers have deployed in every naval component since the class was introduced.
A large number of vessels were part of the Northern Fleet, and were involved in both the Shelter raid and the Battle of the Bay. Forty vessels were lost, with a further twelve heavily damaged over the course of the two actions.
Vessels of this class were deployed in the 2nd and 13th Expeditionary Fleets as part of Operation In Scarlet Clad.
Operators
Alongside the FRN, the primary user of the Centaur has been Kouralia. Following the signing of a MOU, the Kouralian Navy became the first major export customer of the design.
Kouralia
There were a large number of modifications to the basic Centaur design to accommodate the needs of the KRN. These included;
- Significant changes to the primary sensor set-up of the vessels. This included a major redesign of the forward mast to remove both the EagleEye and PAR-SX radars and replaced with a KAe Sampson array. The Falltech Sightseer radar on the rear mast was retained as a back up system.
- Conversion of unisex accommodation to separated quarters. Differing Freestian and Kouralian social requirements required changes to various sleeping and hygiene facilities, though the large redundant spaces of the class allowed for this with little issue.
- Realignment and reprogramming of active and passive decoy systems to mimic Kouralian vessels.
- Changes to communication systems as part of KRN integration. This included new radio systems and associated paraphernalia and installation of a Kouralian ECM/ESM suite in place of the 605 array.
Total unit costs, which were discounted by the Freestian government, were USD$1,750,000,000 for each vessel.
Users
The Freethinker Commonwealth
- Greater Royal Navy 3,168
- File:Nationalflag Kouralia.png Kouralia
- Kouralian Royal Navy 266