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Radar/comms/ESM fit - how many of each type?

Posted: June 10th, 2020, 5:34 am
by TallBox
Hi

I'm very new and looking to create some of my first AU designs. Mostly modern RN ships.

I'd like to understand more about radar/comms/ESM fit for my designs. I know it'll depend on the ship type and function, e.g. an AESA like Sampson for an AAW ship placed somewhere high. And I at least know that certain guns will require FC radars. And there will need to be some EO/IR turrets sprinkled around. But that's the extent of my knowledge. Hood's parts sheet is great, but I'd like to use it properly.

Is there any guidance for radar/comms/ESM fit? Specifically how many of each type? Does siting matter i.e. where on the superstructure?

Thanks in advance

Re: Radar/comms/ESM fit - how many of each type?

Posted: July 1st, 2020, 12:52 pm
by Cargil48
First of all, of which era are you speaking of? One thing is WWII, another one during the cold war and yet another one now...

Edit: Sorry, you said it already... "modern RN ships"...

Edit 2: If I were to make a try, I'd submit a drawing and below the ship include a text describing the sensors and weapons aboard, their mission and the guidance systems you think are fit for them and then wait for the experts here to pinpoint what might be wrong.

Re: Radar/comms/ESM fit - how many of each type?

Posted: July 6th, 2020, 10:23 pm
by erik_t
That's a whopper of a question, and there's no concise answer.

The long and the short of it comes down to a thoughtful examination of existing ships and a lot of reading, and that's obviously just to get to snarky amateur level. The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapons Systems is a good place to start, and is available (some version, anyway) in many university libraries. It is nicely complemented by many illustrated design histories (Friedman's are the go-to IMHO, but there are others) and documents like Principles of Naval Weapons Systems.

Unfortunately, none of these are cheap and (aside from the first) have a decided USN focus.

One free adjunct are theses and similar academic works. I can't find them immediately at hand, but for many years, Virginia Tech kept naval engineering senior design projects available online, about 100 pages each, typically a response to a notional USN RFP of some kind.

Re: Radar/comms/ESM fit - how many of each type?

Posted: July 8th, 2020, 4:59 am
by TimothyC
erik_t wrote: July 6th, 2020, 10:23 pm That's a whopper of a question, and there's no concise answer.

The long and the short of it comes down to a thoughtful examination of existing ships and a lot of reading, and that's obviously just to get to snarky amateur level. The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapons Systems is a good place to start, and is available (some version, anyway) in many university libraries. It is nicely complemented by many illustrated design histories (Friedman's are the go-to IMHO, but there are others) and documents like Principles of Naval Weapons Systems.

Unfortunately, none of these are cheap and (aside from the first) have a decided USN focus.

One free adjunct are theses and similar academic works. I can't find them immediately at hand, but for many years, Virginia Tech kept naval engineering senior design projects available online, about 100 pages each, typically a response to a notional USN RFP of some kind.
http://www.dept.aoe.vt.edu/~brown/VTShi ... Design.htm

Navy Post-Grad School has a similar collection:

http://web.nps.edu/Academics/GSEAS/TSSE ... jects.html

Re: Radar/comms/ESM fit - how many of each type?

Posted: July 8th, 2020, 1:19 pm
by erik_t
Thanks! Those were exactly what I had in mind.