The Navy Vol_64_Part2 2002 - Navy League of Australia

AmphibiousWatercraft go aheadA computer generated image of the Army's newMinister for Defence Robert Hill hasannounced the signing of a S32.73million contract with Newcastleshipbuilder ADI Limited for the designand construction of six AmphibiousWatercraft for the Australian Army.Senator Hill also announced that acontract for SI0.66 million has beenconcurrently signed with ADI Limitedto provide 15 years through life supportfor the watercraft.These lightweight vessels, to be builtfrom aluminium and powered by twodiesel engines and wateijet propulsion,will build on the total amphibiouscapability of the Australian DefenceForce.The new watercraft will enable theArmy to deploy greater amounts oftanks, vehicles, soldiers and suppliesfrom ship to beach in a significantlyshorter time than is currently possiblewith the existing LCM 8 capabilityIn particular, the new watercraft willimprove the discharge rate of unloadingcargo by more than 30^.Senator Hill said the new watercraftwill be carried on the decks of the RoyalAustralian Navy ships HMASMANOORA and KANIMBLA. Thecraft will be based in Townsville at die10 Force Support Battalion at all othertimes.'This project is expected to create40 jobs in the Newcastle area." SenatorHill said.When the watercraft are introducedinto service they will be maintained inTownsville by ADI Limited through aFlash Trafficsub-contract with a local company,which will create additionalemployment in the area.The first watercraft is planned toundergo extensive trials late next yearwith the final craft expected to befinished in 2005.RAN patrol boattenders short listedThree companies have been shortlistedto tender for the supply of patrol boatsfor the Royal Australian Navy, afterthey were endorsed by Defence MinisterRobert Hill.The shortlisted tenderers are ADI.Defence Maritime Services partneringwith Austal. and Tenix.ADI would construct the boats inNewcastle. DMS and Tenix in Perth -providing significant economic andemployment opportunities in theseareas.Competition for the final shortlist togo on to stage two of the contractprocess was intense - highlighting thefact that Australia has a competitivesmall vessel shipbuilding industry.Nine companies provided tenders,seven of which qualified to produce thevessels.The RPB project is designed toprovide replacements for the RAN'sFremantle-class patrol boats (FCPBs).The new Patrol Boats are expected tocost approximately $375 million. Theywill be expected to provide over 3,000operational sea days per year, 1,800days will be directed towardsCoastwatch operations, plus a surgecapacity of 600 additional days per yearto deal with short-warning missions.The current FCPB fleet averages around2,700 operational sea days per year. Thenew boats will be larger and haveimproved seakeeping abilities over theFCPBs as well as a range of 3.000nm.(or 25% greater than the FCPBs).Maximum continuous speed shall be noless than 25kt.The shortlisted companies will beinvited to provide detailed tenderproposals by the end of October.Defence expects to be in a position torecommend to Government a preferredtenderer by late this year, with a view tosigning the in the new year.This would ensure the replacementpatrol boats would be ready for servicein the second half of 2004. consistentwith the Government's 2000 DefenceWhite Paper commitments.The new Patrol Boats will have theability to carry an additional 20personnel for emergencies in a separatefacility isolated and lockable from theboats other spaces. They will carry tworigid-hull inflatable boats, no less than6m long and capable of sustaining 25ktin sea state 4 when fully laden, and anunrefuelcd range of lOOnm at 12kt. Thepatrol boats will have a full electroopticalsuite for day/night surveillanceoperations. The system must be capable,in tropical conditions, to detect a fishingboat at a range of 12km: detect a personin the water at 1.000m; and classify afishing boat at l()km. Radar andsearchlight will also be fitted.The boats will be armed with a25mm stabilized lightweight gun(similar to that found on the Huon classMCM). supported by two 12.7mmmachine guns.One of the short listed patrol boats.Sixth Indiansubmarine to haveClub-S missile systemThe Zvyozdochka shipbuilding plant inSeverodvinsk is to refit, repair andupgrade the Indian Navy Kilo diesclelectricsubmarine INS SINDHUGOSHunder the terms of a contract signed inDelhi between Russia's arms exportagency Rosoboronexport and the IndianMinistry of Defence.INS SINDHUGOSH. built by theAdmiralty Shipyard in St Petersburg,was commissioned into the Indian Navyin 1986.18 VOL. 64 NO. I THE NAVYSINDHUGOSH arrived in Russialast month and will become the thirdIndian Kilo to be refitted andmodernised at the Severodvinsk yard.SINDHURAJ and SINDHUKKSARI.have been upgraded at the AdmiraltyShipyard in St Petersburg.The modernisation refit, due tobe completed in 2004. will seeSINDHUGOSH retrofitted with theClub-S strike missile system (whichincorporates 22()km-range 3M-54Eanti-ship cruise missiles, see page 11this edition) developed by the NovatorDesign Bureau. It is also possible thatSINDHUGOSH may also be equippedwith the 3M-I4E land-attack cruisemissile also associated with the Club-Ssystem.Acceptance trials of the IndianNavy's first three modernised Project877EKM Kilo class submarinesinvolved six successful 3M-54E testlaunches, demonstrating both minimum(20km) and maximum range capabilityagainst surface targets. However, in April2001 a missile launched on an IndianOcean test range failed to hit its target.June's Defence Weekly reported afault with the target on the test rangewas subsequently blamed for the failure:an anchored target with a corner radarreflector simulating a frigate-classsurface ship was displaced, and thereflector began to radiate signals in adirection perpendicular to a flighttrajectory of the missile's thirdsupersonic stage. As a result, the ARGS-54 seeker failed to acquire the target.All three of the Indian Navy'sProject 1135.6 ships will be armed withthe Club-N missile system, consisting ofan eight-cell vertical launchcr andonboard missile-planning and launchcontrolsystem. A Garpun-Bal radarsystem will provide targeting data.Largest class evergraduates fromCRESWELLThe RAN College HMAS CRESWELLhas graduated the largest intake of newentry officers in its history.One hundred and five officerspassed out of the College in what wasthe culmination of two days ofceremonies. These began with aCeremonial Sunset and then the PassingOut Parade itself, reviewed by the thenTHE NAVYChief of the Defence Force. ADMLChris Barrie. in one of his last officialengagements before leaving the Navyand the ADF. Admiral Barrie himselfjoined the Naval College in 1961.Visitors to the Ceremonial Sunsetsaw the tradition of the AustralianNational Rag and the Navy's WhiteEnsign lowered together, to the music ofthe Royal Australian Navy band and thesalute of an armed guard. The eveninggun was fired, signalling the last nightthe class of officers would have asinitial trainees.The passing out parade, which washeld the following morning, saw thenew class arrayed in their finestuniforms and assembled once again asan armed guard. They were joined bytheir instructors and staff of the RoyalAustralian Naval College, under thecommand of CAPT Andrew Cawley. onthe quarterdeck of the college. Manydistinguished visitors both Service andcivilian also watched the parade, as wellas families and friends of the trainees.A sad note in the proceedings wasthe mention of the death of one of thetrainees some weeks before graduation.MIDN Robert Maguire died in a caraccident.At the end of the parade, a marchpast. ADML Barrie took the salute. Theaward of prizes and a flyover followed.The new officers then celebrated withCDF. the college staff, members of theirfamily and friends.By LEUT Tom Lewis. NAVY NEWSUS ERGM flight testsuccessIn a first-of-a-kind test. Team ERGM'successfully fired a precision guidedprojectile from a representative gunsystem and guided it to a designatedtarget area last June. The flight testexceeded tactical end-game accuracyrequirements, and the test demonstratedterminal accuracy performance soonerthan called for in the program'sdevelopment plan.Led by Raytheon Company and theNaval Surface Warfare Center DahlgrenDivision, the All Up Round (AUR)guided flight of the Extended RangeGuided Munition (ERGM) took place atWhite Sands Missile Range, N. M.In the flight test. ERGM waslaunched from a representative Mk45Mod 4 gun system, using a tacticalVOL. 64 NO. Ipropellant charge, and successfullyexecuted navigation and guidance afterglobal positioning system (GPS)acquisition.This flight test achieved all testobjectives.The projectile demonstrated propernavigation and guidance despiteexperiencing extreme G-forces duringA cutaway of an ERGM showing its deployablewings and submunition warhead.33