Thursday 31 May 2018

Babcock announces new Arrowhead 140 design for the Type 31e frigate competition

Today Babcock unveiled the Arrowhead 140, a revised design as their candidate for the Type 31e frigate competition. The design reduces some of the potential programme risks as it is based on the Iver Huitfeldt hull form currently in-service with the Royal Danish Navy.

The Babcock-led “Team 31” consortium now includes Thales, OMT, BMT, Harland and Wolff and Ferguson Marine and are in a very competitive fight with The BAE Sytems/Cammel Laird “Leander”. The tight deadlines and ambition of the Type 31e project carries considerable risk, BAE Systems experience and existing intellectual property put them in a leading position. By selecting the proven Iver Huitfeldt design as a baseline, this reduces the unkowns attached to the Team 31 bid.

The previous Babcock Arrowhead concept was only a very basic outline design, perhaps a placeholder until the new design had been refined. Arrowhead 140 is entirely different and considerably larger than other Type 31 designs at almost 140m in length with a displacement of approximately 5,700 tonnes. Babcock says the wide beam ship is easier to design, build and easier to maintain. Going big does not add dramatically to construction costs but improves platform stability, facilitates better helicopter operations in bad weather, whilst enhancing crew comfort.

The Iver Huitfeldt class using the Danish Navy’s StanFlex modular mission payload system and have space for up to 6 interchangeable “modules”. It is assumed Arrowhead will not be equipped with Stanflex modules but there is plenty of space available and can be configured to customer requirements. The Iver Huitfeldt class are primarily air defence ships and are propelled by 4 diesel engines in a CODAD configuration. Cheap and simple to maintain but rather noisy and not ideal for ASW although there is potentaily space to add silencing measures. The Type 31e is expected to be a general purpose emphasis, but many would like the RN version offer some ASW capability, potentially using off-board USVs and UUVs.

The detailed configuration for the Arrowhead 140 is unclear at this stage but there is space for 4 mission boat/bays with VLS missile silo amidships between the bays. A large hangar would be capable of embarking a Merlin.

Arrowhead 140

Thales’ will provide their Tacticos combat management system which has fully open architecture, it has been in service for 25 years and exported to 24 navies globally. Tacticos and its in-service support package can be tailored to customers’ needs over the lifetime of the platform, although would be an entirely new system in Royal Navy service. The ship will incorporate iFrigate™ technology which offers digitally-enabled maintenance and self-diagnosis.

Team 31 say construction will be done using 4 collaborating shipyards, blocks will be built at Babcock Appledore in North Devon, Ferguson Marine on the Clyde, Harland & Wolff in Belfast with the final assembly and integration done at Rosyth. This is in line with the National Shipbuilding Strategy’s goal to generate a genuine resurgence in shipbuilding across the UK but also ensures there would still be capacity for parallel programmes such as the FSS project. More than 100 companies that could be involved in the supply chain for Arrowhead 140 have already attended a suppliers’ conference.

 



from Save the Royal Navy https://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/babcock-announces-new-arrowhead-140-design-for-the-type-31e-frigate-competition/

Sunday 27 May 2018

Bahrain or bust – Type 23 frigate to be permanently based in the Gulf

This week the Defence Secretary announced a Type 23 frigate will be permanently ‘forward deployed’ in Bahrain. This presence in the Gulf region and the global reach of the fleet, is certainly an asset to Britain but is the expanding portfolio of demands on the Navy workable and sustainable?

The RN has a presence in the Gulf going back decades. At least 3 escort ships were assigned to the Armilla Patrol during the 1980s-90s but none were permanently based in there and each ship spent considerable time on passage to and from the UK. British military involvement in the region is now called operation Kipion and until late 2017, the RN maintained at least one surface escort on Kipion. (In addition to the minehunters and RFA based in Bahrain). HMS Diamond was on her way to relieve HMS Monmouth in Gulf when forced to return home in November 2017 (due to a propeller shaft defect). Other priorities have left the RN with no escort vessel available to take her place. The main image above shows HMS Iron Duke handing over Kipion duties to HMS St Albans in March 2015 but this scenario will be become rare, with a ship permanently based in Bahrain for 4-5 years.

Vessels assigned to Kipion are involved in a wide range of activity in a large area that spans the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. Much of the work is maritime security, disrupting trafficking in people, narcotics and weapons. Tasking may also include in the escorting US carriers or merchant ships in the Northern Gulf, facing down the Iranian navy, equipped with shore-based anti-ship missiles, mini submarines and swarms of small gunboats. Another important responsibility is maintaining freedom of navigation in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and Straits of Hormuz, maritime choke points that are critical to the flow of energy and trade to the UK. Recent operations have involved protecting merchant ships off the coast of war-torn Yemen.

Sending ships to the Persian Gulf and/or the Pacific, a renewed commitment to NATO maritime groups and dramatically increased Russian naval activity all add to the pressure on the fleet, never mind providing escorts for the aircraft carriers. Giving a positive inaugural Sir Henry Leach lecture at RUSI this week, the Defence Secretary highlighted the global ambition for the navy “Deterrence isn’t just four nuclear boats, it’s about aircraft carriers, it is about a presence in the Pacific, a presence in the North Atlantic, a presence in the Mediterranean and in the Gulf.” Reading between the lines of his speech, Williamson is demonstrating to the Chancellor how the UK’s expanding ambitions underline his department’s need for greater funding.

Of our 17 non-mothballed escorts, 6 or 7 are typically at sea at one time, some conducting training or post refit work up with around 4 or 5 available for operational tasks at the sharp end. There are those that might argue the Government’s ego is writing cheques the fleet can’t cash. The RN’s commendable can do attitude can occasionally be counter-productive in the long run. In the period 2010-14 in particular, over-working a reduced fleet damaged morale and led to a further exodus of personnel.

For a service still struggling with significant manpower issues, extending commitments will involve another balancing act.

The First Sea Lord rightly highlighted this week, the desirability of an increased focus on the Pacific, the region is becoming the epicentre of global trade and it is advantageous to have visibility amongst our partners and potential adversaries. UK interests in the Middle East and Gulf region are similarly important. Thanks to the navy and a constant culture of adapting and maximising the output of our assets, the UK does possess a global reach that few other nations can match.

The soft power benefits of showing the White Ensign, defence diplomacy and personal contacts and having a ‘presence’ are not in doubt. But is it sensible to be stretched so thin that the actual assets in theatre amount to single ships and have limited military impact? In most cases, should a conflict arise, they could even be a liability, quickly overcome by the local opposition unless rapidly reinforced with significant help from the United States.

A frigate permanently based in the Gulf will certainly be welcomed by regional partners. The US Navy has been impressed by the Type 45’s capabilities and might be rather more excited if there was a powerful air defence vessel available it could entrust with escorting its aircraft carriers.

The Kipion frigate, her ships company and maintenance staff will benefit from the newly-opened naval support facility, HMS Juffair at Mina Salman in Bahrain, UK trade and diplomatic relations with several of the Gulf states continue to deepen and Exercise Saif Sareea 3 will see 4,500 UK forces personnel deployed to Oman later this year. The basing of a frigate at Juffair appears to signal a greater commitment to our partners in the Gulf but the forward-deployed frigate may find itself in demand for forays further afield, perhaps into the Pacific.

Routine work for the Kipion frigate. HMS Somerset’s boarding team inspect a vessel of interest in the Arabian Gulf , 2014.

Rotation, Rotation, Rotation

In September 2006 HMS Edinburgh arrived in the Falklands and remained in the South Atlantic for more than a year. This was a rare experiment with crew rotation on a surface escort, after 6 months the crew of another Type 42, HMS Exeter were flown out to relive the original ship’s company. The idea of crew rotation is attractive because it saves on fuel costs, wear and tear on the ship and in particular, the long time the ship must spend on in transit.

The four minehunters forward-deployed to the Gulf and the hydrographic vessels and the OPVs have been successfully using variations of the crew rotation system for several years. The minehunters ship’s companies are manned by numbered crews MCM1, MCM2, MCM3 etc which train and work up together on an identical sister ship in the UK before being flown out to Bahrain relive one of the crews on a six-month cycle.

Hydrographic vessels HMS Echo and Enterprise have been ‘forward deployed’ in the Mediterranean for periods of more than 2 years. They operate a 3-watch system – the total Ship’s Company is 72, with 48 personnel onboard at any one time working a cycle of around 75 days on, 30 days off. The frequent changeover of personnel works in the relaxed environment of hydrographic survey but is not suited to combat vessels where the crew must be a very sharp and cohesive unit. A similar rotation system is used for the Falkland Island patrol ship HMS Clyde which has not returned to the UK since first arriving in 2007. (Maintenance is conducted locally or in South Africa).

Despite making crew rotation a success in other parts of the fleet, and after conducting numerous studies and a few experiments, until now the RN has avoided this practice for its major warships. (Historically the RN had several separate ‘Fleets’ with ships permanently stationed across the empire in Singapore, Hong Kong, Malta etc, often with sailors away for periods of up to 2 years).

For the modern navy, there are significant drawbacks of permanently stationing a frigate in a foreign base. When the ship’s company arrives to take over a ship that is on an operational deployment and sailing into danger within a short time after arrival, they must be fully trained. This requires that they are already trained on an identical ship with the same equipment outfit. Even between ships of the same class, there are some differences and modifications that must be quickly understood. It is possible a brief, tailored ‘in-theatre’ Operational Sea Training package may be needed for the incoming crew.

Typically sailors spend at least 2 years serving on a ship and tend to become rather attached to their floating home which may have its own ethos and personality. Crews are strongly encouraged to take pride in their ship, its name, history and reputation. Although ultimately one Type 23 frigate is much like another and it’s the people that really matter, swapping whole crews around risks damage to this sense of ownership. The transits to and from the UK also give sailors the opportunity to visit a variety of other ports and time to further bond together as a crew.

The effects of basing just a single frigate in Bahrain will be felt across the whole fleet. The controversial nine-month Kipion deployments guaranteed leave periods before and after, plus a one-month support & leave period mid-deployment. With personnel numbers in a very fragile balance, this change to a 6-months pattern affect the majority of ships and sailors in the training cycle.

Likely candidates to be sent to the Gulf would be one of the Type 23s about to emerge from Life Extension refit at Devonport, HMS Kent, Richmond or Lancaster. A deciding factor in selection could between ships with a towed array sonar ‘tail’ or one of the ‘general purpose’ ships, the ASW capability may be more urgently needed in North Atlantic and European waters.

A stable RN presence in the Gulf region that fully exploits the value of HMS Juffair it to be welcomed. Unfortunately, the surface fleet lacks the numbers to deliver effectively on every promise. The Defence Secretary tacitly admitted in his speech that the Navy needs more escorts. The Type 31 programme is the most realistic hope for an increase in numbers,  though the five promised are not yet even in the MoD equipment funding plan.

 



from Save the Royal Navy https://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/bahrain-or-bust-type-23-frigate-to-be-permanently-deployed-in-the-gulf/

It’s Time to Call it a Day

After a decade, am calling time on Think Defence and shutting up shop. Why I think it only fair that I explain why. Think Defence has always been a one man band and that man has other things like work, grandkids and lots of other projects to absorb his time, my time. Researching for content, [...]

The post It’s Time to Call it a Day appeared first on Think Defence.



from Think Defence http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2018/05/its-time-to-call-it-a-day/

Tuesday 22 May 2018

Australian SEA 5000 competition climax- can the Type 26 frigate achieve export success?

Sometime in June, the Australian government will announce which of the three contenders has won the competition for the programme to construct 9 anti-submarine frigates. Should BAE Systems’ bid be successful, it would be the most significant naval export success for the UK for decades with benefits for the Royal Navy.

The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) plans to replace its eight ANZAC class MEKO 200 frigates with nine new vessels. Seeking foreign assistance for a domestic construction programme, the competition is now between three contenders; from Britain, BAE System’s Global Combat Ship-Australia (GCS-A) based on the Type 26 frigate, from Italy the Fincantieri FREMM ASW variant and from Spain, the Navantia F-5000. The competition is tight and each of the options has merits as well as drawbacks. So far there have been no leaks or indicators that there is a clear official favourite.

Until well into the 1970s the vast majority of the Australian Navy’s fleet was either built in Britain or were derived from Royal Navy designs. Dismal industrial strategy saw the UK retreat almost entirely from the warship export market but this competition (and the Type 31 project) offer hope for a modest revival. BAE Systems is now a global defence manufacturing powerhouse and its CGS meets the majority of Australia’s requirements. The SEA 5000 is a big prize with an estimated value of around Aus$ 35Bn (£19.5Bn) over the 30-year lifetime of the ships.

The BAE Systems GCS-A

The GCS is the most advanced anti-submarine surface combatant design available anywhere in the world today. Its critics will say that it represents a risk because it will be several years before the first vessels are at sea and the design is unproven. You may be able to step aboard a Fincantieri FREMM or a Navatia AWD today but these vessels are based on a design that pre-dates the GCS by at least a decade. The Royal Navy’s Type 26 frigate programme has been exceptionally drawn-out but it is the most modern design and will be able to assimilate rapid technological developments happening now and even during the construction programme. Although the GCS is very sophisticated, it cannot be described as radical and is an evolution of the well-proven Type 23 frigate. Much of the technology is being de-risked aboard the Type 23 or before construction using land-based test rigs for the propulsion, electrical and transmission system. The Rolls Royce MT30 gas turbine is already at sea on HMS Queen Elizabeth and is designed to work in hot conditions. It is actually 15-20% more efficient operating with an ambient air temperature up to 40ยบ than the LM 2500 GT used in both of the other competing designs.

The entire GCS design has been rendered using a cutting-edge virtual reality platform. This networked VR system allows naval personnel, suppliers and engineers at dispersed locations to understand the vessel and refine internal ergonomics before manufacture. BAES is a world-leader in utilising this approach to warship design.

The GCS is an anti-submarine thoroughbred, designed from the keel up to be as quiet as possible. Building on the experience of the Type 23, every effort has been made to reduce self-radiated noise which might interfere with sensitive sonars or alert submarines to the ship’s presence. Primary acoustic hygiene measures include placing the diesel generators above the waterline, raft-mounting machinery, hull shaping and precise propellor design. Every potential source of noise is considered such as avoiding right angle bends in pipework or acoustic enclosures for auxiliary machinery. These measures increase the size of the vessel, adding to initial costs but cannot be effectively retrofitted into an old ship. All three competitors will have similar bow-mounted sonar and effective towed array sonars. Besides the sensor hardware in the water, what determines their effectiveness in detecting submarines is the quietness of the platform, the processing technology on board and the skill of the operators.

  • The GCS-A in commission with the RAN.

  • Rolled out of the construction hall at the new BAE Systems digital construction yard in Adelaide.

  • Lowered into the water on the shiplfift.

  • Alongside test and commissioning of combat systems and propulsion.

  • The Australian land-based test and integration facility, for de-risking of the Radar, Combat System, Communications and Platform management equipment.

The GSC-A is also the largest of the 3 designs with ample space for future growth, in particular generating capacity to support directed energy weapons and high power sensors. A defining feature of the GCS-A lacking in the other proposals is the large central mission bay. This flexible space can be utilised for a variety of roles, especially to deploy & recover unmanned systems which are rapidly evolving and are likely to be central to naval warfare in future. UUVs and USVs offer the potential to further expand ASW reach and presence. UAVs can also provide long-range surveillance or targeting information for naval gunfire support using the 5-inch, Mk 45 Mod 4 gun. Alternatively, the space can be quickly reconfigured with mine hunting systems, medical facilities or aid supplies in support of humanitarian missions.

The reference GCS-A has a slightly different weapon and senior fit to the RN’s Type 26. The Artisan radar will be replaced by the CEAFAR active phased array radar developed in Australia. The European Sea Ceptor SAM will not be fitted, instead, the number of MK41 VLS cells will be increased from 24 to 36 and will carry US-made missiles while Harpoon anti-ship missiles will also be mounted. Potentially the most challenging technical requirement is the decision to fit the Lockheed Martin AEGIS system instead of the native BAES Combat Management System (CMS).

The plan is that the first steel would be cut in Australia in 2020 for the prototyping phase, designed to prove the processes and new production facilities. Full production would commence in 2022 with the first ship due to be delivered around 2027. Contrary to claims that the GCS-A would be “the first of class prototype” the schedule will see HMS Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast in production ahead of the first Australian ship, making the lead GCS-A the 4th of class, with the Royal Navy taking the lead in understanding the design, developing its capabilities and addressing any snags.

GCS – mutually beneficial for the RN and RAN

Should BAE systems be successful, there would be considerable benefits for the RN and British industry. On a strategic level, Britain and Australia have similar a culture and interests, both are part of the Five-Eyes (FVEY) agreement for the sharing of classified intelligence. An exchange of highly sensitive ASW tactical information and experience would flow naturally from joint GCS ownership. The RAN has conducted personnel exchanges with the RN going back to the founding of the navy and this mutually beneficial joint experience would only increase. Success would also be a boost for post-Brexit Britain, looking to expand its exports on a more global basis and would fit well with a recent renewal of RN presence in the Pacific.

Although the armament, sensors and combat system fitted to the GCS will differ in some respects, there would still be a significant commonality of components that will come from the UK, especially the propulsion system. Economies of scale across the supply chain could help reduce both construction and through-life costs for both nations.

The Australian government has funded the cost of refining the Type 26 into the detailed GCS-A proposal and around 100 people have been employed in the project teams in Glasgow and Australia. Should the design be selected, there would be further work for these valuable specialists, with an emphasis on a transfer of engineering and project management skills to Australia. Success would vindicate the GCS design and help offset the disappointment of being eliminated from the US Navy’s FFG(X) competition, it could also encourage Canada to join the programme. Should both the RAN and RCN adopt the GCS, the three close allies will be operating a total fleet of 32 sister ships.

The Fincantieri FREMM-A

The successful Franco-Italian project to design a common hull for as a basis for several frigate designs has a confirmed programme of 20 ships so far. The FREMM (Fregata Europea Multi-Missione) design is mature and the ASW variant is the best in its class of any European navy, at least until superseded by the Type 26. The FREMM is a serious contender and the general purpose vision has already attracted export orders from Greece, Morocco and Egypt, with the USN navy considering the ASW variant for the FFG(X). Fincantieri is one of the worlds largest shipbuilders but has not constructed ships in Australia before, lacking the incumbency of Navantia and BAES but the ship design is seen as a safe bet. It is making great promises to Australian industry and can offer the example of a past technology and skills transfer to the US where they invested heavily in Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) and now building ships for USN.

Claims that the FREMM design is now “combat proven” after operations against Syria on 14 April are rather stretching a point. Only one of the three French FREMM frigates deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean successfully managed to launch MdCN land attack missiles. Technical problems prevented further launches. It should also be noted that since World War II, the RN has accumulated far more combat experience than any other European navy.

FREMM-A

The Italian Fincantieri FREMM-A contender. An eye-catching, if completely unrealistic image showing all nine frigates at sea simultaneously and in very close company.

The Navantia F-5000

The F-5000 proposal is essentially the Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD) hull design with a modified weapon and sonar fit. The big advantage from an industrial and cost perspective will be the commonality with equipment already in service with the RAN, potentially offering a seamless transition for personnel already trained on similar systems.

The AWD is not a quiet ship, the combined GT and Diesel propulsion is inherently noisy but it is expected that in the F-5000 electric drive modules will be added and coupled to the main reduction gears to offer a quiet running mode. Hull shaping and many other systems do not meet the acoustic quietening standards. Either the F-5000 will have to be substantially re-engineered or if there is little modification, then the RAN must accept an anti-submarine capability very much inferior to the other two options.

Theoretically, the F-5000 building process should be smooth as the yards already have experience constructing this type of vessel but the construction of the preceding AWD has not been without problems. The AWD Alliance and Navantia were criticised for construction errors, faulty drawings, delays and cost overruns. There were also considerable disputes over workmanship between Navantia and the Norwegians during their construction of the similar F-310 Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates. Navantia is owned and subsidised by the Spanish government.

Navantia-F-5000

The Spanish Navantia-F-5000 contender. Evolved from the Hobart class air warfare destroyers (AWDs) and externally almost identical.

Shipbuilding is always political

It would be unwise to assume the SEA 5000 competition will simply be won by the best ASW ship. Shipbuilding decisions are always made in the context of industrial and political factors that do not always provide navies with the ships it needs or wants. Navantia maybe seen as the home team, with an established shipbuilding base that is already delivering ships for the RAN and may also benefit from links to the RAN and the political establishment. BAE Systems (in its previous guise as GEC Marconi) has been working in Australia for 65 years, already has the largest number of employees in the region and are also well-versed in political lobbying. As in all types of business, personal contacts, relationships and trust may count for more than the product itself and each team will be maximising opportunities to influence the relevant officials.

What is not in the public domain is the approximate cost of each ship. The UK is known to be paying almost £1Bn per ship for the Type 26 but this includes development costs the Australians will not have to bear. The 3 Navatia AWD ships ended up costing around £1.7bn each while the Italian FREMM looks cheapest at around £600M. These figures are not much of a guide as final costs depend on many variables such as equipment fit and the level of government-supplied equipment

For the politicians who have the final say on the decision, funnelling employment and economic benefits to electorates may be the overriding factor. The Australian government wants to use the programme to expand the potential for its own future defence exports, while being seen to prioritise national security. The end-users in the Australian Navy seem to think the GCS-A is the best platform. Captain Duncan McRae, RAN said;

“The Type 26 provides the Navy with not only the most effective ASW hull, specifically designed for the role, considering noise signatures and sensor and weapon use, but also the clearest winner in regard to “future-proofing.”

China now has the second largest fleet of submarines in the world with much new construction and step-change in the quality of new boats. Many other nations in the Asia-Pacific region are investing heavily in quiet new submarines. If an island nation like Australia is really serious about defending itself only the best ASW platform will do.

 



from Save the Royal Navy https://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/australian-sea-5000-competition-climax-can-the-type-26-frigate-achieve-export-success/

Friday 18 May 2018

RFA Fort Victoria modified to support the aircraft carriers

RFA Fort Victoria is currently mid-way through a major refit at Cammell Laird in Birkenhead. The usual maintenance and machinery overhauls are being conducted but she is also being modified to provide solid stores replenishment to the aircraft carriers.

Critical to the ability of Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) aircraft carriers to deploy globally will be the support of auxiliary ships to supply oil and solid stores. The 4 Tide class tankers have been specifically designed to be compatible with the QEC and all 4 ships are expected to be in commission by the time HMS Queen Elizabeth conducts her first full operational deployment in 2021. While the supply of Dieso (F76) and aviation fuel (F44) to the carriers at sea is relatively straight forward, the arrangements for the transfer of bulk ammunition, dry stores and food is more complicated.

Replenishing the carriers with stores at sea

The 3 solid stores ships that remain in service with the RFA are fitted with NATO standard heavy jackstay replenishment rigs designed to transfer loads up to 2 tonnes. Rolls Royce has developed a completely new fast, high-capacity Heavy Replenishment at Sea (HRAS) system that can transfer 25 loads per hour of up to 6 tonnes. A complete land-based HRAS system for trials and training was installed at HMS Raliegh and has been in use since 2014. The ability to transfer large loads quickly reduces the window of vulnerability when the carrier is constrained by having to steam at restricted speed (typically 10-15 knots) parallel to the replenishment ship. HRAS combined with the advanced stores handling facilities of the QEC means large loads can be delivered into the spacious hangar and struck down into the storerooms deep in the ship, quickly and efficiently with minimal manpower.

US aircraft carriers benefit from Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD) aircraft that can deliver large and bulky items to the ship by air. There is no designated COD aircraft for the QEC. (Theoretically, non-marinised RAF Chinooks could be used in this role for short-medium range stores delivery. A UK purchase of V-22 Osprey is unlikely to be funded anytime soon). HRAS is therefore particularly important for the QEC and the original specification required the system be capable of transferring heavy and bulky items such as packaged Storm Shadow missile or a complete F135 jet engine for an F-35. It should be noted that there is currently no plan to integrate Storm Shadow on the F-35 but HRAS offers the option for resupply at sea for this and future large air-launched stand-off missiles.

The older RFA Fort Rosalie and Fort Austin are fitted with 3 pivoted arm Mk IA replenishment rigs (2 on the starboard and 1 on port side). This kind of rig is incompatible with the HRAS rigs fitted to the QEC and also lack the height required. It is clearly not worth upgrading the two much older Fort-class, due to go out of service by 2024, of which only one is active at a time. Lack of manpower and an effort to prolong their lives has seen these ships rotate between periods in lay-up in Birkenhead and on active service. Fort Rosalie and Fort Austin will only be able to transfer stores to the carrier by helicopter – vertical replenishment (VERTREP). Using helicopters to transfer underslung loads from the flight deck across to the receiving ship is more expensive in fuel and wear and tear on aircraft and can be constrained by weather conditions. The QEC is fitted with an additional small vertical lift towards the rear of the flight deck specifically designed to take stores that arrive by VERTREP down into the ship without the need to use the aircraft lifts.

Rig modification

RFA Fort Victoria is fitted with 4 Clarke-Chapman sliding padeye rigs, 2 port and 2 starboard, of a more modern design. Like the HRAS system, the padeye which carries the main weigh of the jackstay can be raised and lowered by chains running up and down the inside of the ‘goalpost’ gantry. The gantries are also much higher than in the older Fort class and are being adapted by CL to be compatible with the QEC. RFA Fort Victoria will emerge from this refit able to transfer stores to the carrier but will still be limited to 2-tonne transfers, primarily because she does not have the internal equipment to handle such large loads. Only when the new purpose-built Fleet Solid Support ships (FSS) fitted with HRAS rigs and mechanised stores handling systems arrive in the mid-2020s, will the full 6-tonnes be possible. When the QEC is conducting RAS, the gantry (moveable high point) is lowered, the jackstay cables attached and connect to the replenishment ship through the two open hangar doors on the starboard side of the ship. If both rigs were to be used simultaneously it will require the new FSS to have 2 HRAS rigs fitted on its port side and spaced the same distance.

  • RFA Fort Victoria Refit Cammell Laird

    Replenishment rigs shrouded in scaffolding for maintenance and modifications. (Note the funnel tops have been returned to their original grey colour) Photo: Phil Prince, April 2018

  • Unglamorous routine ship repair work – stripping back to bare mental for re-painting in places. Photo: Phil Prince

  • General arrangement of the Clarke-Chapman sliding padeye rig fitted to RFA Fort Victoria.

  • The one stop shop… RFA Fort Victoria provides solid stores and Fuel to USS Monterey in the Gulf of Aden. Photo: US Navy

  • Examples of ordnance loads that could be transferred from RFA Fort Victoria to the carrier (within the 2-tonne limit).

  • HRAS Moveable High Points in the lowered position in the hangar of HMS Queen Elizabeth as it will be when used to transfer solid stores at sea.

  • When not in use, the moveable high point is raised to the deckhead of so as not to obstruct aircraft movements on and off the lifts.

  • Starboard mid-ships section of RFA Fort Rosalie showing the older pivoted arm replenishment rigs (in the lowered position).

Double-hulling

Fort Victoria is a unique vessel in the naval service being an AOR (auxiliary Oiler/Replenisher), a combined stores ship and oil tanker. The International Maritime Organisation’s Marine Pollution (MARPOL) regulations that govern the design of merchant vessels were amended in 1992, stipulating that all oil tankers over 5,000 tons dwt would be required to have double-hulls. A history of environmentally damaging oil spills created pressure to attempt to mitigate the effects of tankers running aground. Fort Victoria was designed in the 1980s and was completing construction just as the regulations changed. Supposedly all single-hulled tankers should have been modified or scrapped by 2008 and several RFA vessels were sailing in breach of the rule for a few years. As Fort Vic is expected to remain in service, at least until the last FSS is delivered in the late 2020s, modification to meet MAROPOL standards had to be addressed. Constructing the double-hull involves adding plating inside the existing oil tanks, a potentially hazardous and unpleasant task for CL welders. Double-hull construction is more complex than it may first appear as the gap between the outer and inner hull can suffer corrosion or gas build up and must be accessible for inspection and maintenance.

Fort Vic can embark 3,377 m3 of ordnance and 2,941 m3 of dry stores. Her original oil capacity was a total of 11,000 tonnes but this will be reduced by the double-hull modifications. For context, to completely fill the QEC diesel fuel tanks requires around 4,800 tonnes with a further capacity of approximately 3,700 tonnes for aviation fuel. (Fort Vic can provide oil as well as stores but the QEC are likely to rely on the Tide class tankers as their main supplier of oil at sea).

The golden contract

If there is one thing a shipyard likes, it’s a guarantee of regular work. Cammel Laird has thrived recently, in part due to the Cluster contract with the MoD that made them the sole provider of maintenance for several RFA vessels. CL won the initial contract in 2008 for Lot 3, comprising RFA Wave Ruler, Wave Knight, Fort Rosalie, Fort Austin & Fort Victoria. In 2013 the contract was extended but it is due for renewal again this year. CL will be very keen to continue the arrangement, now called the Future In-Service Support (FISS) contract, and will probably be in competition with A&P Falmouth and Babcock (Devonport & Rosyth) who are likely to bid for one or more of the ‘lots’. (Lot 1 comprises RFA Argus, Lyme Bay, Cardigan Bay, Mounts Bay and HMS Scott, Lot 2 are RFA Tidespring, Tiderace, Tidesurge and Tideforce.) Efficient completion of this particularly important refit of RFA Fort Victoria would obviously be helpful to CL in this bidding process.

With years of experience maintaining the Fort and Wave class vessels, CL would appear to be in pole position retain Lot 3 but the MOD is under pressure from the Single Source Regulations Office (SSRO) to ensure this type of competition is “fair and transparent”. Ironically, at the time of writing, government is still blindly ploughing on with an international competition to build the FSS ships. This process cannot be described as ‘fair’ because British yards, which are likely to include CL, will be in competition with state-subsidised foreign yards. Should Cammell Laird be successful in one or more of its bids for FISS lots, the Type 31 frigate project or be involved in constructing the FSS ships, the continued revival of this large shipyard will be good news for the Navy and the economy of the North West.

 

Main image: Gerry Rudman, January 2018, via Flickr

 

 



from Save the Royal Navy https://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/rfa-fort-victoria-modified-to-support-the-aircraft-carriers/

Monday 14 May 2018

RFA Fort Victoria modified to support the aircraft carriers

RFA Fort Victoria is currently mid-way through a major refit at Cammell Laird in Birkenhead. The usual maintenance and machinery overhauls are being conducted but she is also being modified to provide solid stores replenishment to the aircraft carriers.

Critical to the ability of Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) aircraft carriers to deploy globally will be the support of auxiliary ships to supply oil and solid stores. The 4 Tide class tankers have been specifically designed to be compatible with the QEC and all 4 ships are expected to be in commission by the time HMS Queen Elizabeth conducts her first full operational deployment in 2021. While the supply of Dieso (F76) and aviation fuel (F44) to the carriers at sea is relatively straight forward, the arrangements for the transfer of bulk ammunition, dry stores and food is more complicated.

Replenishing the carriers with stores at sea

The 3 solid stores ships that remain in service with the RFA are fitted with NATO standard heavy jackstay replenishment rigs designed to transfer loads up to 2 tonnes. Rolls Royce has developed a completely new fast, high-capacity Heavy Replenishment at Sea (HRAS) system that can transfer 25 loads per hour of up to 6 tonnes. A complete land-based HRAS system for trials and training was installed at HMS Raliegh and has been in use since 2014. The ability to transfer large loads quickly reduces the window of vulnerability when the carrier is constrained by having to steam at restricted speed (typically 10-15 knots) parallel to the replenishment ship. HRAS combined with the advanced stores handling facilities of the QEC means large loads can be delivered into the spacious hangar and struck down into the storerooms deep in the ship, quickly and efficiently with minimal manpower.

US aircraft carriers benefit from Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD) aircraft that can deliver large and bulky items to the ship by air. There is no designated COD aircraft for the QEC. (Theoretically, non-marinised RAF Chinooks could be used in this role for short-medium range stores delivery. A UK purchase of V-22 Osprey is unlikely to be funded anytime soon). HRAS is therefore particularly important for the QEC and the original specification required the system be capable of transferring heavy and bulky items such as packaged Storm Shadow missile or a complete F135 jet engine for an F-35. It should be noted that there is currently no plan to integrate Storm Shadow on the F-35 but HRAS offers the option for resupply at sea for this and future large air-launched stand-off missiles.

The older RFA Fort Rosalie and Fort Austin are fitted with 3 pivoted arm Mk IA replenishment rigs (2 on the starboard and 1 on port side). This kind of rig is incompatible with the HRAS rigs fitted to the QEC and also lack the height required. It is clearly not worth upgrading the two much older Fort-class, due to go out of service by 2024, of which only one is active at a time. Lack of manpower and an effort to prolong their lives has seen these ships rotate between periods in lay-up in Birkenhead and on active service. Fort Rosalie and Fort Austin will only be able to transfer stores to the carrier by helicopter – vertical replenishment (VERTREP). Using helicopters to transfer underslung loads from the flight deck across to the receiving ship is more expensive in fuel and wear and tear on aircraft and can be constrained by weather conditions. The QEC is fitted with an additional small vertical lift towards the rear of the flight deck specifically designed to take stores that arrive by VERTREP down into the ship without the need to use the aircraft lifts.

Rig modification

RFA Fort Victoria is fitted with 4 Clarke-Chapman sliding padeye rigs, 2 port and 2 starboard, of a more modern design. Like the HRAS system, the padeye which carries the main weigh of the jackstay can be raised and lowered by chains running up and down the inside of the ‘goalpost’ gantry. The gantries are also much higher than in the older Fort class and are being adapted by CL to be compatible with the QEC. RFA Fort Victoria will emerge from this refit able to transfer stores to the carrier but will still be limited to 2-tonne loads. Only when the new purpose-built Fleet Solid Support ships (FSS) fitted with HRAS rigs arrive in the mid-2020s will the full 6-tonnes be possible. When the QEC is conducting RAS, the gantry is lowered, the jackstay cables attached and connect to the replenishment ship through the two open hangar doors on the starboard side of the ship. If both rigs were to be used simultaneously it will require the new FSS to have 2 HRAS rigs fitted on its port side and spaced the same distance.

  • RFA Fort Victoria Refit Cammell Laird

    Replenishment rigs shrouded in scaffolding for maintenance and modifications. (Note the funnel tops have been returned to their original grey colour) Photo: Phil Prince, April 2018

  • Unglamorous routine ship repair work – stripping back to bare mental for re-painting in places. Photo: Phil Prince

  • General arrangement of the Clarke-Chapman padeye rig fitted to RFA Fort Victoria

  • The one stop shop… RFA Fort Victoria provides solid stores and Fuel to USS Monterey in the Gulf of Aden. Photo: US Navy

  • Examples of ordnance loads that could be transferred from RFA Fort Victoria to the carrier (within the 2-tonne limit).

  • HRAS gantry in the lowered position in the hangar of HMS Queen Elizabeth as it will be when used to transfer solid stores at sea.

  • When not in use, the HRAS gantry is raised to the deckhead of so as not to obstruct aircraft movements on and off the lifts.

  • Starboard mid-ships section of RFA Fort Rosalie showing the older pivoted arm replenishment rigs (in the lowered position).

Double-hulling

Fort Victoria is a unique vessel in the naval service being an AOR (auxiliary Oiler/Replenisher), a combined stores ship and oil tanker. The International Maritime Organisation’s Marine Pollution (MARPOL) regulations that govern the design of merchant vessels were amended in 1992, stipulating that all oil tankers over 5,000 tons dwt would be required to have double-hulls. A history of environmentally damaging oil spills created pressure to attempt to mitigate the effects of tankers running aground. Fort Victoria was designed in the 1980s and was completing construction just as the regulations changed. Supposedly all single-hulled tankers should have been modified or scraped by 2008 and several RFA vessels were sailing in breach of the rule for a few years. As Fort Vic is expected to remain in service, at least until the last FSS is delivered in the late 2020s, modification to meet MAROPOL standards had to be addressed. Constructing the double-hull involves adding plating inside the existing oil tanks, a potentially hazardous and unpleasant task for CL welders. Double-hull construction is more complex than it may first appear as the gap between the outer and inner hull can suffer corrosion or gas build up and must be accessible for inspection and maintenance.

Fort Vic can embark 3,377 m3 of ordnance and 2,941 m3 of dry stores. Her original oil capacity was a total of 11,000 tonnes but this will be reduced by the double-hull modifications. For context, to completely fill the QEC diesel fuel tanks requires around 4,800 tonnes with a further capacity of approximately 3,700 tonnes for aviation fuel. (Fort Vic can provide oil as well as stores but the QEC are likely to rely on the Tide class tankers as their main supplier of oil at sea).

The golden contract

If there is one thing a shipyard likes its a guarantee of regular work. Cammel Laird has thrived recently, in part due to the Cluster contract with the MoD that made them the sole provider of maintenance for several RFA vessels. CL won the initial contract in 2008 for Lot 3, comprising RFA Wave Ruler, Wave Knight, Fort Rosalie, Fort Austin & Fort Victoria. In 2013 the contract was extended but it is due for renewal again this year. CL will be very keen to continue the arrangement now called the Future In-Service Support (FISS) contract and will probably be in competition with A&P Falmouth and Babcock (Devonport & Rosyth) who are likely to bid for one or more of the ‘lots’. (Lot 1 comprises RFA Argus, Lyme Bay, Cardigan Bay, Mounts Bay and HMS Scott, Lot 2 are RFA Tidespring, Tiderace, Tidesurge and Tideforce.) Efficient completion of this particularly important refit of RFA Fort Victoria would obviously be helpful to CL in this bidding process.

With years of experience maintaining the Fort and Wave class vessels, CL would appear to be in pole position retain Lot 3 but the MOD is under pressure from the Single Source Regulations Office (SSRO) to ensure this type of competition is “fair and transparent”. Ironically, at the time of writing, government is still blindly ploughing on with an international competition to build the FSS ships. This process cannot be described as very ‘fair’ because British yards, which are likely to include CL, will be in competition with state-subsidised foreign yards. Should Cammell Laird be successful in one or more of its bids for FISS lots, the Type 31 frigate project or be involved in constructing the FSS ships, the revival of this large shipyard will be good news for the Navy and the economy of the North West.

 

Main image: Gerry Rudman, January 2018, via Flickr

 

 



from Save the Royal Navy http://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/rfa-fort-victoria-modified-to-support-the-aircraft-carriers/

Sunday 6 May 2018

New Content – Easibridge Lightweight Tactical Bridging

EasiBridge offers the world’s first truly man-portable, long-span rescue/assault bridging system. Exploiting the inherent flexibility of the EasiBridge systems, a further eight engineer/infantry “Super-Kit” capabilities can be used. Key benefits include; Portability; weighing just 4kg/m the EasiBridge sections can be easily carried by dismounted personnel and handled without mechanical assistance, Span Length; gaps of up [...]

The post New Content – Easibridge Lightweight Tactical Bridging appeared first on Think Defence.



from Think Defence http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2018/05/new-content-easibridge-lightweight-tactical-bridging/

Saturday 5 May 2018

The Royal Navy gets its first unmanned minesweeping system

The ATLAS Remote Combined Influence Minesweeping System (ARCIMS), which provides an autonomous minesweeping capability was handed over to the Royal Navy this week.

Following a period of successful trials off the Dorset coast, the demonstrator system could go on to be used by the Royal Navy in the future to defeat the threat of modern digital mnes. The system has been designed and manufactured by Atlas Elektronik UK under a £13 million contract working with DE&S and the RN’s Maritime Autonomous Systems Trials Team (MAST).

The sweeper system, features a “sense and avoid” capability and is the first step on the road to removing vulnerable ships and reducing the risk to personnel entering the minefield. The system will now undergo a series of more expansive trials with the RN. This mine-sweeping system represents a major milestone in the Navy’s transition to autonomous offboard systems to counter the threat posed to international shipping by the sea mine. Work on an associated mine-hunting system will begin in 2019.

ARCIMS will form part of the RN’s Mine countermeasures and Hydrographic capability (MHC) project. The autonomous system can be deployed from a “mothership”, but the form that will take is still far from decided. Potentially the mission bays of the Type 26 and Type 31 frigates could be utilised, along with auxiliaries or amphibious vessels. Whether the RN will ever again build dedicated minehunters is questionable. A hybrid OPV / minehunter concept like the Venari-85 is an intriguing possibility.

It is good to see the RN taking a lead in this area of innovation and Atlas Elektronik are already reporting potential export interest.



from Save the Royal Navy http://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/the-royal-navy-gets-its-first-unmanned-minesweeping-system/