According to recent reports from British media, the coastal combat capability of the British Navy has significantly declined in recent years. To reverse this situation, the British Navy is focusing on the new combat vessels developed by BAE Systems - the Littoral Combat Ship (LOS) and the Coastal Strike Ship (LSC). The concept of coastal combat ships originated from BAE Systems' "Adaptive Strike Escort" project. Compared with traditional escort ships, the advantage of "adaptive strike escort ships" lies in their high flexibility and configurability. Its modular design allows ships to quickly replace or add different weapon systems and sensor modules according to operational needs, and perform diverse combat tasks such as anti submarine, air defense, sea and land operations. The appearance of a coastal combat ship is similar to a traditional landing ship, but it has the ability to flexibly switch mission roles with "adaptive strike escort ships". According to BAE Systems, coastal combat ships, like adaptive strike frigates, have spacious vehicle/payload decks, aircraft space, and large takeoff and landing aircraft that can carry a variety of equipment and perform different missions. The unique large space dock design of coastal battleships not only allows for the installation of "future shore ship connecting boats" that are larger in size and have longer range than current air cushion landing craft, but also allows for the installation of multiple types of manned rotary wing aircraft and rotary wing drones, effectively expanding the scope of combat missions. In addition, coastal warships adopt diesel electric hybrid power systems, which can provide strong redundant power for the ships to meet the energy needs of shipborne laser directional energy weapons, radio frequency directional energy weapons, and other future weapons or sensor systems. Meanwhile, BAE Systems will also integrate a new version of onboard information collection and platform monitoring system for coastal combat ships. This system can continuously collect and process data from ships and onboard equipment, providing fault diagnosis and prevention information for ship and base support personnel, reducing ship maintenance workload, and enhancing the emergency response and rapid deployment capabilities of coastal combat ships. The coastal strike boat is a core project launched by BAE Systems for amphibious operations, which can replace traditional personnel and vehicle landing boats and is essentially a "multi mission vessel". The boat is 20 meters long and has a displacement ranging from 30 to 50 tons. It can carry personnel and vehicles, as well as serve as a fire support or intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platform. To reduce weight and radar reflection area, coastal strike boats use aluminum shells and install Kevlar armor in key areas. In terms of power, it is equipped with a diesel engine and a water jet propulsion system, which can maintain a cruising speed of about 20 knots and a short range charging speed of 30 knots. The combat distance can be adjusted according to the load and mission type, which is about 300 kilometers. According to BAE Systems, coastal strike boats have good seaworthiness. The design of the rear hatch at the stern and the sloping hatch at the bow gives it the characteristics and convenience of a roll on/roll off ship. Vehicles can enter from the stern and quickly exit from the bow hatch upon arrival at the destination, which can improve the speed and survival rate of landing operations. It is worth noting that coastal strike boats have been designed with the concept of unmanned driving, which will significantly reduce the required crew after service. To ensure combat effectiveness, the vessel will be deployed in a dual boat formation mode during missions, serving not only as an attack platform but also as a communication node to provide firepower support for other large weapon platforms. In addition, coastal strike boats can also be equipped with small active electronic scanning array radars, and unmanned aerial vehicle launch devices and remote weapon stations can be installed on the left and right sides of the boat, further expanding the reconnaissance and surveillance range and improving strike efficiency. Analysts point out that if the British Navy wants to restore its coastal combat capabilities, it is far from enough to equip only coastal battleships and coastal strike boats. It also needs to be equipped with multi mission support systems including transport boats, multi type capability modules, command, data/communication networks, and integrate more advanced and even future technologies. This is undoubtedly a complex system engineering. Considering the current budget situation of the British Navy, there are still many difficulties in restoring or even enhancing coastal combat capabilities. (New Society)