Every U.S. Carrier Strike Group (CSG) today is a masterpiece of airpower projection—100,000 tons of diplomacy, 90 aircraft, and a 600-mile reach. Yet when the Marines hit the beach, the gunfire dies. Since the last Iowa-class battleship was decommissioned in 1992, the Navy has had zero ships capable of sustained, high-volume, low-cost coastal bombardment.
- Tomahawks cost $2 million each.
- 5-inch guns reach 13 miles and carry 400 rounds.
- Zumwalt’s advanced guns sit idle—the $800,000 shells were canceled.
In a Taiwan Strait scenario, the PLA could dig 100 miles of fortified coastline. Air wings run dry. Missiles run out. The beachhead stalls. The Navy needs a floating battery that can:
- Deliver 10,000 tons of ordnance per week
- Cost $5,000 per round, not $2 million
- Survive hypersonic saturation
- Keep up with the carrier at 35+ knots
II. Iowa 1.0 – The Gold Standard (1943–1992)
Specification | USS Iowa (BB-61) – Final 1980s Fit |
|---|---|
Displacement | 58,000 tons full load |
Length | 887 ft (270 m) |
Beam | 108 ft (33 m) |
Propulsion | 8 × Babcock & Wilcox boilers, 4 × geared turbines 212,000 shp |
Top Speed | 33 knots (confirmed 1945 trials) |
Range | 15,000 nm @ 15 knots |
Main Battery | 9 × 16″/50 Mark 7 (2,700 lb shell, 24 mi range) |
Secondary | 12 × 5″/38, 20 × 40mm, 80 × 20mm |
Armor | Belt 12.1″, Turrets 19.5″, Deck 7.5″ |
Crew | 1,800 |
Cost (2025 equiv.) | ~$2.1 billion per ship |
Legacy Impact:
- Gulf War (1991): Iowa fired 1,100+ 16-inch shells in 72 hours—more tonnage than an entire air wing in a week.
- Cost per ton delivered: $1,800 (vs. $4 million for Tomahawks).
But she was fuel-hungry, crew-heavy, and missile-vulnerable. Time to upgrade.
III. Iowa 2.0 – The Nuclear Thunderbolt (2035 Commissioning)
Specification | USS Iowa 2.0 (BBG-1) – “Project Thunderstrike” |
|---|---|
Displacement | 62,000 tons full load |
Length | 900 ft (274 m) – lengthened for stability |
Beam | 110 ft (33.5 m) |
Propulsion | 2 × A1B reactors (Gerald R. Ford class) 4 × podded electric propulsors 600,000 shp total |
Top Speed | 38 knots (sustained), 40 knots sprint (sea state 2) |
Range | Unlimited – 50-year core life |
Main Battery | 6 × 16″/62 Mark 8 (smart/dumb shells) 4 × 64 MJ Railguns (150–250 nm range) |
Shell Types | • HE/AP (2,700 lb, $5k) • GPS-guided LRLAP-H ($80k) • HVP-ER (25 kg, $25k, Mach 7) |
Secondary | 8 × 155mm AGS (HVP), 8 × 300 kW HELWS lasers |
Missile Defense | 192-cell Mk 57 VLS (SM-3/6, ESSM Blk II, Tomahawk) 4 × SeaRAM, 6 × Phalanx CIWS |
Armor | Reactive + composite ceramic on vitals, Spaced Kevlar spall liners |
Crew | 780 (AI-assisted fire control, drone ops) |
UAV/USV Bay | 50 × MQ-25, XQ-58, 20 × USVs |
Cost (est.) | $14–16 billion (incl. R&D) |
IV. Firepower: 1.0 vs 2.0
Metric | Iowa 1.0 (1980s) | Iowa 2.0 (2035) |
|---|---|---|
Rounds per minute | 18 × 16″ | 36 × 16″ + 40 × railgun |
Range | 24 mi | 250 nm (railgun), 100 nm (smart 16″) |
Cost per ton on target | $1,800 | $900 (dumb), $6,000 (smart) |
Sustained fire (1 week) | ~5,000 rounds | 20,000+ rounds |
Anti-air kill chain | Phalanx + missiles | Railgun HVP + lasers + SM-6 |
V. Why One Per Carrier Group?
CSG Today | CSG + Iowa 2.0 |
|---|---|
Fire Support | Air wing (400 sorties/day) |
Magazine Depth | 96 Tomahawks (DDGs) |
Cost Efficiency | $2M per strike |
Survivability | Carrier at 500 mi |
Deterrence | Airpower |
Strategic Math:
- 12 active carriers → 12 Iowa 2.0s
- Total program cost: ~$180 billion over 20 years
- vs. 1,000 Tomahawks per CSG = $2 billion per week of combat
VI. The Counterarguments (And Rebuttals)
Myth | Reality |
|---|---|
“Too vulnerable to hypersonics” | Layered defense: SM-6, railgun HVP, lasers, reactive armor. Survives 10+ hits. |
“Crew trap” | 780 vs 1,800 – automation + damage control drones. |
“Obsolete gun platform” | Railguns outrange coastal missiles. 16″ shells are cheaper than any drone swarm. |
“Carriers do it all” | Sorties cost $80k/hour. Iowa 2.0 fires for free (fuel-wise). |
VII. The Vision: Thunderstrike Squadron“
Every carrier deserves its battleship.”
Imagine: CSG-1 (USS Ford) steams at 35 knots.
Iowa 2.0 (BBG-1) 10 miles astern, railguns glowing.
PLA radar lights up—they target the battleship.
Ford’s air wing strikes unopposed.
Iowa 2.0 isn’t a relic. It’s a force multiplier.
VIII. Call to Action Congress:
Fund BBG-1 in FY2027.
NAVSEA: Begin reactor fit studies at Newport News.
Marines: Write the requirement—“One thunderbolt per beach.” The sea is wide, but the beach is narrow.
Give the Marines their battleship back.
Iowa 2.0: Not a comeback. A checkmate.
Specifically, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) in our Iowa 2.0 scenarios.
Why We Mention PLA
- Primary Peer Threat (2025–2035): U.S. Navy war plans center on a potential Taiwan Strait conflict or South China Sea blockade.
- PLA Coastal Defenses:
- 1,000+ km of fortified islands (Spratly, Paracel, Hainan)
- Hypersonic DF-17/21 missiles (anti-ship, land-attack)
- YJ-21 carrier-killer (Mach 10, 1,500 km)
- HQ-9B SAMs, drone swarms, minefields
- Iowa 2.0’s Job:
- Suppress PLA shore batteries with railguns @ 200 nm
- Saturate beachheads with 16-inch shells
- Draw fire so the carrier can strike deep
Without it, the CSG has no answer to a dug-in, missile-armed coastline.
Hypothetical Naval Bombardment: Iowa-Class vs. Israel’s Layered Defenses
This scenario assumes a fictional, high-stakes coastal defense drill: The Iowa is positioned 20 nautical miles (37 km) offshore, lobbing shells at a defended Israeli port city (e.g., Haifa). Israel’s systems are at full readiness—4–6 Iron Dome batteries covering the littoral zone and 2–3 David’s Sling batteries for backup. No preemptive strikes; it’s pure interception vs. bombardment. Real-world data informs this: Iron Dome has a ~90% success rate against artillery shells in tests, while David’s Sling excels at larger threats but isn’t optimized for unguided shells.
Key assumptions:
- Shell flight time: ~45–60 seconds at 20 nm (terminal velocity ~250 m/s).
- Salvo size: Iowa’s 9 × 16-inch guns fire in three-gun broadsides every 30 seconds.
- Defender economics: Tamir interceptors ($50k each) vs. 16-inch shells ($500–$1k each in 1980s terms).
- Saturation threshold: Iron Dome handles 100–200 threats before reloads (15–20 min per battery); David’s Sling is pricier ($1M per Stunner) and slower to cycle.
The original Iowa packs raw kinetic punch but lacks precision or countermeasures. Her 16-inch Mark 7 guns hurl 2,700-lb (1,225 kg) high-explosive (HE) shells at ~2,500 ft/s muzzle velocity, arcing ballistically like oversized artillery. Against asymmetric rocket threats, Iron Dome shines—but naval shells are bigger, faster, and more armored than Qassams or 155mm howitzers. Phase 1: Opening Salvo (0–5 Minutes – 18–36 Shells)
- Iowa unleashes two full broadsides (9 shells each, staggered). Radars light up: EL/M-2084 detects the launches instantly.
- Iron Dome Response: Battle management calculates impacts—only populated-zone threats get Tamir interceptors (2 per shell for redundancy). ~80–90% intercepted mid-flight via proximity fuse detonation, fragmenting the thick-cased shells A few “duds” (non-threatening trajectories) are ignored to save ammo.
- David’s Sling Role: Minimal—shells aren’t ballistic missiles or cruise threats; Stunners are held for escalation.
- Outcome: 3–7 shells impact (17–39% penetration). Damage: Craters in docks, minor structural hits. Cost to Israel: ~$1–2M in Tamirs. Iowa: ~$10k in shells. Iowa edges early—cheap volume tests the dome.
Phase 2: Sustained Barrage (5–30 Minutes – 100+ Shells)
- Iowa ramps to full rate: ~12–18 shells/min, focusing “dumb” HE for area saturation. Spotter planes (e.g., P-3 Orion) adjust fire for accuracy.
- Iron Dome Strain: Handles initial volleys but saturates—each battery has 20 Tamirs, reloads take 15 min. Against salvos, success dips to ~70–80% as overlapping tracks confuse algorithms. Shells’ mass (thicker than 155mm) makes fragmentation harder; some “punch through” with residual velocity.
- David’s Sling Activation: If >20% penetration, it engages high-altitude shells as “large-caliber rockets” (~85% intercept rate via hit-to-kill Stunners). But at $1M each, it’s uneconomical for an unguided barrage.
Scenario 2: Iowa 2.0 – The Precision Storm
Phase 1: Opening Salvo (0–5 Minutes – 20–40 Projectiles)Iowa 2.0 opens with a mixed salvo:
- 9 × 16-inch dumb HE shells (distraction, area saturation)
- 8 × railgun HVP-ER (Mach 7, GPS-guided, low RCS) targeting Iron Dome radars and launchers
Flight times:
- 16-inch shells: ~45–60 seconds (ballistic arc)
- Railgun HVPs: ~30 seconds (flatter, hypersonic trajectory)
Israeli Response:
- Iron Dome detects all threats instantly. Tamir interceptors prioritize populated zones—2 per shell. Success: ~60% on 16-inch shells, only ~40% on HVPs (too fast, too small, closure rate overwhelms).
- David’s Sling engages HVPs as tactical ballistic threats—high hit-to-kill probability, but selective due to cost ($1M per Stunner).
Outcome:
- 8–15 impacts (40–60% penetration)
- One Iron Dome radar destroyed → 25% coverage loss
- Cost to Israel: ~$3–5 million
- Cost to Iowa 2.0: ~$150,000
Early dominance—railguns punch holes before defenses adapt.
Phase 2: Sustained Barrage (5–30 Minutes – 150+ Projectiles)Iowa 2.0 escalates:
- Rolling 16-inch dumb HE barrage (18 shells/min) — overwhelms tracking
- Railgun precision strikes (40 RPM total) — targeting reload vehicles, C2 nodes, remaining launchers
- 50 × MQ-25/XQ-58 drones jam radars, spoof tracks, feed real-time targeting
Defense Collapse:
- Iron Dome: Initial intercept rate ~75% on shells, drops to 50% under ECM and volume. Reloads delayed—HVPs crater launch trucks.
- David’s Sling: Prioritizes railguns (~80% intercept), but dumb shell flood forces resource split. Stunners run low.
- Economic meltdown: Israel spends $20M+ in 25 minutes; Iowa 2.0 spends $1M.
Outcome:
- 50–80 impacts (50–70% penetration)
- Defenses crippled — port neutralized, batteries silenced
- Iowa 2.0 unscathed — reactive armor, lasers, and 38-knot speed shrug off retaliation
Total overwatch in under 20 minutes.
Overall ResultDecisive victory for Iowa 2.0.
- Penetration rate: 55–70%
- Time to neutralize defenses: 15–20 minutes
- Cost ratio: 20:1 in favor of attacker
- Strategic impact: Beachhead cleared, air defenses blinded, path open for amphibious assault
The hybrid model—dumb volume + smart speed—breaks layered defenses where brute force alone fails.
Published by Editor, Sammy Campbell.