How the US Navy reloads its missiles at sea and how it relates to tensions with China

The Navy of USA tests a prototype that will allow it to reload its missiles more quickly in the ocean .

This is an extremely relevant aspect since, although its destroyers can fire dozens of cruise missiles in just a few minutes, The time to reload a ship’s hulls can take up to two months .

This delay could have significant effects in the context of, for example, a possible war with China .

Amid a scenario in which the Asian giant has intensified its military exercises at sea, The United States has sought new ways to optimize its maritime operations .

Information collected by the The Wall Street Journal They detail that American engineers They removed a 30-year-old crane from storage, then dismantled it and developed digital plans for reverse engineering. using some archive drawings.

Now, with these new plans, They put them in a computer simulation and identified the weakest points in the mechanism. in order to take measures such as adding approximately 140 kilos of steel.

The technical lead of the project, Ryan Hayleck, told the aforementioned media that They also incorporated material reinforcements on the cover to resist loads .

Then, the specialists They connected two ships and the crane with sensors to see how the elements moved and what stresses they faced. .

The result was the appeal Transferable At-Sea Charging Method (TRAM) for its acronym in English).

The relevance of TRAM lies in the fact that the mechanism promises to reduce the time needed to reload missiles which potentially brings it down to just a few days

Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro told the Newspaper that “the ability to assert oneself at sea will be fundamental to any future conflict in the Pacific” .

During a recent test, the aforementioned media were able to observer how does the TRAM work .

While two ships are positioned next to each other, the technicianss use radar to assess water agitation .

This is done before and during send a missile container via a zip line positioned between the two ships at a distance of approximately 55 meters.

The missiles are held by a claw crane attached to the warship and which sends, via rails, the boxes . All this, above the sea.

It is specified that the missiles, in their boxes, They can weigh more than 2,700 kilos .

Once positioned, these should slide smoothly into tight launch cells because jostling could damage systems or trigger a fatal accident.

Pentagon sources consulted by the Newspaper they declared that American strategists fear that if fighting breaks out in the western Pacific, destroyers and warships could run out of ammunition. .

The latter case could occur andn over the days, even hours .

Since reassembling them could mean a period of up to two months without a fight, Del Toro tasked commanders and engineers with finding ways to refuel the fleet’s missiles in remote ports or on the high seas .

Otherwise, American ships may have to sail to bases in Hawaii or California, which would put them out of commission for at least a few weeks .

It is about a problem that has already caused difficulties for its troops in the Red Sea where warships were deployed to defend cargo ships attacked by Yemen’s Houthis.

These ships must sail through the Suez Canal and to ports in Greece or Spain in order to refuel, which results in extended delays .

Retired U.S. Navy Admiral and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe James Stavridis asked the Newspaper: “We should have fully developed this capability decades ago” .

“Time and time again, after firing a large charge of Tomahawks…I have had to pull my warships out of the line to rearm them.” he added.

From now on, the Navy authorities They hope the TRAM will help reduce delays .

During a simulation of this mechanism carried out with the ships USNS Washington Chambers and USS Chosin, Del Toro pointed out: “We are transforming the way we fight. »

Along with this, he said that hopes that equipment of this type will be included in the ship modernization works which is planned for the coming years.

At present, The only U.S. warships that can stay at sea indefinitely and continue the fight are its 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. .

These latter, plus nine small amphibious assault ships none of which carry vertical missile silos.

The integration of the TRAM could multiply this figure by five, which would bring the total to 100 warships. without building a single additional one.