UnicornThe Royal Australian Navy did not replace the Mk-13 with the 8 cell Mk-41 VLS mounted up forward.
It was an addition not a replacement, located adjacent to the Mk-13..
Reason for this is that the Mk-13 is still useful for the RAN’s remaining stocks of SM-1 and also for Harpoon, the RAN’s Adelaide class not being fitted with separate Harpoon launchers.
The 8 cell is loaded with quad-packed VLSS, meaning they carry an additional 32 VLSS on top of the mix of SM-1 and Harpoon.
Unicorn
UnicornNot in a million years. Ever heard of Google Earth? 😀
Unfortunately Google Earth won’t find you the references to the new series of Battlestar Galactica or the back catalogue of the Who.
Its still not bad though, perhaps a mini-wonder 🙂
Unicorn
UnicornMay I suggest Wikipedia.
Rapidly overtaking Google as the eighth wonder of the electronic world.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrier_air_wing
Unicorn
UnicornHi guys,
Quick question for anyone who may have the info.
Does the Delhi class have a large bow mounted sonar such as on the Sovremmeny class or a sonar fixed under the hull?
If anyone has a line drawing or a shot of a model that would be magic (a friend wishes to build a model of Delhi).
Many thanks
Unicorn
UnicornThe OHP would be perfect for the PN, flexible and affordable to run!
The only problem is the rail launcher and dwindling stocks of SM1 to fire off it. Of course its not beyond the realms of imagination to remove the rail launcher and below deck kit and replace it with a suitable box launcher for NATO Sea Sparrow, ESSM or at a push the LY-60N (I have a hunch the latter choice would not go down well with the Americans).
Or simply remove the Mk-13 launcher and replace it with a small (8-12 space) Mk-41 VLS system in the space vacated, then fill it with quad-packed VL Sea Sparrow.
VLSS gives away very little against SM-1 in capability and has the advantage that it has a defined development path, whereas SM-1 is at a dead end.
Unicorn
UnicornThe RAN is not likely to go down the “fitted for but not with” route.
They did that with the Anzacs and its taken the better part of a decade to get them up to a level where they are usable for anything more than EEZ patrol.
I think the AWD will come with all the kit it is designed for, I simply wish they fitted the full 96 cells that was originally part of the design brief.
Unicorn
UnicornI agree with Scooter that the arrival of the F35 will lead to a renaissance in small carrier operations.
A whole pile of nations that have backed out of carrier operations over the decades (such as Canada, Australia & the Netherlands) or who have always had an interest in the capability but for whom the total acquisition costs have proven prohibitive will have the opportunity to acquire a VSTOL capability to operate from the ever-growing numbers of increasingly larger LPA’s such as the RAN’s 28,000 ton vessels.
Many of these nations have committed to the F-35 or are likely to as it will be the only game in town for many air forces, and the ability to deploy a number of F-35s from the amphibious ships on expeditionary operations will prove very attractive.
Thus you are likely to see a lot of split buys, with some air forces operating a mix of a majority of CTOL F-35s and a small number (possibly a single squadron) of the VSTOL variant for deployment. This is being discussed in the Australian Defence Force at the moment with both the RAN and the Australian Army pushing for a split buy..
Again I could see the VSTOL squadron specialising in close air support with a secondary role in Air to Air, with the reverse true in the CTOL squadrons.
20 years from now I believe that the number of nations operating the F-35 from sea based platforms will be a lot higher than the Harrier and its derivatives today.
Unicorn
UnicornUsing the phased array as the air search radar?
Possible but unusual.
Unicorn
UnicornThanks Danrh,
A few things that were interesting:
I found it interesting that there was no mention of ASW torpedo tubes, perhaps they expect that the MRH-90 maritime derivative that the RAN is considering will do all the torpedo dropping?
The close in weapon systems most assuredly do not look like Phalanx, perhaps its just artistic licence but possibly the RAN is hoping for some kind of Metal Storm concept to be available by commissioning date.
The design features three SPG-62 missile designators, which is equivalent to the Kongo, Arleigh Burke and KDX-III and superior to the two on the F100 and the Norwegan Nansen classes. By comparison the Tico’s have 4.
If the design is accurate (and all such CAD is subject to change) there is very little space for conducting RAS, except between the funnels working around the Harpoon launchers.
The Harpoon launchers are located facing across the ship, exhausting over the side. The more common practice used to be having the launchers angled out over the side, but this seems to be changing.
230 including air detachment and a task force command staff seems awfully low, about that of a fully complimented FFG 7 class. This suggests a lot of automation, minimum manning concepts and the devolution of much maintenance normally carried out on board to wharfside support.
The flight deck seems small for a ship of this size, perhaps it’s a perspective trick.
Well we now have a decent set of images, time will tell how close to reality they are.
Edit: Danrh, you stated “eight cells each for for ESSM and Tomahawk”, where did you get that info?
Unicorn
UnicornF6F Hellcat.
A kill ratio over its opposition of 19 to 1, carried most weaponry available in the USN’s air launched arsenal with the exception of torpedoes and depth charges and variants carried radar for night fighter operations.
It’s as valid as anything else, as you asked an open ended question with no real right answer. 😛
Unicorn
UnicornYes, a number of model plan manufacters have them, I am not sure that they are exactly 100% accurate but you could try the Floating Drydock or APS Models for a start.
Unicorn
UnicornThe Anzac Frigates were being acquired when the Australian / Malaysian Joint OPV purchase was all hot to trot in its initial stages.
The OPV was to take a smaller helicopter than the RAN’s FFG’s (and the Malaysian’s did not want to go down the Sea Hawk route for a number of economic and political reasons).
The thinking was always that it would boil down to the Super Lynx or the Super Seasprite (with Malaysian pushing the Super Lynx).
The design of the Anzac hangar was still being developed, with a number of people in Canberra pushing for twin hangars (which was acheivable with two narrow hangars.
Unfortunately the Super Lynx was low but wide, where the Super Seasprite is narrow but hgh. Not knowing what the final decision would be, the twin hangar option was scrapped and a wide, tall single hangar was factored in, capable of operating one of either of the contending helicopters.
The requirement to hangar either of the contenders resulted in a high and wide hangar that was more than suitable for the RAN’s fleet of Sea Hawks, which as Jar has pointed out, now deploy on them as a matter of course.
The collapse of the Joint OPV project should have seen the Super Seasprite project go the way of the dodo, however a few factors contributed to its continuation.
1. Bureaucratic inertia, these things take on a life of their own.
2. The surface warfare mafia wanted an organic aviation ASUW capability, the Sea Hawks were more surveillance and ASW roled.
3. The Fleet Air Arm did not want to see money chopped from their area, as the mod Sea Hawk option would not have been as large and prestigious a project.
4. At the time there was a long running saga over parts availability from Sikorsky, resulting in significant %’s of the fleet sitting idle for long periods for want of spares. Diversification of spares requirements had its adherents in Canberra.
5. People were dazzled by the promises Kaman made, 90% of the capability of the Sea Hawk for 66% of the crew requirement and 75% of the cost.
The logical decision would have been to acquire additional RAN spec S-70B-2 Sea Hawks, modify the entire fleet to be more capable in the ASUW role and maximise the benefits of fleet-wide commonality.
Unfortunately, as so many posters on this thread have implicitly suggested, defence procurement is an Alice-in-Wonderland zone where obscenely vast amounts of taxpayers funds get wasted and no one is responsible.
Another expensive lesson for the Defence community.
Unicorn
UnicornBristol was designed as an air defence ship to support the aborted CVA-01 project. Sort of a pre-Aegis version of the USN’s Ticonderoga’s.
When the carrier program was stillborne the rationale for more Bristol’s went away.
One of the major issues was that she was not designed to carry a helicopter, a cardinal sin for a modern warship of any size.
In addition it was a period of Defence cost cutting in the UK (like it always is) and there was no money for the additional three Type 82’s planned.
Instead money was saved by reverting to a smaller vessel, the Type 42 which was built to a smaller size than originally planned as (you guessed it) a cost saving measure. For the same reason the Ikara was deleted from the design.
One thing Bristol was excellent at was acting as a flagship as she was outfitted with a full and very comprehensive communications suite including multiple sattelite communications channels plus the full set of Link communications channels. I understand that she often acted as communications gateway ship for RN ships wishing to communicate with non-RN ships that were fitted incompatable communications systems (particularly Link 11 and Link 16).
Unicorn
UnicornI note with some interest that Hezbollah has dropped references to an unmanned drone aircraft, perhaps even they have realised that they cannot hide the identity of the missiles used.
Unicorn
UnicornA friend of mine was on board HMAS Anzac during the Trafalgar 200 celebrations, with the Nigerian frigate Aradu tied up alongside at the pier.
His comments regarding the sanitary state of the ship below decks is unrepeatable, above decks she looked really good, until you realised they had painted over every surface with fresh paint (including rust, grease and moving parts).
Apparently the only weapons system on board that worked were the heavy machine guns, basically Aradu had deteriorated to the state that she was a 4000 tonne patrol boat.
Sad really 🙁
Unicorn
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