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Navy 2020: Lasers, maglev, agile vaccines
The Washington Times ^ | August 14, 2002 | Scott R. Burnell -- UPI Science News

Posted on 08/15/2002 7:03:24 PM PDT by Willie Green

Edited on 07/12/2004 3:38:54 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]

WASHINGTON, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- The "Navy after next" envisioned by speakers at a conference Wednesday could bear little resemblance to today's fleet.

Discussions of "transformational technology" held sway at the Naval-Industry Research and Development Conference as officers and senior officials described the sort of force the United States hopes to field in the 2020 timeframe. Such technologies would impact well beyond current operations, shifting the very fundamentals of how the Navy does its job.


(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: maglev

1 posted on 08/15/2002 7:03:24 PM PDT by Willie Green
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To: Willie Green
This is very nice, conceptually. The author discusses the various efficiencies in energy, space, and maintenance required. What he doesn't mention is reliability and survivability. These aren't cruise ships.

There was a case a few years ago when a destroyer, as I recall, was brought to a full dead in the water halt for one hour because a zero had been entered in the wrong place in the engine control computer screen by a stressed ensign. It crashed the system. If that had been a combat situation it would have been tragic.

I hope they'll build a few at a time so they can get more of the bugs out. It probably is the way to go in the long run.

2 posted on 08/15/2002 7:16:35 PM PDT by Looking for Diogenes
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To: Willie Green
Never has been, and never will be........a substitute for raw tons under sail.

By the title I feared a strategic departure from that axiom, but it appears the author exaggerated a bit.

3 posted on 08/15/2002 8:01:47 PM PDT by Mariner
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To: Willie Green
There is one problem with this scenario making it all electric leaves it totally at the mercy of EMP weapons( more than we already are). It would be nice if they could design a gaussian cage type ship( ie only defense against EMP) that would work.
4 posted on 08/15/2002 8:27:34 PM PDT by weikel
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To: Mariner
but it appears the author exaggerated a bit.

No he didn't. (except I can't comment on the virus stuff).

5 posted on 08/15/2002 8:35:07 PM PDT by nevergiveup
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To: weikel
There is one problem with this scenario

You're exactly right - and that one problem is that there are a heck of a lot more than one.

6 posted on 08/15/2002 8:37:12 PM PDT by nevergiveup
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To: nevergiveup
I bet the other technical problems could be worked out eventually. The EMP vunerability to the point where it not only blinds the radar( and satellite uplinks, communications etc) but sinks the ship is a real problem though.
7 posted on 08/15/2002 8:43:06 PM PDT by weikel
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To: weikel
I'll be a little less circumspect this time, EMP ain't the most pressing problem being solved.
8 posted on 08/15/2002 8:54:03 PM PDT by nevergiveup
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To: Willie Green
"An all-electric design replaces the current maze of steam and hydraulic systems with electric cables and motors throughout a ship, Sullivan said. Doing so allows a vessel to spread out its essential systems and become more damage-resistant, he pointed out."

Maybe, maybe not. An atomic bomb detonated high in the stratosphere and 500 miles away wiped out the electric utility in Hawaii in the 1950s. An all-electric ship would go dead in the water after something like that.

9 posted on 08/15/2002 9:24:49 PM PDT by nightdriver
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To: nightdriver
See my posts.
10 posted on 08/15/2002 9:49:30 PM PDT by weikel
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To: nightdriver
Gee I guess the combat ship designers must have never heard of them thar EMP thingies or dah Hawaiin street lamps. Perhaps one of us should send them an email or something. We might also want to send a warning to those ignoramous research groups trying to figure out how to mount ultra-high power EM weapons on our ships. They may not know how much damage those things can do.</sarcasm>
11 posted on 08/15/2002 9:59:22 PM PDT by nevergiveup
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To: Willie Green
There's also the serious issue of creating shipborne power grids capable of handling currents as high as 13,000 volts on the next-generation aircraft carrier, he said.

Aren't there any technically-savvy editors left anywhere?

12 posted on 08/15/2002 10:09:48 PM PDT by Hank Rearden
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To: Looking for Diogenes
There was a case a few years ago when a destroyer, as I recall, was brought to a full dead in the water halt for one hour because a zero had been entered in the wrong place in the engine control computer screen by a stressed ensign. It crashed the system. If that had been a combat situation it would have been tragic.

It was running Windows NT I believe ;-p

13 posted on 08/15/2002 11:14:24 PM PDT by glorgau
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To: nevergiveup
'Ceptin there ha'int no shieldin' from thet thar EMP-type stuff. Thet thar stuff don't behave nuttin' liken unto the 'lecric noise that comes from a hair dryer or an arc welder. It goes plumb through any ol' shieldin' they is.
14 posted on 08/15/2002 11:17:56 PM PDT by nightdriver
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To: Hank Rearden
LOL yeah I didn't notice that for non engineer types voltage is not a unit of current its a unit of whats called "potential diffrence". This dude may not know what he is talking about.
15 posted on 08/16/2002 7:31:55 AM PDT by weikel
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