What are the silliest warship designs/concepts of recent years? (Serious)

The Russian pagoda frigates, BAEs avant guard hybrid carrier cruisers..,, it's hard to take some builders' models seriously even if the builder is otherwise reputable. What are the worst offenders of modern times?

BAEs avant garde hybrid carrier cruisers???

I was thinking of the UXV https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/UXV_Combatant

Actually, the UXV was relatively sane, especially in comparison to current 'advances' such as the LCS/SSC.

Could you please post links to know more details about that ship designs

Well I know that since WW2 the British warship design changed from in-house and government / Admirality designers and teams to Private companies and Conglomerates / Alliances.
What about the USN?
The Russians seems still to rely on design bureaus though private companies as well making designs, well at least to my knowledge.

Grey Havoc said:

Actually, the UXV was relatively sane, especially in comparison to current 'advances' such as the LCS/SSC.

Click to expand...

is this a case that anything is better than an LCS or are you a fan of double angled decks with central islands, that are not big enough for regular aircraft?

I like DCNS but they've had some wacky ones.


At a fundamental level the Ghost is fairly sound, but every time the builders open their mouths about it they sound more and more silly.


Can't find it now but one of Popular Science/Mechanics did an article about a Frigate-sized hyrdrofoil-ish surface combatant awhile back. That was pretty crazy.

I can't remember the name of the concept, but there was a carrier idea that would use cranes to have "nutcracker" VTOL aircraft (see page 24 of this this document - http://www.dept.aoe.vt.edu/~mason/Mason_f/HiLiftPresPt2.pdf from Virginia Tech) hang off the sides of ships -- see http://s59.radikal.ru/i164/1001/a5/bec381c511b8.jpg

I'm not sure I'd count the ship, by itself, as particularly wacky, but the aircraft handling technique seems a bit outre.....

The BMT SSGT was pretty silly. A non-nuclear powered fleet submarine with high transit speed. A noble aim but to achieve the high speed it sailed semi submerged so the intake and exhaust needs of gas turbines could be meet. However such a vessel would not be indiscrete in transit like a diesel-electric submarine snorting for eight or so hours every night. So to achieve the desired aim of higher transit speed it removes the primary mechanism of stealth in transit which allows for ambiguity of patrol area which is crucial for any fleet submarine's effectiveness and survivability. Its the submarine version of building a stealth bomber that is no longer stealthy.

covert_shores said:

Grey Havoc said:

Actually, the UXV was relatively sane, especially in comparison to current 'advances' such as the LCS/SSC.

Click to expand...

is this a case that anything is better than an LCS or are you a fan of double angled decks with central islands, that are not big enough for regular aircraft?

Click to expand...

The former, though I must admit the UXV design grew on me a bit despite it's manifest shortcomings (underarmed, over-reliant on drones/aviation compliment). A nuclear powered version with these and other shortcomings addressed might actually be of use to the Royal Navy, particularly in low intensity theaters.

DCNS has always popped out a few odd ones. There was the concept called swordship that had a weird recessed barrel turret in front.Though in concept it actually wasn't all that far from the original streetfighter concepts that gave birth to LCS.

Grey Havoc said:

covert_shores said:

Grey Havoc said:

Actually, the UXV was relatively sane, especially in comparison to current 'advances' such as the LCS/SSC.

Click to expand...

is this a case that anything is better than an LCS or are you a fan of double angled decks with central islands, that are not big enough for regular aircraft?

Click to expand...

The former, though I must admit the UXV design grew on me a bit despite it's manifest shortcomings (underarmed, over-reliant on drones/aviation compliment). A nuclear powered version with these and other shortcomings addressed might actually be of use to the Royal Navy, particularly in low intensity theaters.

Click to expand...

Glass half-empty, glass half full, I suppose - what the UXV is good for depends on how its used - it appears to be conceived as a re-imagining of the amphibious assault ship with the assumption that heavy air support in the form of drones and attack helicopters - as well as generic Taranis-type drones, the model shows a dock while another artist's impression shows a pair of Merlins. Presumably a navalised Apache could be used too.


Unlike a conventional LHD/LPD that would offer sheer bulk of numbers, it seems to be designed to cope with getting a relatively smaller number of troops to shore with a lot more aggressive support from its gun, SSMs and strike/recon drones.


The Royal Navy has no plans to buy this - it's only a study and the RN, as well as being strapped for cash, has its capabilities already or projected in other ships. BAE emphasises cost-effectiveness and versatility, so I would imagine these with air-defence destroyers as escorts bought by India or nations that don't have carriers such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan etc used against, say China's chain of artificial islands that they're build in the South China Sea.


http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/bae-systems39-stealth-ship-concept-to-operate-unmanned-216843/

another from BAE...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PneV7l93o14


CMN's SWAO 53, an outrigger patrol boat to increase deck area for flight ops.
I think there is an entry here already but it certainly qualifies.

It certainly looks unconventional, but is there reason to think it'd be silly, in also not being able to carry out its mission?