The Albemerial class of guided missile destroyers were designed as multi-role destroyers to fit the AAW (Anti-Aircraft Warfare) with their powerful Aegis radar and anti-aircraft missiles, ASW (Anti-submarine warfare), with their towed sonar array, anti-submarine rockets, capability helicopter, ASUW (Anti-surface warfare) with their Harpoon missile launcher, and strategic land strike using their Tomahawk missiles. Their hull and superstructure were designed to have a reduced radar cross section. The vessels are among the largest destroyers built in the region of The ACSN. Quoted by General Strantsfortin of the Panzermmee Naval Operations Department, he states "they are the most powerful surface combatants ever put to sea." Albemerial are multi-mission ships with a "combination of an advanced anti-submarine warfare system, land attack cruise missiles, ship-to-ship missiles, and advanced anti-aircraft missiles," designed with a new, large, water-plane area-hull form characterized by a wide flaring which significantly improves sea-keeping ability. The hull form is designed to permit high speed in high sea states.
With an overall length of 500 feet (152.4 m) to 509 feet (155 m), displacement at 8,000tons full, and weaponry including over 90 missiles, the ships are larger and more heavily armed than most previous ships classified as guided missile destroyers.
Hull Design and Overview
The design of the vessel is relatively simple. An all-steel monohull with a double bottom and twelve water-tight compartments for survivability, and the horizontal main deck and the angular single-block superstructure provide a highly stealthy outline. For the construction of the ships themselves, each vessel is divided into five 'super-segments' which can be built simultaneously, to reduce production time and save money, and then welded together in a dry dock before fitting out. The modular design allows far quicker installation of larger machinery within the ship (such as the engines and gearboxes) within a shorter time period, and in the future also allows far more efficient retrofitting of the ship's internal systems. Armor was removed to reduce cost, but a complete damage control and NBC protection system was installed, along with anti-spall liners and a hardened keel. The modular nature of the design allowed heavily damaged sections to be replaced entirely, whilst the thin steel hull could be easily repaired even at sea in the event of an attack.
A hanger and pad for a helicopter were fitted aft, able to launch, maintain and recover a variety of helicopters, but only on ranged deployments where helicopters carried as matter of course on the vessel.
The Albermerial provides the underlying excellence of Castaenea shipbuilding, and the ships are excellent sea-boats and tough fighters, popular with their crews due to the low maintenance requirements and the spacious and gentle ride they provide.
Propulsion
The vessel is fitted with an innovative integrated electric propulsion system. Historically, electric-drive ships have supplied power to their electric motors using DC, and ship's electrical load, where necessary at all, was either separately supplied or was supplied as DC with a large range of acceptable voltage. Integrated electric propulsion seeks to supply all propulsion and ship's electrical load via AC at a high quality of voltage and frequency. This is achieved by computerized control, high quality transformation and electrical filtering. Two WR-21 gas turbine alternators and two 12V200 diesel generators provide electrical power at 4,160 volts to a high voltage system. The high voltage supply is then used to provide power to two Converteam advanced induction motors with outputs of 20 MW (27,000 hp) each. Ship's services, including hotel load and weapons system power supplies, are supplied via transformers from the high voltage supply at 440 V and 115 V. The benefits of integrated electric propulsion are cited as:
- The ability to place the electric motors closer to the propeller, thus shortening the shaftline, obviating the need for a gearbox or controllable pitch propellers, and reducing exposure to action damage.
- The opportunity to place prime movers (diesel generators and gas turbine alternators) at convenient locations away from the shaftline, thus reducing the space lost to funnels, while at the same time improving access for maintenance and engine changes.
- The freedom to run all propulsion and ship services from a single prime mover for much of the ship's life, thus dramatically reducing engine running hours and emissions.
Key to the efficient use of a single prime mover is the choice of a gas turbine that provides efficiency over a large load range; the WR21 gas turbine incorporates compressor intercooling and exhaust heat recovery, making it significantly more efficient than previous marine gas turbines, especially at low and medium load.
The combination of greater efficiency and high fuel capacity give an endurance of 7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km) at 18 knots (33 km/h). High power density and the hydrodynamic efficiency of a longer hull form allow high speeds to be sustained. It has been reported that the vessel reached her design speed of 29 knots (54 km/h) in 70 seconds and achieved a speed of 31.5 knots (58 km/h) in 120 seconds during sea-trials.
Armament and Defense
The vessels are primarily designed for anti-aircraft and anti-missile warfare with the capability to defend against aircraft, drones as well as supersonic sea skimming anti-ship missiles. The Panzermmee Navy describes Albemerial’s mission as "to shield the Fleet from air attack". Albemerial is equipped with the sophisticated Sea Viper air-defense system, utilizing the SAMPSON active electronically scanned array multi-function air tracking radar and the S1850M long-range air surveillance radar. The Sea Viper system is able to control and coordinate several missiles in the air at once, allowing several tracks to be intercepted at any given time.
It has been proven that the SAMPSON radar is capable of tracking an object the size of a cricket ball travelling at three times the speed of sound. A core component of the vessel's Sea Viper air-defense system is the Aster missile, composing of the Aster 15 and Aster 30. Aster is an anti-missile missile capable of intercepting all types of high performance air threats at a max range of 120 km. The Aster missile is autonomously guided and equipped with an active RF seeker enabling it to cope with "saturated attacks" thanks to a "Multiple engagement capability" and a high rate of fire. Presently Albemerial is equipped with a 72-cell A50 Sylver Vertical Launching System allowing for a mix of up-to 48 Aster 15 and 30 missiles.
Sustainability and Survival
The vessel uses the Questria 3 fire control and battlespace integration system as the basis of its electronic and information warfare suite. Like the Questria before it, the Questria 3 system inputs and actively seeks information from a wide variety of sensory sources, not limited to those on the ship itself. Questria 3 system follows on from its Inter-Vehicular Information System (IVIS) conceptual ancestor, and is part of an integrated and adaptive battlespace network that maximizes combat lethality, and enables command and control on an unprecedented scale. Information is sourced not only from multiple sources on the individual aircraft, ship, vehicle or soldier, but from every Questria 3 equipped friendly platform within the battlespace, which provides constant informational updates across a broad spectrum of sources, both known to the operators, and operating below their awareness.
The Questria 3 system utilizes this information to compute a firing solution, based upon analysis of the target and selected weapon. This is achieved in less time than it would take the gunner to depress the firing stud or authorize the missile launch. The firing solution that Questria 3 generates ensures a near-perfect hit percent at standard ranges, across all conditions.
At the most basic level, the Questria 3 system aims to accelerate engagement cycles and increase operational tempo at all levels of the warfighting system. This acceleration is achieved by providing a mechanism to rapidly gather and distribute targeting information, and rapidly issue directives. Questria 3's ultra-high speed networking permits error-free, high integrity transmission in a bare fraction of the time required for voice-based transmission, and permits transfer of a wide range of data formats, from a multitude of compatible sources. As well as radar, the fire control system on the vessel also has an electro-optic channel with long-wave thermal imager and infrared direction finder, including digital signal processing and automatic target tracking.
The Questria 3 network coordinates the fire power of up to seven Estentires and, utilizing the greater computational power available to a warship, as opposed to the P-700 from which the system was derived, and up to 80 other Questria-equipped vessels, spaced at distances of up to 900km. Any vessel can be the network master controller and the network can link with other command facilities, or even other networks, in real time, allowing for individual ships to control the anti-air coverage of taskgroups, and integrate the entirety into a cohesive whole, a system-of-systems approach, which has increasingly been prevalent globally.
Sustainability and Survival
The vessel uses the Questria 3 fire control and battlespace integration system as the basis of its electronic and information warfare suite. Like the Questria before it, the Questria 3 system inputs and actively seeks information from a wide variety of sensory sources, not limited to those on the ship itself. Questria 3 system follows on from its Inter-Vehicular Information System (IVIS) conceptual ancestor, and is part of an integrated and adaptive battlespace network that maximizes combat lethality, and enables command and control on an unprecedented scale. Information is sourced not only from multiple sources on the individual aircraft, ship, vehicle or soldier, but from every Questria 3 equipped friendly platform within the battlespace, which provides constant informational updates across a broad spectrum of sources, both known to the operators, and operating below their awareness.
The Questria 3 system utilizes this information to compute a firing solution, based upon analysis of the target and selected weapon. This is achieved in less time than it would take the gunner to depress the firing stud or authorize the missile launch. The firing solution that Questria 3 generates ensures a near-perfect hit percent at standard ranges, across all conditions.
At the most basic level, the Questria 3 system aims to accelerate engagement cycles and increase operational tempo at all levels of the warfighting system. This acceleration is achieved by providing a mechanism to rapidly gather and distribute targeting information, and rapidly issue directives. Questria 3's ultra-high speed networking permits error-free, high integrity transmission in a bare fraction of the time required for voice-based transmission, and permits transfer of a wide range of data formats, from a multitude of compatible sources. As well as radar, the fire control system on the vessel also has an electro-optic channel with long-wave thermal imager and infrared direction finder, including digital signal processing and automatic target tracking.
The Questria 3 network coordinates the fire power of up to seven Estentires and, utilizing the greater computational power available to a warship, as opposed to the P-700 from which the system was derived, and up to 80 other Questria-equipped vessels, spaced at distances of up to 900km. Any vessel can be the network master controller and the network can link with other command facilities, or even other networks, in real time, allowing for individual ships to control the anti-air coverage of taskgroups, and integrate the entirety into a cohesive whole, a system-of-systems approach, which has increasingly been prevalent globally.
The fully automatic real-time data exchange includes aerospace control data, weapon control orders and fire control orders, target identification data, individual system status and vehicle position, threat prioritization and optimized weapon allocation, engagement status, weapon status and jammer triangulation data. The vessel's computational facilities can track and target up to 4480 air or ground targets near simultaneously, a tenfold increase on its AcurKILL predecessor, with the control point directing the network to ensure the right weaponry arrives at the right time. The system can also assign targets to other vehicles in the network that are operating with their radars in silent mode, maximizing lethality while maintaining proportionally high levels of emission concealment. The vessel can also vector in extra weapons systems, in flight, if targets are missed or if the warships vast magazines have been depleted beyond its capacity to engage hostile force elements. The Questria 3 links for the vessels, like the AcurKILL and Brenard, use frequency-agile radios or direct laser LOS transfer, satellite assisted if required. Over 4,000 frequencies with 20kHz channel spacing are used in the frequency agile radio link. The system architecture provides full duplex data exchange and simultaneous half duplex voice communications.
Well implemented networking, using the Questria 3 system, can contribute to improved effectiveness in other ways as well. Rather than micromanage Questria-equipped platforms with close control via a command link tether (such as a radio), networked platforms are given significant autonomy, defined objectives, and allowed to take the initiative in how they meet these objectives. The size, integration and scope of the networked Questria 3 system enables all units across the battlespace to respond faster than their opposition, and this increased tempo generates increased lethality across all levels of the engagement spectrum.
The system, in its entirety, is fully insulated against electronic interference and data-hacking, and all communications and information exchange programs are 1024-bit encrypted (the additional layering to support the vessels status as force or Task Group co-ordination point) to ensure maximum network security.
Specifications
General:
- Type: Guided Missile Destroyer
- Displacement: 8,000 tons
- Length: 152.4 m (500 ft 0 in)
- Beam: 21.2 m (69 ft 7 in)
- Draught: 7.4 m (24 ft 3 in)
- Propulsion: 2 shafts Integrated electric propulsion (IEP);
2× WR-21 gas turbines, 21.5 MW (28,800 shp) each
2× 12V200 diesel generators, 2 MW (2,700 shp) each
2× Converteam electric motors, 20 MW (27,000 shp) each - Speed: In excess of 29 kn (54 km/h; 33 mph)
- Range: 7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km) at 18 kn (33 km/h)
- Complement: 190 (accommodation for up to 235)
- SAMPSON multi-function air tracking radar
- S1850M 3-D air surveillance radar
- 2× Raytheon I-band Radar
- 1× Raytheon E/F-band Radar
- UAT Mod2.0
- Ultra Electronics Series 2500 Electro-Optical Gun Control System (EOGCS)
- Ultra Electronics SML Technologies radar tracking system
- Ultra Electronics/EDO MFS-7000 sonar
- Surface ship torpedo defense (SSTD)
- Anti-air missiles:
- Sea Viper air defence system.
- 1× 72-cell Sylver A50 VLS, for a combination of 72×;
- Aster 15 missiles (range 2-30 km)
- Aster 30 missiles (range 3-120 km)
- Guns:
- 1× BAE 4.5 inch Mark 8 naval gun
- 2× Oerlikon 30 mm guns
- 2× Phalanx CIWS
- 2× Miniguns
- 6× general purpose machine guns
- 2× 4 Harpoon anti-ship missile launchers
- Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles
Aircraft carried:- 2× AHU-2 Piranha
Aviation facilities:- Large flight deck
- Enclosed hangar
Ships currently in service
50 ships in service, classification: DD-XX
Named after Marine Corps, Navy and Air force heroes
Named after Marine Corps, Navy and Air force heroes