Dreadnought 2050 - The Royal Navy for 2050
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34077719 (Try not to get frustrated at the mis-reporting later in the article)
Named after the ship HMS Dreadnought, the design includes the following technological concepts:Futuristic images of what Royal Navy vessels could look like in 2050 have been developed by young British scientists and engineers. They hope it will offer a glimpse of how advanced vessels could be.
A group of British scientists and engineers are working for major players in the industry and the Ministry of Defence on a project called Starpoint.
Its aim is to ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of military maritime technology.
- Electromagnetic Railgun with the same range as most cruise missiles at Mach 5
- Torpedoes with speeds of over 300 knots using frictionless bubble propulsion
- Defensive Hypersonic Missiles in side mounted silos
- Directed Energy Laser Defences for use on small craft
- Tethered rotary UAV based directed energy CIWS (!)
- Ultra strong acrylic hull coated in graphene for smooth sailing
- Transparent hull to remain invisible to the naked eye when electrical current passed through it
- Large flight deck and Hanger for UAVs and Helicopters
- Large well deck for Royal Marines and UUVs
- On board 3D printed unmanned vehicles
- Holographic Bridge with "see through hull" (Think F-35 helmet seeing through the airframe)
- 50 crew, specialists in computing
- Fusion Nuclear Power Plant powering waterjets
- Drone carried radars for very high over-the-horizon spotting
- Ballast tanks for 'hunkering' in the water to provide a stealthier target
- Command fusion, permitting systems to be operated by other ships thousands of km away
Alternative reporting:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/news ... iling.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... l#comments