Big boats pose big questions for Australian defence contracts

Xinhua ^ | February 19, 2011

[sukhoi-30mki]

Big boats pose big questions for Australian defence

while a new era in Australia's defence may have arrived with the launch in Spain of a unique helicopter carrier, doubts remain over exactly what air-power they will haul.

Champagne was broken over the hull of the largest ever ship to be commissioned by the Australian Navy, the HMAS Canberra. Images were broadcast on Friday morning on Australian television of the giant amphibious vessel rolling into the water at the northern Spanish port of Ferrol.

But it is the unusual focus on helicopter warfare that should ensure HMAS Canberra and the HMAS Adelaide - both massive Spanish- built amphibious assault vessels - will be closely monitored by military-buffs and governments around the Pacific.

Expected to be fully operational by 2014, the twin vessels with two football-field sized decks are based on aircraft carrier designs, but are something very much different.

Each carrier will be chaperoned on exercises and operations around the Pacific and beyond by its own mini-armada of support vessels. But most uniquely, instead of the traditional jet fighter aircraft the decks of the HMAS Canberra and Adelaide will be dotted with helicopters.

This is music to the ears of contractors, especially the Lockheed Martin-Sikorsky consortium who have been bidding for 50 surplus Australian Defence Force Black Hawk helicopters as part of a strategy to snatch Canberra's 3 billion U.S. dollars navy helicopter contracts.

This has been one of Australian defence's most fiercely fought contract sideline-skirmishes.

The tender is to supply the Royal Australian Navy with up to 27 cutting-edge anti-submarine helicopters, undoubtedly to be among the hundreds of helicopters destined to sit on the decks of the 1. 5 billion U.S. dollars HMAS Canberra and Adelaide.

Eurocopter subsidiary, Australian Aerospace has been dueling with Lockheed Martin-Sikorsky for the latest helicopter contract by offering its NATO frigate helicopter against the Lockheed Martin-Sikorsky's Seahawk MH60R.

To sweeten the deals for the Gillard government both bidders have wound in billions of dollars of potential work for the local defence industry from inception through to the predicted 30-year life of the helicopters.

The question is whether Lockheed Martin's capacity to supply the Australian Defence Force's strategic shift to helicopter land and sea warfare and crisis intervention, is, as some analysts are asking - driving strategy, not servicing it.

At the launch of the HMAS Canberra, Australian Royal Navy Vice- Admiral Russell Crane told reporters, "We'll be able to launch six helicopters from the deck at a single period in time, and carry another six in the hangars.."

Crane called a proud day for the Navy. It may also be an encouraging one for Lockheed Martin.

Former John Howard government defence minister Brendan Nelson, now Australia's ambassador in Brussels and NATO, told ABC television from the bridge of the HMAS Canberra, "We made this decision in 2007, to buy two of these landing helicopters docks.. This is a transformation of Australia's defence capability."

The Australian government has already purchased Australian Aerospace Tiger attack helicopters and MRH90 utility helicopters, but it is Lockheed Martin-Sikorsky who remain the favourite to take out the navy contracts expected to be finalized in June.

While the ships' final fit-out will be completed in Williamstown in Victoria, and their 40 years of service is expected to start in 2014, experts believe Lockheed Martin- Sikorsky's MH60R nicknamed the 'Romeo', will win the tender and grace the decks of the HMAS Canberra and Adelaide well beyond 2050.

Source:Xinhua

[sukhoi-30mki]

Navantia has launched the first of two new amphibious ships for the RAN; its superstructure will be added in Australia and it will be delivered in 2014. (Aus DoD photo)

[PAR35]

A ski-jump for the helicopters?

[naturalman1975]

The ski-jump is a structural part of the design and easier to keep than change. Keeping it also gives the RAN future options in terms of carrier aviation. There’s still a sizeable body of opinion around that says we should acquire some suitable planes to operate one of the LHDs as a mini carrier.

[Zhang Fei]

Don’t the Spanish operate Harriers off these things? If the F-35B ever comes to fruition, I can see RAN operating them off these ships, assuming that the Defence Ministry gets the funding. Or in the worst case, RAN could get Harriers from the Marine Corps, when they are phased out. (I have to believe that F-35B or not, Uncle Sam will find a way to operate fixed wing aircraft from Marine carriers).

[naturalman1975]

Yes, the Spanish do plan to operate Harriers off of the Juan Carlos I, which is the design the Canberra class LHDs have as their foundation.

At the moment, the RAN is not officially considering the idea of operating fixed wing aircraft off the Canberra and the Adelaide but that could change in the future.

[bill1952]

How will these helicopter ships defend against stand off aerial cruise missile attack?

Do they have traditional CV that have aircraft that can intercept?

[sukhoi-30mki]

They will probably have some sort of CIWS or short-range SAM. Besides if their new AEGIS-equipped Hobart class destroyers won’t defend them, nothing can.

[bill1952]

Besides if their new AEGIS-equipped Hobart class destroyers won’t defend them, nothing can.

Well, they can be overwhelmed by cruise missile attack.
What about shooting down aircraft before they reach the launch area?
Sams aren’t enough right?

[sukhoi-30mki]

The most they can hope for is cruise missiles, which they are considering.

Of course none of that would be needed, if they have good ol’ Uncle Sam to do the honours.