What might the Iowa class have looked like if kept and upgraded into the early 2000s?
Short answerThe ships are expected to look broadly similar, with Aegis as a possible upgrade. The warning is that firing the 16-inch guns would prevent an early Aegis installation from remaining operational.
NotesContinued service into the early 2000s is not expected to change the Iowa class's appearance greatly. An Aegis installation is suggested as one possible modernisation. The warning is that an early Aegis system would not remain operational when the 16-inch guns fired. This is an assessment of a hypothetical installation, with no claim that such a conversion entered service.