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Will The U.S. Navy Build New Cruisers?
The U.S. Navy’s Ticonderoga-class cruisers are approaching the end of their service lives and will be decommissioned in the coming years. By 2027, all cruisers will be gone. What will replace them, and will the U.S. Navy build new cruisers as replacements?The U.S. Navy did have the Next-Generation Cruiser program (CG(X)), started in November 2001, to design and replace the Ticonderoga-class cruisers. The CG(X) program was canceled in 2010. In CG(X)’s canceled program’s place, the U.S. Navy decided to acquire Flight III DDG-51s, upgraded versions of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. According to the June 10, 2010, Congressional Research Service (CRS) report to Congress, “The CG(X) program was announced on November 1, 2001, when the Navy stated that it was launching a Future Surface Combatant Program aimed at acquiring a family of next-generation surface combatants. This new family of surface combatants, the Navy stated, would include three new classes of ships. • a destroyer called the DD(X)—later renamed the DDG-1000 or Zumwalt class—for the precision long-range strike and naval gunfire mission, • a cruiser called the CG(X) for the AAW [Anti-Air Warfare] and BMD [Ballistic Missile Defense] mission, and • a smaller combatant called the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) to counter submarines, small surface attack craft, and mines in heavily contested littoral (near-shore) area.” The tumblehome hull Zumwalt-class destroyers (DDG-1000) and the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) were indeed built, but the CG(X) program did not become a reality. In June 2024, Naval News asked the U.S. Navy’s Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) about cruiser replacements and if there would be any new CG(X) program resurrection. NAVSEA forwarded my request to the U.S. Navy’s Chief of Information (CHINFO) office, who replied: "The Navy does not intend to replace Ticonderoga-class cruisers with CG(X). In the near term, the DDG 51 FLT III, and DDG(X) in the long term, fulfill the requirements historically supported by the Ticonderoga-class cruisers." “While DDG 51 Flight III capabilities enable the surface force to pace adversary threats into the future, after 40 years of production and 30 years of upgrades, the DDG 51 hull form has inadequate space, weight, power, and cooling margins (SWaP-C) for future upgrades,” “DDG(X) represents an evolutionary vice revolutionary approach that will provide the Navy with the warfighting capabilities and SWaP-C margins to relieve both the Arleigh Burke DDG 51 class destroyer and Ticonderoga CG 47 class cruiser as the next enduring hull form.” When asked why the CG(X) program was canceled and if the Requirements for the CG(X) program still exist, CHINFO’s spokesperson said, “CG(X) represented a revolutionary vision for the future of the Navy. However, CG(X) was based on the matured DDG 1000 hull form, which met with significant technical and affordability issues. "The requirements that were filled by the Ticonderoga-class cruiser are now being filled by DDG 51 FLT III in the near term and DDG(X) in the long term. The Navy’s current capabilities resident within DDG 51 FLT III and DDG(X) ship classes are sufficient to meet the requirements the CG(X) program was intended to fulfill. These capabilities are deemed sufficient to support the Surface Navy’s mission throughout the range of military operations. Accordingly, there is no plan to pursue the CG(X).” Posted by: badanov 2024-07-04 |
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