A helicopter missile cruiser can anchor a navy without fleet carriers

Could a modern helicopter-carrying guided-missile cruiser derived from Kirov and Vittorio Veneto serve as a twenty-first-century capital ship?

Yes; for a medium power without fixed-wing carriers, a large VLS-equipped helicopter cruiser could form the centerpiece of a globally deployable surface action group, provided the navy also funds the logistics needed to sustain it.

The proposed ship resembles a 15,000-20,000-ton enlargement of an Arleigh Burke, with substantial helicopter facilities. A suggested armament includes 100-200 vertical-launch cells, close-in weapons, and a 5- or 6-inch gun. A pair or trio could provide separate surface action group centers or combine when necessary. Such ships would suit a state that wants to strike overseas without maintaining a fixed-wing carrier force or landing troops. Adding fixed-wing aviation remains an optional design choice with further requirements. Sustaining these ships far from home would still require the auxiliaries, infrastructure, and logistics of a globally deployable navy.