Maya-class firepower and stealth tradeoffs

Future screening ships are expected to face combinations of massed drones, hypersonic missiles, cruise missiles, and potentially railguns. Stealth can delay detection, allow a closer approach, and give a force more freedom to maneuver. The Maya class illustrates the competing demand for enough weapons to meet those combined threats. Protruding equipment such as its 5-inch gun and Phalanx contributes to radar returns. A hypothetical fit with four close-in weapon systems, additional 76 mm guns, and more vertical-launch cells would change the ship's shape and probably increase its radar return, while also increasing its firepower.