US Navy explores offensive weapons for amphibious ships
The US Navy is considering equipping its amphibious ships with offensive weapons to increase their utility in future conflicts.
The topic is ‘in hot debate,’ said US Marine Corps MajGen David Coffman, the navy’s director of expeditionary warfare.
While declining to discuss specific weapons the service is mulling, Coffman noted that the idea of installing a vertical launching system (VLS) on amphibious transport docks (LPDs) has been floating around for years.
LPDs, which are designed to transport and land marines, equipment and supplies, currently have Rolling Airframe Missile launchers to defend against anti-ship missiles. The Mk41 VLS, which is
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