What would a modern armored cruiser look like?
Short answerAbout 25,000 tons, heavily armed with missiles and guns, and possibly nuclear-powered to supply lasers and railguns.
NotesA modern armored cruiser would be a large combatant of about 25,000 tons rather than a modestly enlarged destroyer. It would combine a heavy missile battery with guns and future directed-energy weapons. Nuclear propulsion would provide endurance and the electrical power needed to recharge capacitors rapidly. The design revives the armored cruiser's role as an independently powerful large cruiser while translating armor and gun weight into sensors, missiles, power generation, and electrical weapons.