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Razbam is mulling over creating an LHA DLC for DCS. Go weigh in.
For those not in the know, LHA stands for Landing Helicopter Assault, and can refer to either the Tarawa or America classes of Amphibious Assault Ship. I’ll focus on the Tarawa because the Americas are LPHs with pretensions.
The Tarawas are large conventionally powered ships configured to operate large numbers of helicopters and landing craft. The type was made to combine roles that had traditionally existed separately as the Iwo Jima class LPH and the Austin class LPDs, a concession to the age of post Vietnam enlistment shortfalls. Its deck has space for up to 12 CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters to operate simultaneously, and space to carry up to 29, though in practice a mix of CH-46, CH-53, UH-1, AH-1, and AV-8B Harriers was more common. The well deck could handle just about any landing craft at the time, from the LCU down to AAV-7s and even obsolete LVTs, as well as being designed to handle the new LCACs. The ships were designed to house up to 1,700 Marines, their staff, and 955m^3 of cargo. The ships also had a sizable hospital for treatment of casualties. A funny feature is that the ships were designed with a ramp to move wheeled vehicles from the well deck, to the hanger deck, to the flight deck for easy embarkment, be that amphibious or vertical. However the ships were designed when the primary utility vehicle was the Jeep, and the ramps were not big enough to handle M1025 Humvees, which had to use the aircraft elevators instead.
As built they featured a pair of 5’’ deck cannons mounted on either side of the flight deck at the bow, but these proved to be widely optimistic and interfered with flight operations. They would eventually be removed. Defensive armament was rounded out by a pair each of Phalanx CIWS and Mk-25 Sea Sparrow launchers, and you’re standard litany of .50 caliber machine guns and 25mm cannons.
The design would be largely repeated, albeit drastically improved with the Wasp class of LHDs.
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Well it would work double duty for a cobra… just saying
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Why not a Wasp?
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I have no idea, it would be the most logical choice.
Maybe a map with a (slightly) earlier time period? Best I got, otherwise Wasp makes more sense.
+1 for Wasp
The Harrier they’ve announced is circa the mid to late 1990s. So the _Wasp_s, _Tarawa_s, and even the _Iwo Jima_s were all in service.
I suspect, and this is extremely speculative and more than a little patronizing, is that Razbam saw the America, said “Right! that’s an LHA, it is the newest, all helicopter assault ships must be LHAs, We’ll do one of those!”.
… except no well deck.
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Do you know why they’re called LHAs? 'Cause my understanding is an LHD with no well deck is an LPH by rights. Is it because Assault sounds more sexy to the congressional budget approvers as opposed to platform?
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I thought only the first two americas were to be built without a well deck and smaller hospital to accomodate the maximum amount of aircraft? The other 9 ships of this class that are planned are supposed to have a well deck.
That is true, but I’d argue the USS America and the Tripoli would be a distinct sub class, or vis versa. It would be like arguing the Kidd class DDGs were Spruance class DDs because they shared the same hull and superstructure.
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Of all the parking spots, right in front of the catapult… typical…
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Look ma! No Wheels…
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Plus the texture are really crappy- I mean, I understand everything but that’s really a vomit-green… 
SO UNREALISTIC! Never gonna buy it, OMGWTFBBQ!!ONE!!!ELEVEN!
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I mean… the canopy looks great?
Where is the vignette?
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