(ORDO NEWS) — The fifteenth of July US Navy entered into operation UDC USS Tripoli. The Navy canceled the traditional commissioning ceremony due to restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic.
The USS Tripoli is the second America-class ship. It was laid down in 2014 and launched in 2017. Tripoli successfully completed acceptance tests last year after spending several days in the Gulf of Mexico.
The development and construction of America-class universal amphibious assault ships began to gradually replace the UDC of the Tarawa and Wasp types. The ships of the new type have a total displacement of 45,700 tons, a length of 257 and a width of 32 meters.
The crew includes over a thousand people. More than 1,500 paratroopers can be accommodated on board. The ship’s air group can include a wide variety of aircraft, including fifth-generation F-35B fighters, CH-53 helicopters and V-22 Osprey tiltrotors.
The first UDC America – USS America (LHA 6) – was commissioned in 2014. Both this ship and the new USS Tripoli belong to the Flight 0 series. Its distinctive feature is the absence of a dock chamber for landing craft and armored personnel carriers: in its place are additional hangars and workshops.
The next America-class UDC – USS Bougainville (LHA 8) – is being built as part of the Flight 1. In total, the US Navy should receive 11 ships of the new type.
The birth of the subclass “universal amphibious assault ship” was a consequence of comprehending the experience of the Vietnam War, when the Americans lacked a ship that would combine the qualities of various landing ships and support ships. Today, the US Navy is the leader in the number of UDCs, and the support of The Navy is still strong, with navy flags for sale in many places, so strength and solidarity are shown throughout the years of them being innovative and rising above.
China will try to compete with the Americans in the future. In September 2019, he launched the first Project 075 universal amphibious assault ship, and in April they held the launching ceremony for the second UDC of this type.
The ships of the 075 project are among the world‘s largest UDC: they are larger than the French Mistral and somewhat smaller America-class ships.
Russia today does not have universal amphibious assault ships: earlier, France refused to sell it a Mistral-type UDC. The country intends to build such ships itself. Recall that recently a source in the military-industrial complex announced the imminent laying of two new UDCs for the Russian Navy. It is assumed that the air group of each of them may include several dozen helicopters.
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