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‘A great day for Navy’
By Mark Uhlmann
Volume 50, No. 11, June 28, 2007 |
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NEW CAPABILITY: Prime Minister John Howard, Minister for Defence Dr Brendan Nelson, Chief of Defence Force ACM Angus Houston, Chief of Navy VADM Russ Shalders and Chief of Army LTGEN Peter Leahy announced the decision to aquire the Navantia design for both the AWD and the amphibious ships.
Photo: WOPH Steve Dent |
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After “robust and vigorous internal debate” Spanish owned Navantia has been chosen to provide both the Air Warfare Destroyers and amphibious ships for Navy.
Prime Minister John Howard announced the decision on June 20 at a Russell Offices press conference with the Minister for Defence Brendan Nelson and Defence Chiefs, including the Chief of Navy, by his side.
Mr Howard said the decision had been taken by the Government in “full possession of the facts” after an “exhaustive examination within the Defence process” and the most rigorous financial analysis.
Mr Nelson said the amphibious ships, escorted by AWDs, would be used in security, stabilisation, maritime border protection, peacekeeping and humanitarian disaster relief operations.
The CN, Vice Admiral Russ Shalders, AO, CSC, RAN said the decision would “change the face of the Navy for the next 30-plus years”.
Australian company Tenix will partner the Spanish Government owned Navantia in providing two amphibious Landing Helicopter Dock ships at an estimated cost of $3 billion. The ships will be named Canberra and Adelaide.
Three Navantia F100 class AWDs will be assembled in Adelaide by an alliance of ASC, DMO and Raytheon at an estimated cost of $8 billion.
The AWDs, to be known as the Hobart class, will feature the Aegis combat system and will be modified to suit Australian specifications. They could also be modified at a later date to take the SM3 ballistic missile. The ships will be delivered in 2014, 2016 and 2017.
CN stated in a later signal that the AWDs: “represent the most significant capability enhancement for Navy in several decades. They will be the core of our combat power and will ensure that the RAN maintains its war-fighting edge...this is a great day for Navy.”
Mr Howard said the new ships would enable Australia to provide a flexible response, particularly to incidents in our region. The amphibious ships will each be capable of embarking around 1000 personnel, fire support weapons and vehicles, including the new Abrams M1A1 tank.
Mr Nelson said the decision was “a great day for the ADF”. There had been a rigorous process for evaluating contracts and the Government knew exactly what it was getting in to. He was very confident on capability, schedule and price.
He said of the total cost of $11 billion, $4½ billion would be spent in Australia. More than 1000 Australian contractors would be involved creating 3,500 new jobs. Apart from the principal Australian work sites of South Australia and Victoria, work would be done in NSW, Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia.
The chosen AWDs would provide a massive boost to the Navy’s air warfare capability and their duties would include providing an escort for the new amphibious ships, Mr Howard said. The new ships would be fully interoperable with the US Navy.
CN highlighted that he had been involved throughout the process of Defence consideration of this project. “This has involved robust debate and we are now a very well informed customer in terms of what we’re getting. I am very excited and most optimistic about both these decisions.
“... In 2050 we’ll be looking back on these decisions … I’m very confident we’ll look back and say that this was the right decision.”
HOBART CLASS AIR WARFARE DESTROYER
 Photo:PH2 Matthew Bash USN |
CANBERRA CLASS AMPHIBIOUS SHIP
Photo: Courtesy Navantia |
Characteristics:
Length 146.7m
Beam 18.8m
Draft 7.2m
Full load displacement 6,250 tonnes
Performance:
Top Speed: 28+ kts
Range:
5,000+ nm at 18+ kts
Crew:
Approx 180
Accommodation:
234
Combat System:
Aegis Baseline 7.1 ans AN/SPY-1D(V) Phased Array Radar
Horizon Search Radar
Vertical Launch System: 48 x Mk 41 VLS Cells
Capable of SM2, SM3 and ESSM
Gun: Mk 45 5” 62 Calibre Gun with advance munitions
Harpoon Missile Launchers: 2 Quad launchers
Surface launched anti-submarine torpedoes
EW and Communications suite
Very Short Range Defence
Nulka missile decoy system
Hull mounted and towed array sonar system
Aviation:
1 ASW Helicopter |
Characteristics:
Length 230.8m
Beam 32m
Draft 7.18m
Maximum Displacement 27,851 tonnes
Performance:
Top Speed: 20.5 kts
Range: 8,000 nm at 15 kts, 9,250 nm at 12 kts
Complement:
Crew: 243 (36 additional)
Embarked Forces: 978 (146 additional)
Accommodation:
1403
Vehicle capacity:
830 lane metres (3290 square metres)
Heavy Vehicle deck: 1,410 square metres
Helo Hanger Capacity: 990 square meters
Aviation:
8 MRH90 or ARH.
Can operate Chinook helicopters
Medical capacity:
2 x operating theatres, high, medium and low dependency
Operational capability:
Can conduct flight operations in Sea State 5
Can conduct landing craft operations in Sea State 4
High performance communications |
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