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Description
An evolution of my first CVN-84 USS Barack Obama stealth aircraft carrier, the CVN-85 USS Enterprise has some (minor) adaptations to the USS Obama. I've also added a view on the starboard side of the stealthy aircraft carrier.

In order to make this ship as hard to detect as possible, a set of measures have been taken. Most of these measures focus on reducing the radar signature of a vessel, which is dictated by 5 factors:

- Aspect

- Shape

- Size

- Material

- Texture

The factors above have been optimized for a stealth warship for the first time by the US Navy with their latest Zumwalt-class destroyers. Though these destroyers have a length of 192 metres and a displacement of over 15,000 long tons, they are approximately 50 times harder to detect than the smaller destroyer class it replaces. However, the costs for the Zumwalt are enormous: just one unit comes with a price of over USD 4 billion and still, the ship is plagued by issues that haven't been resolved yet. It's one of the reasons the US Navy had to cut down the order from the originally planned 8 to 12 units, to just 3.

Nonetheless, future developments could force Navy planners to design and construct stealth (or more stealthy) Zumwalt-like aircraft carriers, in order to keep aircraft carriers relevant in the future. Expected costs for such vessel could be gigantic and even the United States can't afford to purchase such multi-billion dollar warships in large numbers. So perhaps in order to reduce costs, the US could team up with the UK, France, Australia, South Korea and Japan to jointly develop such a stealth carrier in a similar way it has developed the JSF (Joint Strike Fighter aka F-35 Lightning II). All these countries could co-operate to design and construct a basic model for a stealth carrier, with each partner country to equip and arm the carrier to its own needs.

The model shown here, has a length of 302 metres, a max beam of 78 metres and a displacement (when fully loaded) of around 82,000 tons. It has two flight decks in a CATOBAR configuration, using the US electromagnetic (EMALS) launch system to launch aircraft. The lower flight deck can be used to launch and store UCAVs and manned aircraft, while the exposed upper flight deck can be used as an extra deck if necessary, to launch manned aircraft. Aircraft can only land on the angled landing strip on the upper deck, which has retractable designed arresting gear only exposed when aircraft have to land on the carrier, in order to minimize radar reflection when no aircraft need to be recovered.

The airwing would carry a mix of up to 120 5th and 6th generation (rotary- and fixed wing) aircraft and UCAVs (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles). It would also have laser weapons (in addition to AD missiles), stored in stealthy weapon pods for close in self defense.

The ship integrates an all-electric drive with an integrated power system (IPS, which is a modern version of a Turbo-electric drive system) consisting of four Rolls-Royce 52MW MT35 main gas turbine generators (MTG), six RR4500 Auxiliary Turbine generators (ATG) that will provide a total of 264 MW, or 2 new Bechtel A1C nuclear reactors. Furthermore, each configuration has an additional four 34.6 MW advanced induction motors for total ship power. When nuclear powered, the ship has a top speed of +30 kts, with an almost unlimited range.

The ship would be highly automated, reducing the crew needed to operate the ship to around 450, creating more room to each crew member, as well as more space to carry extra fuel, weapons, payload and aircraft. The ship also houses cyberwarfare rooms with some of the worlds most powerful servers on board.

The radar suite comprises dual-band radar for horizon and volume search, a S-band volume search radar (VSR) integrated with an AN/SPY-4 multifunction radar already being developed by Raytheon for the US Navy. The two radars are to be integrated at waveform level for enhanced surveillance and tracking capability. The AN/SPY-4 multifunction radar (MFR) is an X-band active phased-array radar designed to detect low-observable anti-ship cruise missiles and support fire-control illumination for the ESSM and standard missiles.

The ship’s integrated undersea warfare system includes hull-mounted mid-frequency sonar, hull-mounted high-frequency sonar and multifunction towed array sonar and handling system.

The ship is constructed using both steel (covered with radar absorbent paint and other radar absorbent material for the parts above the waterline) and as much composites (such as carbon-fiber, fiberglass and plastic) as possible for the non-steel parts. The used material combined with the aircraft carrier's angular build makes it around 50 times harder to spot on radar than a modern day aircraft carrier of similar size and displacement, while the acoustic signature is comparable to that of the Los Angeles-class submarine.

Key figures:

- Length: 302 m

- Width: max. 78m at the lower flight deck, 48m at the waterline

- Displacement: 82,000 tons when fully loaded

- Propulsion: integrated electric power system powered by a nuclear reactor

- Maximum range: unlimited

- Crew: 450 to operate the ship, 1200 with a fully air wing embarked

- Airwing: a mix of up to 120 manned (fixed wing and rotary) aircraft and UCAVs

- Weapons: laser weapons and missiles for self defense

- Stealth design

- Material used includes stealth coated steel above the waterline, carbonfiber, fiberglass and hardened plastic

- Around 50 times harder to detect on radar compared to non stealthy, similar sized aircraft carriers

- Acoustic signature is comparable to that of the Los Angeles-class submarine
- Cost per unit: USD 22 bln

Description
An evolution of my first CVN-84 USS Barack Obama stealth aircraft carrier, the CVN-85 USS Enterprise has some (minor) adaptations to the USS Obama. I've also added a view on the starboard side of the stealthy aircraft carrier.

In order to make this ship as hard to detect as possible, a set of measures have been taken. Most of these measures focus on reducing the radar signature of a vessel, which is dictated by 5 factors:

- Aspect

- Shape

- Size

- Material

- Texture

The factors above have been optimized for a stealth warship for the first time by the US Navy with their latest Zumwalt-class destroyers. Though these destroyers have a length of 192 metres and a displacement of over 15,000 long tons, they are approximately 50 times harder to detect than the smaller destroyer class it replaces. However, the costs for the Zumwalt are enormous: just one unit comes with a price of over USD 4 billion and still, the ship is plagued by issues that haven't been resolved yet. It's one of the reasons the US Navy had to cut down the order from the originally planned 8 to 12 units, to just 3.

Nonetheless, future developments could force Navy planners to design and construct stealth (or more stealthy) Zumwalt-like aircraft carriers, in order to keep aircraft carriers relevant in the future. Expected costs for such vessel could be gigantic and even the United States can't afford to purchase such multi-billion dollar warships in large numbers. So perhaps in order to reduce costs, the US could team up with the UK, France, Australia, South Korea and Japan to jointly develop such a stealth carrier in a similar way it has developed the JSF (Joint Strike Fighter aka F-35 Lightning II). All these countries could co-operate to design and construct a basic model for a stealth carrier, with each partner country to equip and arm the carrier to its own needs.

The model shown here, has a length of 302 metres, a max beam of 78 metres and a displacement (when fully loaded) of around 82,000 tons. It has two flight decks in a CATOBAR configuration, using the US electromagnetic (EMALS) launch system to launch aircraft. The lower flight deck can be used to launch and store UCAVs and manned aircraft, while the exposed upper flight deck can be used as an extra deck if necessary, to launch manned aircraft. Aircraft can only land on the angled landing strip on the upper deck, which has retractable designed arresting gear only exposed when aircraft have to land on the carrier, in order to minimize radar reflection when no aircraft need to be recovered.

The airwing would carry a mix of up to 120 5th and 6th generation (rotary- and fixed wing) aircraft and UCAVs (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles). It would also have laser weapons (in addition to AD missiles), stored in stealthy weapon pods for close in self defense.

The ship integrates an all-electric drive with an integrated power system (IPS, which is a modern version of a Turbo-electric drive system) consisting of four Rolls-Royce 52MW MT35 main gas turbine generators (MTG), six RR4500 Auxiliary Turbine generators (ATG) that will provide a total of 264 MW, or 2 new Bechtel A1C nuclear reactors. Furthermore, each configuration has an additional four 34.6 MW advanced induction motors for total ship power. When nuclear powered, the ship has a top speed of +30 kts, with an almost unlimited range.

The ship would be highly automated, reducing the crew needed to operate the ship to around 450, creating more room to each crew member, as well as more space to carry extra fuel, weapons, payload and aircraft. The ship also houses cyberwarfare rooms with some of the worlds most powerful servers on board.

The radar suite comprises dual-band radar for horizon and volume search, a S-band volume search radar (VSR) integrated with an AN/SPY-4 multifunction radar already being developed by Raytheon for the US Navy. The two radars are to be integrated at waveform level for enhanced surveillance and tracking capability. The AN/SPY-4 multifunction radar (MFR) is an X-band active phased-array radar designed to detect low-observable anti-ship cruise missiles and support fire-control illumination for the ESSM and standard missiles.

The ship’s integrated undersea warfare system includes hull-mounted mid-frequency sonar, hull-mounted high-frequency sonar and multifunction towed array sonar and handling system.

The ship is constructed using both steel (covered with radar absorbent paint and other radar absorbent material for the parts above the waterline) and as much composites (such as carbon-fiber, fiberglass and plastic) as possible for the non-steel parts. The used material combined with the aircraft carrier's angular build makes it around 50 times harder to spot on radar than a modern day aircraft carrier of similar size and displacement, while the acoustic signature is comparable to that of the Los Angeles-class submarine.

Key figures:

- Length: 302 m

- Width: max. 78m at the lower flight deck, 48m at the waterline

- Displacement: 82,000 tons when fully loaded

- Propulsion: integrated electric power system powered by a nuclear reactor

- Maximum range: unlimited

- Crew: 450 to operate the ship, 1200 with a fully air wing embarked

- Airwing: a mix of up to 120 manned (fixed wing and rotary) aircraft and UCAVs

- Weapons: laser weapons and missiles for self defense

- Stealth design

- Material used includes stealth coated steel above the waterline, carbonfiber, fiberglass and hardened plastic

- Around 50 times harder to detect on radar compared to non stealthy, similar sized aircraft carriers

- Acoustic signature is comparable to that of the Los Angeles-class submarine
- Cost per unit: USD 22 bln