Hikaze Class Destroyer

The Hikarinokaze ("Wind of Light") class is a type of Guided Missile Destroyer developed in Zalkent to be fielded in the Royal Zalkentian Navy for multi-mission profiles.

Hikarinokaze Class Prj. 2184 "Hikarinokaze" Large Multi-Mission Guided Missile Destroyer
Ship
RZS Hikarinokaze DDG-01 testing its Anti-Air Systems c. 2199
Role		Multi-Mission Guided Missile Destroyer
National Origin		Zalkent
Production History
Designed
2184 - 2190
Produced
2197 - N/A
Designer		Narinō Combined Industries
Unit Cost		221,918 - Unarmed(√)
Number Built		4
Service History
In Service
2199 - N/A
Used By		Zalkent
Vessel Characteristics
Displacement		1,190 tons
Length		119.3 m
Beam		19.7 m
Height		25.5 m
Propulsion		3 NCI Electric Naval Propulsion Units 2 NCI GT-77 Gas Turbine
Operational Range		N/A km
Complement		178
Sensors and Processing Systems		Type 78N ID-FCRS Type 81 Sonar System
Armament		48 VLS Cells 1 5"/127mm Mod 4 Naval Gun 3 Oerlikon Millennium Cannons 2 250MW Type 99 Directed Energy Weapons
Aircraft Carried		1 Rotary Wing Aircraft

Development

With the establishment of the Royal Zalkentian Navy in 2182, the Naval Ordinance Bureau commissioned NCI to develop a Multirole Guided Missile Escort. Designated internally as "Project 2184 Missile Cruiser", but due to fears within certain factions of the General Assembly that there would be retribution for fielding an advanced capital ship, and considering the paranoia from the Burr War and Civil War, the project was later renamed to "Project 2184 Large Multi-Mission Guided Missile Destroyer", the development was faced with numerous technical issues due to this being the first ship indigenously developed in Zalkent since the Burr War. Multiple parties outside the government have argued that the ship should be classified as a Guided Missile Cruiser.

The systems that make up the ship were subcontracted out to multiple technology and weapons firms across Zalkent, with the Type 78 Integrated Detection and Fire Control Radar System (ID-FCRS) and the Type 81 Sonar System being chosen for the vessels. The propulsion systems were manufactured in house by NHI. As for the weapons systems, they were chosen by the Naval Ordinance Bureau itself, as they fit the requirements for the profile of the class.

Originally, the Naval Ordinance Bureau placed an order for eight of these ships, but this order would later be reduced to five with the fifth hull on the verge of being cancelled entirely.

Design

The design of the Hikarinokaze was based on observations of foreign naval fleets and the necessity for an escort type ship within the newly formed Royal Zalkentian Navy. The Hikarinokaze Class was the first time that the Type 78 ID-FCRS saw naval deployment, which was previously only used on land based Anti-Air emplacements. This proved the capabilities of the system for future ship classes, but the early arrays had issues with corrosion from the ocean waters. This led to the refitting of the lead ship with the Type 78N ID-FCRS arrays, which were reinforced to deal with the corrosive properties of salt water. The array failures were the reasoning behind the delayed commissioning of RZS Hikarinokaze.

There were also issues that plagued the class with regards to its propulsion and power systems, which was a change present from the original contract. The original production called for two propulsion units that were powered by an NCI GT-77 Gas Turbine. The ship in that current configuration was simulated to only be able to reach about 20kn, which necessitated a redesign of the system. The issue with the power system was that one GT-77 Gas Turbine could not feasibly power the Type 78N ID-FCRS and the Type 81 Sonar, so this also required redesigns. The new system had introduced a third propulsion unit which enabled the ship to reach a maximum speed of 29-30kn, whilst a second GT-77 was introduced to offset the power costs.

However, by this point the costs had ballooned past the original goal of the program, which caused the Naval Ordinance Bureau to reduce its order from eight ships down to five.

Service History

The first ship of the class, RZS Hikarinokaze DDG-01 was commissioned on June 12th, 2199 and the second ship, RZS Narikaze DDG-02 being commissioned on December 19th, 2199 as part of the 1st Fleet Program. RZS Harukaze DDG-03 is expected to commission in January or February of 2200, with RZS Mizukaze DDG-04 being expected to finish construction around the time that Harukaze is finished with commissioning. The fifth ship of the class, designated hull number DDG-05, is currently unnamed and planned to be laid down sometime in 2200, with construction finishing in 2201 or 2202. These five ships are expected to primarily serve the role of Air-Defense Escort for the flagship RZS Masahiro Ashigaru in the Zalkentian 1st Fleet, but they have Anti-Ship and Shore Bombardment capabilities built in as part of their Multi-Mission profile.

Ships

Name	Laid Down	Launched	Commissioned	Fate	Operator
RZS Hikarinokaze	March 17th, 2197	November 21st, 2198	June 12th, 2199	Active	Royal Zalkentian Navy
RZS Narikaze	April 11th, 2198	July 1st, 2199	December 19th, 2199	Active	Royal Zalkentian Navy
RZS Harukaze	September 29th, 2198	November 15th, 2199	N/A	Commissioning	Royal Zalkentian Navy
RZS Mizukaze	June 9th, 2199	N/A	N/A	Pending Completion	Royal Zalkentian Navy
Unnamed Hull DDG-05	N/A	N/A	N/A	Planned	Royal Zalkentian Navy