How has the Falkland's war influenced modern warship design?

Answer 1

The Falkands War had a major influence in not so much the design of warships, but int he armament that was employed on them. One of the major concerns during the Falkands War was the Exocet anti-ship missile, which could be launched from air forces employed during the conflict. Up until that point, there was no reliable method for fighting anti-ship missiles other than to try and not let the launching platform close range to the ship that was being protected. This basically meant that the Argentine planes that were in the area could not close to within the effective range of the missile. Therfore, after the war, much emphasis was placed on designing a weapon system that could be placed onboard a warship that would protect it from missiles fired at it. The Flakands War took place in 1982, and the CIWS Phalanx weapon system had been operationally tested by 1977, but had not been fully completed. Although no direct corrolation can be made to the final developemtn of CIWS and the Flakand War, it can be well assumed that due to the increasing threat from Exocet missiles, the CIWS Phalanx system was placed into full production as a shipboard missile defense system. Below of the specifications of that system: Primary FunctionAnti-ship missile defense Contractor Raytheon Systems Company

(formerly Hughes Missile Systems Company and purchased from General Dynamics Pomona Division in 1992) Weight 12,500 pounds (5,625 kg)

Later models 13,600 pounds (6,120 kg) Range Classified Gun Type M-61A1 Gatling Type of Fire 3,000 rounds per minute

- Later models 4,500 rounds/min

(starting 1988 production, Pneumatic Gun Drive) Magazine Capacity 989 rounds

Later models 1,550 rounds Caliber 20mm AmmunitionArmor Piercing Discarding Sabot (APDS),

Depleted Uranium or Tungsten sub-caliber penetrator. Sensors Self-contained search and track radar Search Radar Ku-band; digital MTI Track Radar Ku-band; pulse Doppler monopulse E/O Sensor FLIR Imaging System with Automatic ACQ Tracker Fire Control Director with closed-loop spotting Gun Drive Pneumatic Mount Drive Electric Date Deployed 1980 (aboard USS Coral Sea)

Later models 1988 (aboard USS Wisconsin) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I doubt that the Falklands War had any great effect on warship design because the big battle was cancelled by a torpedo from a Brit sub. The Brit warships certainly had more futuristic weapons, but the older Argentine warships armed with guns instead of missiles were capable of sustaining much more damage. It is forever debatable which side would have won in a fleet encounter, and perhaps Argentina could have done no worse than to continue with their attack after their cruiser was sunk by the Brit sub. If this war had any effect on warship design, it was to continue the trend of building cheap and disposable warships with ever more fancy missiles and rapid-fire popguns. * The French Exocet missile (unlike the USN Harpoon and other anti-shipping missiles) has proved itself in war in 1982 and 1987. It is incapable of sinking a ship, but it can put a cheap warship like HMS Sheffield or USS Stark out of action. Sheffield was written off as a loss. It would have been less expensive to write off the Stark, but the ship was repaired at great cost to US taxpayers for reasons of national pride. * The Phalanx CIWS is made by General Dynamics which, presumably for reasons of basic geometry, advised the US Navy to place it on the main deck at the height which an enemy missile would approach, but the US Navy wanted it up high where everyone could see it. The Stark was hit before the 20mm could be brought to bear, and the captain of the Stark was made as a scapegoat. As with the Falklands War, no warship design changes were introduced as a result of this incident that this contributor knows of. A warship is not likely to see combat anymore, and those that do are disposable. * This contributor remembers seeing a half-page magazine advertisement for the Phalanx CIWS in 1978 or '79. It was billed in the ad as "the Fastest Gun in the West," and presumably available for any Free World country that wanted to buy it.