Zumwalt's CVL alphatest

[lazarus]

View attachment 8087
View attachment 8088
View attachment 8089
An affordable Carrier. Testers please?

Based on the mid '70's CATOBAR CVL/CV(Medium) Zumwalt studies.
656 ft x 124 ft, 21000 tons deep load, modified Spruance seaframe, 5 LM-2500 engineering plant(4 prime mover, 1 steam generator),
one cat, 3 wires, 2 elevators, 20-30 aircraft in peacetime airgroup.
sized around F-18/C-201, H-3/H-60, S-3 airgroup., can operate aircraft up to 70 tons(f-14)

I mentioned evolved Spruance CV designs. Work in progress

 

[Navy Chief]

View attachment 8087
View attachment 8088
View attachment 8089
An affordable Carrier. Testers please?

Based on the mid '70's CATOBAR CVL/CV(Medium) Zumwalt studies.
156 ft x 124 ft, 21000 tons deep load, modified Spruance seaframe, 5 LM-2500 engineering plant(4 prime mover, 1 steam generator),
one cat, 3 wires, 2 elevators, 20-30 aircraft in peacetime airgroup.
sized around F-18/C-201, H-3/H-60, S-3 airgroup., can operate aircraft up to 70 tons(f-14)

I mentioned evolved Spruance CV designs. Work in progress

Sounds interesting. I served during the Zumwalt era, but I was a young, clueless sailor at the time. Did not know about this study. NC

 

[TARPSBird]

lazarus,
I ran the deck a few times using the Vertigo F9F, Ant's T-28C, and Piglet's Spad. Fresnel Lens lights worked fine and seemed to give a good approach with a centered meatball. Arresting wires caught me, cat went into hold-back mode every time and fired me off (deck launch only with the T-28). Jet blast deflector is not animated. The 3.5-degree landing angle to starboard is a little strange, and the single catapult would make this ship more useful for putting up just a few aircraft on each launch cycle for fleet defense CAP duty and tanker/AEW/SAR services rather than power projection, which is probably what planners had in mind for a CVL type back in the Zumwalt era.

 

[lazarus]

Yah,the stbd angle takes a moment to get used to, though I find a curving approach lines up pretty naturally, just make the turn a little past the trailing destroyer. I scratched my head at that, untill the first trap- Aha! having enough run out length for a heavy jet on a small deck.
Zumwalt's idea was that .1) you could get 2.5 CVL's for the price of one Nimitz .2) The CVL's, though less robust and less well able to defend against a Soviet mass anti-carrier strike, would be used in the littorals and not at war high risk missions: fine for less than WW III missions, won't hurt as badly if one gets bushwhacked, and the big ships can stay out of reach of the first day of war strikes. When the balloon goes up, the big decks go to work at what they do best, while the baby flat tops move out to sea to assume the sub busting and convoy work. They are also a less conspicuous target to Soviet RORSATS and other technical means, the smaller signature looks just like a small combatant or a freighter. I also think the US missed a chance to strengthen western defence posture, ship building industry and make some big export sales. If the price could have been held down, maritime countries operating say; F-18's, might have been enticed back into owning a carrier again. The Diggers and Cheeseheads, for instance. Japan and France and the UK. Well, maybe not France; the gaullic ego would probably preclude that.
Thanks for the report. Its always a relief when the project works as its suposed to once its out in the world. I finally figured out the way the IFOLS attach points work to fine tune that, and am flattening out the curve on other things. The JBD's . I guess that means exporting the whole shebang into FSDS; and I just about rather chew off my own cajones than use FSDS. Madre Deas, I do loath FSDS. I have been looking at a SKUP module for animations, though I am not sure if it can be made to work with the haywire way I am going about this.
Any way. Its a fun exercise, and an interesting way to assess some of these concepts. Thanks for the feed back, enjoy; and I shall continue to (hopefully) improve the craft.

Oh, yah! I forgot, and did not see a HU. At RFN, on the ships page, Joel Mallot has released an updated version of his Arromanches for FSX AI. Tabenac on toast, she is 'ver nice, oui?