LHA-6
Encyclopedia
The America class amphibious assault ship
s of the United States Navy
are planned to replace the Tarawa class
. Based on the , the LHA-6 will be a gas turbine
powered ship supporting a Marine Expeditionary Brigade
with launch capacity for MV-22B Osprey
tiltrotor
s, helicopters, and F-35B STOVL
strike fighter
s. Formerly known as the LHA(R) class, the first ship is due to be delivered in 2013. At a displacement of 45,000 tons and carrying a complement of strike fighters, it can serve in the small carrier
role, as demonstrated by LHD operations in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
To increase the number of accommodated aircraft, the first two ships will feature greater hangar space, but not the well deck
s that are used to house landing craft
on the Tarawa and Wasp class
amphibious assault ships. Subsequent vessels in the class are intended to have a stern well deck.
The typical aircraft complement for the America class is expected to be 12 MV-22B Ospreys, 8 Bell AH-1Z Vipers, 10 F-35B Lightning II's
, 4 CH-53Ks and 4 Navy MH-60S "Knighthawks". The exact makeup of the ship's aircraft complement will vary according to its mission.
The Congressional Budget Office found that LH(X) class ships would be more cost effective to build as nuclear powered if the price of oil would be expected to reach $140 a barrel by 2040.
Amphibious assault ship
An amphibious assault ship is a type of amphibious warfare ship employed to land and support ground forces on enemy territory by an amphibious assault...
s of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
are planned to replace the Tarawa class
Tarawa class amphibious assault ship
The Tarawa class is a ship class of amphibious assault ships operated by the United States Navy . Five ships were built by Ingalls Shipbuilding between 1971 and 1980; another four ships were planned, but later cancelled...
. Based on the , the LHA-6 will be a gas turbine
Gas turbine
A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. It has an upstream rotating compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between....
powered ship supporting a Marine Expeditionary Brigade
Marine Expeditionary Brigade
A Marine Expeditionary Brigade is a formation of the United States Marine Corps, a Marine Air-Ground Task Force of approximately 14,500 Marines and Sailors constructed around a reinforced infantry regiment, a composite Marine aircraft group, a logistics group and a command element...
with launch capacity for MV-22B Osprey
V-22 Osprey
The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, military, tiltrotor aircraft with both a vertical takeoff and landing , and short takeoff and landing capability...
tiltrotor
Tiltrotor
A tiltrotor is an aircraft which uses a pair or more of powered rotors mounted on rotating shafts or nacelles at the end of a fixed wing for lift and propulsion, and combines the vertical lift capability of a helicopter with the speed and range of a conventional fixed-wing aircraft...
s, helicopters, and F-35B STOVL
STOVL
STOVL is an acronym for short take off and vertical landing.This is the ability of some aircraft to take off from a short runway or take off vertically if it does not have a very heavy payload and land vertically...
strike fighter
Strike fighter
In a current military parlance, a strike fighter is a multi-role combat aircraft designed to operate primarily in the air-to-surface attack role while also incorporating certain performance characteristics of a fighter aircraft. As a category, it is distinct from fighter-bombers...
s. Formerly known as the LHA(R) class, the first ship is due to be delivered in 2013. At a displacement of 45,000 tons and carrying a complement of strike fighters, it can serve in the small carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
role, as demonstrated by LHD operations in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
To increase the number of accommodated aircraft, the first two ships will feature greater hangar space, but not the well deck
Well deck
A well deck or well dock is a hangar-like deck located at the waterline in the stern of some amphibious warfare ships. By taking on water the ship can lower its stern, flooding the well deck and allowing boats and amphibious landing craft to dock within the ship. This facilitates moving cargo...
s that are used to house landing craft
Landing craft
Landing craft are boats and seagoing vessels used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...
on the Tarawa and Wasp class
Wasp class amphibious assault ship
The Wasp class is a class of Landing Helicopter Dock amphibious assault ships operated by the United States Navy. Based on the Tarawa class, with modifications to operate more advanced aircraft and landing craft, the Wasp class is capable of transporting almost the full strength of a United States...
amphibious assault ships. Subsequent vessels in the class are intended to have a stern well deck.
The typical aircraft complement for the America class is expected to be 12 MV-22B Ospreys, 8 Bell AH-1Z Vipers, 10 F-35B Lightning II's
F-35 Lightning II
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, fifth generation multirole fighters under development to perform ground attack, reconnaissance, and air defense missions with stealth capability...
, 4 CH-53Ks and 4 Navy MH-60S "Knighthawks". The exact makeup of the ship's aircraft complement will vary according to its mission.
The Congressional Budget Office found that LH(X) class ships would be more cost effective to build as nuclear powered if the price of oil would be expected to reach $140 a barrel by 2040.