Largest Ever Australian Warship Enters Fleet

[SvenSvensonov]

The first of two 27,000-ton amphibious warships was commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy on Friday, according to information from the service.

HMAS Canberra (L-02) entered the RAN fleet on Friday during a ceremony at the service’s Fleet Base East in Sydney.

Canberra and sister ship HMAS Adelaide will be the two largest ships in RAN history as part of about a $2.5 billion (USD) shipbuilding program.

The ship’s design is based on a Spanish amphibious assault ship Juan Carlo I and built and designed by Spanish shipbuilder Navantia and BAE Systems Australia.

The pair will be the first ships since the 1980s capable of operating short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) fighters, but the Australian government said it has no plans to by the STOVL variant of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).

“HMAS Canberra is an exciting addition to the Royal Australian Navy. This very capable ship will serve the nation well for decades to come,” said RAN Chief of Navy Vice Adm. Tim Barrett on Friday during the commissioning ceremony.

The ships will be crewed by about 400 RAN sailors and can transport about 1,000 troops with four landing craft and eight helicopters in an amphibious configuration. The ships can field up to 18 helicopters in an aviation centric configuration.

Class & type: Canberra class Landing Helicopter Dock
Displacement: 27,500 tonnes (30,300 short tons; 27,100 long tons) at full load
Length: 230.82 m (757.3 ft)
Beam: 32.0 m (105.0 ft)
Draft: 7.08 m (23.2 ft)
Propulsion: Combined Diesel and Gas
1 × GE LM2500 gas turbine
2 × MAN 16V32/40 diesel generators
2 × Siemens azimuth thrusters
Speed: Over 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) maximum
19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) full-load sustained
15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) economical
Range: 9,000 nautical miles (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Boats & landing
craft carried: 4 × LLC
Capacity: Up to 110 vehicles
Heavy vehicle deck: 1,410 m2(15,200 sq ft)
Light vehicle deck: 1,880 m2(20,200 sq ft)
Troops: 1,046
Complement: 358 personnel; 293 RAN, 62 Australian Army, 3 RAAF
Sensors and
processing systems: Giraffe AMB radar, Saab 9LV combat system
Electronic warfare
& decoys: AN/SLQ-25 Nixie towed torpedo decoy
Nulka missile decoy
Armament: 4 × Rafael Typhoon 25 mm remote weapons systems
6 × 12.7 mm machine guns
Aircraft carried: 8 helicopters (standard)
18 helicopters (maximum hangar space)
Aviation facilities: Flight deck with 13 degree ski-jump, 6 in-line deck landing spots

From Largest Ever Australian Warship Enters Fleet - USNI News

 

[flamer84]

Seriously under gunned for AA warfare but i guess it was designed with an escort fleet in mind.Never understood why couldn't they just slap some AA missiles on these kind of ships though.

 

[Greenblood]

Long awaited and finally here. RAN has taken the next step which was desperately needed.

 

[SvenSvensonov]

Seriously under gunned for AA warfare but i guess it was designed with an escort fleet in mind.Never understood why couldn't they just slap some AA missiles on these kind of ships though.

In general, yes these ships are badly under-gunned. The Juan Carlos class, the Dokdo Class, each has nothing more then a few guns... though the Dokdo class also has a RAM battery.

For the Dokdo class:

Electronic warfare
& decoys: ESM/ECM:SLQ-200(v)5K SONATA,Chaff launcher
Armament: 2 × Goalkeeper CIWS
1 × RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile
Aircraft carried:
Up to 10 helicopters
(UH-1H, UH-60P or Super Lynx)
(Can support VTOL jets)

For the Juan Carlos Class:

Electronic warfare
& decoys: REGULUS and RIGEL[5]
Armament: 4 x 20 mm guns
4x 12.7 mm machine guns
Aircraft carried: AV-8B Harrier II, Chinook, Sea King,NH-90 (typically 12 Harrier, 10 helicopters)

However, not all are under-gunned:

This belongs to the America Class Amphibious Assault Ship - the US way of saying LPH, LHA, and LHD.

Electronic warfare
& decoys: AN/SLQ-32B(V)2
two Mk53 Nulka decoy launchers[5]
Armament: Two Rolling Airframe Missile launchers
two Evolved Sea Sparrow Missilelaunchers
two Phalanx CIWS
seven dual .50 caliber machine guns
Aircraft carried: AV-8B Harrier II
F-35B Lightning II
MV-22B Osprey
CH-53E Super Stallion or
CH-53K King Stallion
UH-1Y Venom
AH-1Z Viper
MH-60S Knighthawk

 

[flamer84]

In general, yes these ships are badly under-gunned. The Juan Carlos class, the Dokdo Class, each has nothing more then a few guns... though the Dokdo class also has a RAM battery. However, not all are under-gunned:

For the Dokdo class:

Electronic warfare
& decoys: ESM/ECM:SLQ-200(v)5K SONATA,Chaff launcher
Armament: 2 × Goalkeeper CIWS
1 × RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile
Aircraft carried:
Up to 10 helicopters
(UH-1H, UH-60P or Super Lynx)

(Can support VTOL jets)

For the Juan Carlos Class:

Electronic warfare
& decoys: REGULUS and RIGEL[5]
Armament: 4 x 20 mm guns
4x 12.7 mm machine guns
Aircraft carried: AV-8B Harrier II, Chinook, Sea King,NH-90 (typically 12 Harrier, 10 helicopters)


This belongs to the America Class Amphibious Assault Ship - the US way of saying LPH, LHA, and LHD.

Electronic warfare
& decoys: AN/SLQ-32B(V)2
two Mk53 Nulka decoy launchers[5]
Armament: Two Rolling Airframe Missile launchers
two Evolved Sea Sparrow Missilelaunchers
two Phalanx CIWS
seven dual .50 caliber machine guns
Aircraft carried: AV-8B Harrier II
F-35B Lightning II
MV-22B Osprey
CH-53E Super Stallion or
CH-53K King Stallion
UH-1Y Venom
AH-1Z Viper
MH-60S Knighthawk

Yep,this is what i'm talking about.This is how the Juan Carlos of the the world,the Mistrals,should look like.

 

[Reashot Xigwin]

Seriously under gunned for AA warfare but i guess it was designed with an escort fleet in mind.Never understood why couldn't they just slap some AA missiles on these kind of ships though.

That's why Naval God invented escort.

 

[Echo_419]

Yep,this is what i'm talking about.This is how the Juan Carlos of the the world,the Mistrals,should look like.

It's Australia I am surprised that they even need a millitary

 

[nvKyleBrown]

Ironic, Nulka was a joint US-Australia, and Australia isn't using it here while the US is (on very similarly purposed ships). Albeit, the America class is nearly twice the size at ~44k tons.

 

[SvenSvensonov]

Ironic, Nulka was a joint US-Australia, and Australia isn't using it here while the US is (on very similarly purposed ships). Albeit, the America class is nearly twice the size at ~44k tons.

HMAS Canberra does have the Nulka decoy. here's the armament of the ship:

Electronic warfare
& decoys: AN/SLQ-25 Nixie towed torpedo decoy
Nulka missile decoy
Armament: 4 × Rafael Typhoon 25 mm remote weapons systems
6 × 12.7 mm machine guns
Aircraft carried: 8 helicopters (standard)
18 helicopters (maximum hangar space)

Royal Australian Navy commissions HMAS Canberra III - Naval Technology

 

[Krate M]

I don't understand why this ship has a ramp when it does not have stovl planes. Either get the planes or use a flat top. Otherwise a good ship, can be great asset to RAN.

 

[nvKyleBrown]

HMAS Canberra does have the Nulka decoy. here's the armament of the ship:

Electronic warfare
& decoys: AN/SLQ-25 Nixie towed torpedo decoy
Nulka missile decoy
Armament: 4 × Rafael Typhoon 25 mm remote weapons systems
6 × 12.7 mm machine guns
Aircraft carried: 8 helicopters (standard)
18 helicopters (maximum hangar space)

Royal Australian Navy commissions HMAS Canberra III - Naval Technology

Sorry, was basing comment on what I had seen above in the thread about the Juan Carlos and Dokdo, did not bother to look up the Canberra. My bad!

 

[flamer84]

That's why Naval God invented escort.

Seriously under gunned for AA warfare but i guess it was designed with an escort fleet in mind.Never understood why couldn't they just slap some AA missiles on these kind of ships though.