After cold war era, come reduction in military spending. Caledonia admiralty started to look into replacing it's many vessels that started to be inefficient to modern strategies and wouldn't fit into the future picture of a modern Navy. So in 1992 started the military a large program, that they expected up to 10 years. the program was to study and predict future strategy and what a future military need, a secondary program that was running under this mamut project would look at all individuel military department and see into how to cut cost, the third program was looking into new ideas/concepts and projects and decide what should get funding and how much. In these three project, there was working more than 15.000 men/woman during those 10 years (Navy, Army, Air force, Command, E-service, Space)
Navy was hardest hit by the new budget, many old ship that was expensive to run and maintain, got axed almost over night, other ships in the fleets was to be replaced within 15 years, some supportships that still had value was put in either short term or long term reserve fleet. Caledonia Navy's 3th, 4th, and the navy's legendary 9th fleet that can trace it self back to the 1300 when Caledonia still was 6 different countries was... disbanded. 1th, 2th, 3th and 6th fleet was remodeled into Flag fleet North and Flag fleet south, each fleet consisted of 6 battle group and 3 carrier group. in addition there was to be several small division that would work alone, each division consisted of minimum 4 ships; max 12 ships.
One of the new project that come out of the new program was project "Large Multirole Amphibious Support Guided Missile Cruiser" the LMAS-GMC program. The winning design was P8794.
P8794 Rambiert class (prototype class)
The design process of the new class was difficult, there was 16 suggestions, from 6 different shipyards, after a hard challenge over 3 years a idea that was literally drawn on paper towel by a designer from small shipyard, after much discussion, the small shipyard would work together with the main Navy shipyard, where the small shipyard build most of the section together with 3 other local shipyard, all section will then be transported to the main Navy shipyard for assembling, thus gave the Navy more control over sensitive installation, since that could be done at the Navy shipyard. The final design and build of first vessel took additional 4 years, total it was used 7 years on the project plus the military 10 year project that lead down to the new class of vessels.
The Design
The idea was simple, a large combined flex/cargo deck and helicopter hanger with a warship stuck on the front and using the latest technology available for the Navy. Build on a steel hull with a combined aluminum and composite structure, to reduce the cost somewhat. while the ships was divided in several water, chemical, radiation-protected and airtight section, the flex deck have several emergency section water/air-tight gates. making sure the ship will survive a direct hit, and can still operate.
Equipped with AB-tech newest phased radar and combat systems with future upgrade possibility, would provide superior awareness in all situation with improved defensive capability specially in Air warfare, with its multi layered radar coverage and fire control systems. In addition the class is also equipped with the new VLS system, that have a faster response time and are loaded with new developed supersonic AAW ramjet-missile.
The flex/cargo and helicopter deck
The flex and cargo deck can carry any type of cargo, but can also be equipped with mission equipment depending on missions. The entire deck can also be used as an hangar, fully loaded the class could carry 5 NH90 helicopters + 2 being serviced.
UAV Hangar
UAV Hangar have full facility for up to 5 UAV + service facility, in addition then hangar can take in light helicopter if needed. the UAV Hangar handler also drones
The experimental powerplant:
The lead vessel was equipped with a small experimental fuel cell generator, that was designed to run on seawater but it didn't work as planned, and was instead rebuild to run on Hydrogen. But in 2019 Stanford researchers developed a way to use seawater, and it was found simple to rebuild the ships fuel cell generator for new test, and from 2020 the experimental fuel cell was operating, but not perfect in the start. It was decided that if the new fuel cell technology have become better, then a superseding class to Rambiert class would be build running on a combination of fuel cell and turbines.
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Rambiert class (P8794)
Builders: Amaron shipyard (Builder), Halion Shipyard (supporting), Danager Yacht ltd (supporting), Core offshore shipyard ltd (supporting), Caledonia Navy Havok main Naval shipyard (builder)
Build: from 2009-
In commision: from 2013-
Ordered: 16 (clause for 8 more)
Completed: 2
Active: 1
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Type: Guided missile Amphibious Cruiser
Displacement: Standard 13.200 tons, dead weight at 17.600 tons
Length: 169,8 meters (557 ft)
Beam: 23,0 meters (75,45 ft)
Draft: sonar: 10,21 meters (33,49 ft)
Propulsion:
- 4 Beffer M5000S: 27.000 SHP; tot.: 108.000 SHP (main propulsion)
- 4 Beffer G200ST: 4.000 SHP; tot.: 16.000 SHP (Combined "hotel and propulsion")
- 4 Havok DE-47JB6: 1500 SHP; tot.: 6000 SHP (Main Hotel, backup propulsion
- Small experimental fuel cell (battery charging + hotel)
- Batteries
- coupled to two shafts, through a advance gear that can either be powered by electric motors or directly from turbines (at a reduced efficiency), each driving a five-bladed reversible controllable-pitch
- propeller.
Speed: in excess of 26 knots (officially), 8 knots on batteries
Range: 6500 nmi at 20 knots; 8700 nmi at 17 knots, 1500 nmi on batteries
Boats & landing craft carried:
- 2 x RHIB
- (flex deck can carry up to: max 3 medium personal hovercraft or 2 medium ferry hovercraft; Alternatively 8-10 Amphibious vehicle)
Complement: 180, Berthing for 350
Sensors and processing systems:
- Ab-tech ASP6-ttf main Long range 3D radar (Arial/Surface search, targeting, tracking, fire control)
- AB-tech AP5-ttf secondary medium range 3D radar (Arial search, targeting, tracking, fire control)
- AB-tech EWP phase 2 (Electronic warfare package)
- AB-tech CN3 (Communication and network)
- AB-tech Nav.4 Long range (Navigation)
- AB-tech FPAS10 (fire control, short range Arial/Surface 3D radar)
- AB-tech Type3000 Active Passive sonar
- cameras (infrared, optical, etc.)
Armament:
- 2 x 32 cell Licensed and redesigned Mk41-VLS tot.: 64 cell
BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missile
RIM-66M Standard medium
RIM-162 ESSM (4 per cell)
(RUM-139 Vertical Launch ASROC)
- 7 x 3 cell Havok Mk12-lightweight VLS tot.: 21 cell
NLOS-LS
RIM-166 RAM Block 2
A184 Scramjet (supersonic AAW (hypersonic capable at short range))
- 2 x quad NSM launcher with build in reload system
- 4 x 18 cell Beffer Mk14-protector (all in one launcher) (torpedo Countermeasures, Decoy Launching System, CHAFF Buoys)
- 4 x 55 mm Beffer Type 15DP
- 2 x twin 324 mm Torpedo launcher
- 1 x 127 mm Beffer Type 29 LDP (fire support)
Aircraft carried:
- 3 x NH90
- 3 x UAV
- 4 x Large drone
Aviation facilities:
- UAV Hangar: space for 5 UAV + service facility. space for drones.
- Flex deck Hangar: space for 5 NH90 + 2 NH90 being serviced
Flex deck modules:
- 2-5-8-10-15-20 man Berthing module
- Medical module
- Hospital module
- Generator module
- service/workshop module
- Command module
- towed sonar module
- mine warfare modules
- 608 mm torpedo tube launcher module
- Water distillery module
- (variuse) store module