F-35 Cancelled, then what ?

[GreenKnight121]

Originally Posted by Lonewolf_50

You'll also find that, in the 1970's, the USN tried to put an 8" gun on the Spruance and hull -- it didn't work out very well. Likewise with Ticonderoga, same basic hull, and that didn't either. Don't recall if it was money or structural mods, but I think it was a bit of both.

That initiative was in fact directly related to the need for NGFS better than the 5" gun on most destroyers and then cruisers as the 6" and 8" cruisers were one by one retired. USMC continual demand for NGFS over time has, in a pure sense, remained an unfilled desire.

The 8"/55 Mk.71 MCLWG worked fine... it was test-fitted on a Sherman-class destroyer (USS Hull DD-945)... which was 4,050 tons full load, half the 8,040 tons full load displacement of a Sprucan. In that installation there was some hull cracking, but that was to be expected.

The Spruance & Ticonderoga classes had been designed from the start for the gun to be fitted, but none ever got it even for test purposes, as Jimmy gracefully managing the decline of America Carter canceled it in 1978 to save money AFTER it had passed all development and operational testing and had been approved for pre-production work. (The gun barrel for the Mark 71 was the Mark 28 Mod 1, a 55 caliber two-piece loose liner barrel. The production gun mount was to have used a one piece monobloc barrel designated the Mark 32.)

There were claims that the accuracy wasn't sufficient... but meeting the accuracy requirements was always contingent upon the procurement of a laser-guided round. However, to save costs the CLGP projectile program was deferred.