Cheechako
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Joined: 7/10/2015
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I tweaked the South China Sea Clash to include a "rushed" into service VLS LRASM for the Burke with 8 rounds loaded. I also added 8 NSMs per each LCS based on the recent request for OTH missiles for the LCS/SSC. I made one LCS into a SSC concept. I added a SLQ-32V5 ECM pod, added 24 hellfires, added 2x25mm typhoon mounts and changed each LCS to have SEARAMS instead of their regular RIM launcher. I know the Navy decided against ESSMs on the SSC, but I added 8 just to see if it could survive this scenario.
As soon as hostilities break out, I use LCS Freedom(only having SEARAM and NSMs) take out the hostile corvette and CCG ship. I expended two NSMs per ship, sinking both.
I figured since it's open hostility time, I launch a cruise missile strike on Woody island to take out the radar and SIGINT site with my Virginia class. In retrospect, I probably should have fired the tomahawks from the burke and kept the Virginia hidden.
During the opening breach, I noticed one of the vampires come from part of the sea with no ships - so it might be a goblin. I send a romeo from the burke to hunt and kill it. I guess right based on the trajectory of the vampire and my second sonobuoy picked up the contact. I pinpointed it with one pass on the dipping sonar and killed it with Mark46.
At this point I have the 3 ship Chinese surface group moving to my NW. I vector my triton towards the group dropping it down to 10K feet hoping that I'll get a visual confirmation of the group.
Fortworth is my "SSC" armed boat, with 8 NSMs, so I vector it for a flank speed intercept of the 3 ship group. Before it gets within 100nm range, my triton picks up the 52c destroyer after it shoots down the Philippines maritime search plane. I drop my triton to the deck and max speed to get out of the SAM engagement ring of the surface group. Thankfully, it makes it out of range. I pop it back up to 8K feet and turn on the surface search radar to track the group. Now that I have a lock on the 52c, I fire a 4 shot salvo of LRASMs from the burke. Two LRASMs are picked off by HQ16As, but, two make it through the defensive screen of chaff, 30mm cannon fire and missiles. One LRASM is a near miss, one is a direct hit. Each carry 1000 pound warheads. The near miss caused enough damage alone for it to be a mission kill, but the second one was a direct hit causing massive damage and sinking the vessel.
At this point, I figure my surface group is going to start seeing enemy aircraft, so I keep my SPY radars turned on. The SM6 keeps swatting down most enemy AC, although I had a few slip into ESSM range... I also fire another round of tomahawks at the SIGINT site.
By now, my SSC is within NSM range. I fire 3 NSMs at each 54A. The first 54A is caught unaware of the incoming NSMs and two are near misses and the third is a direct hit. Damaged, some systems are still operational the ship does have major flooding, so it probably would have been a mission kill, but, again, it can still fight. The second 54A is ready for the NSMs, and is able to shoot all three down with HQ16s.
One of the 54As is able to fire two ASCMs at my SSC. At this point, it's already running flank speed back to my burke. The SEARAM picks up both missiles and is able to take them both out. As I haven't read the logs, yet, it still looks like I have two fighting 54As. I turn my SSC back around and fire two more NSMs at the closest 54A. Both find their target for direct hits. That 54A finally sunk after 2 near misses and three direct NSM hits. Damn tough ship. At this point, my SSC is out of NSMs so I task it to take up position near my burke. On the way back, it again comes under ASCM fire, and the SEARAM is able to take out two missiles. I also figured out why my ESSMs weren't firing on the SSC, so I fixed it. It's able to shoot down one JH-7A once my ESSMs start working. Again, the SCS comes under cruise missile attack from missiles fired by the JH-7A, and between ESSMs and RIMs, it's able to down two more missiles.
Freedom still has 4 NSMs so I send it at flank speed to fire at the last 54A. At this point, I'm also ready to just end the scenario, so I fire two LRASMs from the burke. One is downed by a HQ-16A and one is downed by a lucky roll of gun fire. Sigh. Okay, freedom will be in firing range in 30ish minutes, my P-8 with two SLAMER-ATAs is almost in range. I decide to fire my two remaining LRASMs as well as my SLAMER-ATAs. I cross my fingers as one LRASM is taken out by a HQ16A, but one makes it through and is a direct hit and sinks the last PLAN ship.
Conclusion:
Reflecting on this edited scenario, I really appreciate the importance of new ASMs on USN ships, and they need to be here now, and in quantity. I'm still rubbing my forehead why the LCS needs a 57mm, two 30mms, two 25mms, 24 hellfires and now 8 OTH missiles to deal with the small boat threat. If they could figure out a way to drop the 30mms and add some ESSMs, you now have a 45 knot frigate that can fight it's way into 100nm of an enemy combatant and fire stealthy cruise missiles and speed out of range. An ESSM LCS also means that it can better screen bigger expensive ships for missiles and planes freeing up AEGIS ships to fire SM-6s at priority combatants.
In a small boat threat, it still has OTH missiles to take out the larger small boat threat, and wait to close until 3ish miles where it can use it's 57 and hellfires to chew up boats. Anything that closes to within 1ish mile can now be engaged by two 25 cannons as well as the 57 and hellfires. I don't see why having two 30mms is so much more important than fitting in some quad packed ESSMs. The ESSMII is supposed to have an active seeker, so you don't have illumination concerns on a smaller hull.
The NSM is a great missile, but the smaller warhead is somewhat of an issue. If you get a near miss, it doesn't have the blast to totally take out a ship. You really need a direct hit to cause enough damage to sink or get a mission kill. The LRASM is awesome. With multiple sensors, it's really hard to spoof all of them, and the 1K warhead - yes. Hopefully the missile programs take into account "stealth" with designs that have passive seekers and reduced RCS. I've heard that Boeing wants to put forth a modernized harpoon for the frigate OTH missile and Raytheon has put forth the tomahawk the VLS solution. The USN needs blue water missiles to put up stand off distance against modern vessels. I don't see why it makes sense to use a 30 year old design that said modern vessels can pick up and defeat with relative ease. Even with stealth missiles, I was trying to be stingy and get away with two missile salvos. That works against less capable ships, but against modern ships, you really need to send in 4 to ensure that one will get through the defensive screen. I'm guessing I'd need even more harpoon IIs to see similar results.
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South China Sea Clash - 2017ish - a case for the LCS/SSC - 
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