Pacific 2012: Wider roles for LCH replacements | ADM Dec 2011 / Jan 2012
Tom Muir | Canberra
According to the Defence Capability Plan (DCP), JP2048 Phase 5 will acquire six new heavy landing craft with improved speed and sea keeping capabilities able to transport armoured vehicles, trucks, stores and personnel, and land them over the shore. Thus it may need to conduct independent small scale regional amphibious operations as an independent minor Amphibious Task Unit or to support the Canberra Class LHD as part of an Amphibious Task Group. This phase is expected to have an extended development schedule owing to the likely design innovation necessary to meet these parameters
In addition to the forgoing it would be safe to assume that the LCH replacements would need an increased load capacity to take a minimum of three of the Army’s M1A1 tanks (the Balikpapan Class LCHs are too narrow) or their load equivalent. Some observers suggest they would also need space to operate a helicopter and the means to store, launch and recover unmanned aerial systems.
Due to the many missions calling for humanitarian and other assistance in their area of operations the replacements would need to have surgical rather than hospital facilities and speed and seakeeping qualities would need to be improved for quick response times to natural disasters.
Because the LCH replacement must be able to perform its full mission capabilities within the operating environment of Australia and the immediate neighbourhood it will need to transit across open oceans, and operate in confined archipelagic and littoral environments and in rivers and estuarine deltas. Regional seas in transit exceed Sea State Four for approximately 60 per cent of the year and commonly have a long swell.
Regional coastlines tend to extremes with steep beach gradients promoting plunging surf and longshore currents or flat gradients with large tidal ranges, resulting in fast tides. Only about one quarter of regional beaches have gradients compatible with conventional large landing craft and many of these are steep enough to promote heavy surf. Two thirds are too flat for conventional landing craft. Furthermore, fringing reefs are prevalent in the archipelago and around Australia.
While the LCH-R system operating concept shields it from direct attack by conventional forces, it is should be capable of operating in the face of low-medium level threats such as might be expected from competent irregular forces.
The LCH-R has no specific secondary mission but will be suitable for a wide range of utility tasks. These may include hosting a range of other Defence capabilities such as Rapid Environmental Assessment and Mine Countermeasures and supporting ADF training activities.
Earlier this year Defence released a Request for Information (RFI), seeking proposals from industry for new Heavy Landing Craft. Through the this process, Defence was hoping for innovative solutions and options to satisfy the JP 2048 Phase 5 capability requirement together with indicative costing and schedule information to enable assessment of their relative merits and feasibility.
First Pass approval is anticipated between 2012-13 and 2014-15 and Year of Decision sometime in the period 2015-16 and 2017-18, with a planned initial operating capability beyond 2019.
So what ship designs are we likely to see proposed as replacements for the Balikpapan Class LCHs?
An earlier article on the subject included brief reports on three possible contenders for the LCH replacement. They were:
Sea Transport Solutions SLV
Adapted from successful commercial craft working in remote areas under difficult conditions, Sea Transport Solutions’ 50m military SLV (stern landing vessel) was a result of focussing on possible answers to the operational problems of conventional landing craft. The company says problems with conventional landing craft include: bad head sea capability, poor stability, poor visibility, poor debeaching and excessive noise and vibration with wheelhouse above machinery
According to STS the proven successful solution to the landing craft is the Stern Landing Vessel. The triple screw, twin skeg hull form is the most viable answer for the amphibious support craft to succeed in the military’s operational envelope. Designed to commercial or naval rules, SLV’s can be built by any shipyard able to construct commercial vessels to Class Rule standards.
BMT Fast LCT Caimen-200
Caimen-200 is the BMT Group’s design for a fast Landing Craft Tank (LCT) capable of achieving a transit speed of more than 16 knots fully laden with up to three Main Battle Tanks (MBT). By almost doubling the speed with which assault waves are transported to the beach, employment of the LCT Caimen-200 enables more weight and firepower of amphibious forces to be deployed in a shorter time. That means greater military effect achieved for the same resources deployed.
Almost 80 per cent faster than traditional LCTs Caimen-200 marks a step-change in LCT design, technology, performance and capability. Caimen-200's sleeker hull form helps to give the design a top speed faster than the nine knot average attained by traditional, fully flat-bottomed LCTs. In addition to speed, Caimen-200's advanced design gives her enhanced sea-keeping characteristics compared with similar vessels while retaining strength and durability.
CNIM L-Cat Landing Craft
Patented by CNIM and developed using its own funds, the L-CAT (Landing Catamaran) is a totally innovative ship based on the integration of a mobile loading platform into the hull of a catamaran. In its raised position, the L-CAT is a catamaran that is transformed into a flat bottom ship by deploying its platform in the lowered position, for the purposes of unloading on any beach in the absence of port facilities.
It is intended for the landing of troops, vehicles and equipment from the amphibious ships used by the French Navy (BPC and TCD). 30 meters long and 12 meters wide, it can carry a maximum payload of 80 tonnes at a speed of approximately 18 knots, while the empty speed is 25 knots.
The L-Cat catamaran landing craft's main characteristics include: speed (empty) of 30kt, speed (fully loaded)of 20kt, range 1,000nm at 15 kts, deadweight overload 130 tonnes.
L-Cat is compatible with any NATO standard well deck up to sea state 4. Its payload represents typically an infantry or border guard section, depending on user's inventory. More recent landing craft designs from CNIM include the following:
MPC multipurpose patrol craft
The MPC is a vessel dedicated to multi-role coast guard duties. It combines a number of innovative features allowing it to deploy fast intervention RHIBs (rigid hull inflatable boat), vehicles or trucks, oil recovery installations, ROVs and numerous other equipment on a large mobile platform installed between the two hulls. It has an effective payload capacity of 60 tonnes.
The movable platform can be lowered into the water, thereby reducing the vessels draft, allowing it to navigate in shallow waters and approach the shore and beach. Its foldable bow ramp gives it the capability to load vehicles to and from beaches and quays, giving the vessel an effective Ro-Ro functionality.
The capacity to deploy RHIBs in severe weather conditions is of major importance. Instead of performing RHIB operations from the side or over the transom, the MPC lowers and inclines its platform to create a sheltered sea area in between two hulls, as well as a protected and artificial landing area onto the inclined platform. Doing so, the operators can work under safe conditions, while the RHIBs navigate away from the vessels stern wake turmoil during launching and recovery manoeuvring.
The ship provides accommodation for a complement of 12 crew and 16 special trained personnel, which allows for missions in excess of ten days and 1500 nautical miles. These combined features allow the MPC to be used for coastal patrol services, logistic support, humanitarian rescue, military operations, oil spill cleaning and combined asymmetric threat assessment.
MPC2 multi-role offshore patrol vessel
By using a unique patented lifting platform, the MPC2 combines shallow water landing and shore-connecting operations with the deployment of high-speed interceptors, helicopters, UAVs or observation ROVs.
The movable platform can be lowered into the water, thereby reducing the vessels draft, allowing it to navigate in shallow waters and approach the shore and beach.
RHIB launching and recovering operations are performed by lowering and inclining the ships platform to create a sheltered sea area in between two hulls, as well as a protected artificial landing area onto the inclined platform. Doing so, the operators can work under safe conditions, while the RHIBs and interceptors can navigate away from the vessels stern wake turmoil.
The ship provides an effective platform payload of 200 tonnes and accommodation for a complement of 25 crew and 50 special trained personnel, which allows for missions in excess of 3,000 nautical miles.
With economic speed ranges the MPC has a cost-effective interest within a number of multi-role deployment scenarios: law enforcement and illegal traffic control, deployment of high-speed interceptor and RHIB’s, military force projections and high-speed shore connections, logistic support for both military and humanitarian operations, and helicopter and UAV operations.
Partial Air Cushion supported CAT (PACSCAT)
Recently, Griffon Hoverwork Ltd of the UK in collaboration with QinetiQ, BMT Nigel Gee and Aluminium Shipbuilders Ltd launched and successfully trialled the latest innovation in military landing craft. The PACSCAT (Partial Air Cushion Supported CATamaran) recently entered the water for the first time at Griffon Hoverwork’s facilities in Hythe and will shortly commence rigorous sea trials.
The high speed, all aluminium PACSCAT is 30m long, 7.7m in the beam, has a design vehicle payload of 55 tonnes and an approximate loaded weight of 175 tonnes. It is propelled by twin waterjets, driven by MTU Diesel engines and is designed to test at full scale the hydrodynamics of the PACSCAT hullform and to investigate its feasibility to deliver significantly faster speeds than traditional landing craft. The vessel makes use of the PACSCAT concept originated by John Lewthwaite of Independent Maritime Assessment Associates Ltd.
The original fast landing craft design requirement was to accommodate up to five Viking armoured fighting vehicles. It is intended to off-load front line vehicles and troops from Royal Navy amphibious ships to the beach and is in response to the MOD’s requirement to launch rapid and effective amphibious operations from over the horizon.
QinetiQ was contracted by the MOD’s Research Acquisition Organisation, (now the Defence Technology Innovation Centre) to manage the procurement of the demonstrator vessel, act as the design authority and to manage the all important safety process and trials program.
QinetiQ then invited competitive bids from companies in the shipbuilding sector, to bring a broad mix of experience to the project. As the world leaders in hovercraft construction, Griffon Hoverwork Ltd lead the construction team and are also fitting out the vessel.
“The PACSCAT concept is a leading contender to meet the MOD’s fast landing craft requirement. It will be capable of performing a variety of roles, where high speed and high payload capacity are required and has exceptional beaching qualities because of its low and variable draught,” explained Iain Kennedy, practice leader for QinetiQ’s Maritime Platforms Consultancy business. “The industry partners are all working well together and the trials of the full-sized PACSCAT that start later this year will determine the performance of the PACSCAT hullform at full scale and the relevant operational capability.”