USN Aviation Cruiser Concepts (CGV & MEU Studies)

[CommanderRenHoek]

Page 120

https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA262032.pdf

Reading the paper its attached to it seemed to have been just used as an example of the "enclaving" concept, but with no further discussion about it. Unless one already knew about MEU/CG(VSTOL) it may have been just dismissed as a random sketch of the authors...

"HELW"? High Energy Laser Weapon?

And they're putting it between the stacks at deck level? So it's incapable of firing to fore or aft?

*facepalm*

Re: HELW, I would've guessed it was a landing aid or some other aviation-related instrument, on the port side across the flight deck. In the famous painting of the MEU, that spot between the stacks seems to be used as a deck park/rearming area for Harriers.

Assuming this is indicative of what was supposed to be on the MEU, its interesting that it's supposed to get a side-mounted conformal sonar of some kind. Perhaps related to the conformal sonar sketched up for the '89-90 Burke Flight III?

 

[JFC Fuller]

"HELW"? High Energy Laser Weapon?

And they're putting it between the stacks at deck level? So it's incapable of firing to fore or aft?

*facepalm*

Almost certainly HELWEPS (High Energy Laser WEaPon System), which was contemporaneous with this study. It was a big system, on the Ticonderoga class it was to replace the forward 5" gun. The position looks odd in one dimension but the angles on the superstructure, and it should be narrow, suggest it would probably have been able to fire over at least 270+ degrees.

 

[MihoshiK]

Almost certainly HELWEPS (High Energy Laser WEaPon System), which was contemporaneous with this study. It was a big system, on the Ticonderoga class it was to replace the forward 5" gun. The position looks odd in one dimension but the angles on the superstructure, and it should be narrow, suggest it would probably have been able to fire over at least 270+ degrees.

I doubt that not getting HELWEPS was considered a loss by anyone who would have had to work with it. Those chemical lasers used some pretty nasty stuff for fuel.