When hearing the term “ships-of-the-line”—warships that take their place in a navy’s line of battle—most think of old two- or three-deck sailing ships carrying large cannon batteries, or perhaps steam-powered, armored battleships. Since entering the age of jet aircraft, guided missiles, and nuclear-powered submarines, however, the US Navy’s “surface battle line” consists of battle force capable (BFC) surface combatants—large, multi-mission and focused-mission warships designed first to operate as part of a fast Carrier Strike Group. These include guided missile cruisers (CGs), guided-missile destroyers (DDGs), and general-purpose destroyers (DDs). Battle force capable combatants are separate and distinct from legacy protection of shipping combatants (now known as frigates and guided missile frigates) and newer littoral combat ships, both of which are smaller, and less capable, focused-mission warships.
Today, the Navy’s fleet of BFC combatants consists of 22 Ticonderoga-class CGs and 50 Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers. If not the finest warships of their types in the world, they are among the very best. All 72 vessels are equipped with the superb SPY-1 phased array radar and Aegis anti-air warfare combat system, which together are often described as comprising “the most advanced anti-air system in existence, land-based or naval.” Their main batteries consist of the Mk-41 Vertical Launch System (VLS), a flexible, modular guided missile system consisting of groups of missile cells nestled in the hull, each capable of storing and launching the following types of battle force missiles: land-attack cruise missiles; ballistic missile interceptors; surface-to-air missiles; anti-submarine rockets; or, with proper modifications, any other type of guided missile that can physically fit inside the 25-inch by 25- inch cell. Alternatively, a single cell can be configured to carry four smaller short-range surfaceto- air missiles in a so-called “quad-pack” arrangement. The Mk-41’s modular weapons flexibility allows the Navy to tailor the battle line’s missile load to account for the most likely threats, and allows it to meet emerging threats with newly-designed missiles rather than brand
new ships.
An additional 12 Burke DDGs are either authorized or under construction. When the last of these ships is commissioned in 2011, the Navy’s surface battle line will consist of 84 state-of-the-art Aegis/VLS combatants, with 84 common air defense radars and a distributed main battery consisting of no less than 8,468 VLS cells—an aggregate missile capacity greater than that found on all of the major warships in the world’s next 17 largest navies. The battle line’s secondary battery will be equally impressive: 106 5-inch naval guns; up to 672 Harpoon anti-ship cruise missiles or its land attack variant; 168 Phalanx close-in weapons systems for terminal missile and anti-boat defense; and 504 ready-to-fire anti-submarine homing torpedoes (with more in onboard magazines). The force will also be able to hangar up to 112 MH-60R Seahawk helicopters. No other line of battle in the world will be come close to matching the firepower and multi-mission capabilities associated with this impressive assemblage of ships.