Sea Power 2010: Landing craft - key to amphibious ops | ADM Apr 2010

Tom Muir | Canberra

Just a year ago it was announced that first pass approval had been granted for a number of landing craft to complement the two new Canberra class Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) amphibious assault ships currently under construction for the Royal Australian Navy.

The landing craft - to be acquired under Phase 3 Joint Project 2048 - would enable the LHDs to conduct operations ‘over the shore', where there are no fixed port facilities.

But the process to acquire landing craft began back in mid-2006 when a request for information for Amphibious Watercraft Replacement was advertised.

At that time, the new landing craft were to replace the existing capability inherent in the current generation of LCM-8, LCH Landing Craft, and the new LPA Watercraft.

There were a number of respondents for the watercraft competition for the LPAs under JP2048 Phase 1 when Tenix, for example, considered Bazan's LCM-1X; and hovercraft.

Navantia had also submitted a design for the competition.

Tenix submitted a response based on the LCM-1X baseline.

Eventually, ADI's design was chosen for Ph1.

Late the following year a request for proposal (RFP) was released.

By then the capability sought under JP 2048 Phase 3 was to "acquire and sustain a new breed of amphibious watercraft that will integrate with the platform chosen in Ph4A/4B and be able to transport personnel and equipment from large amphibious ships to shore without utilising fixed port facilities or prepared landing facilities".

Navantia responded offering their LCM-1E, a 110-tonne class fast landing craft designed and built for the Spanish Navy to complement the Buque de Proyección Estratégica (BPE) also designed and built by Navantia (and selected for the Australian LHD requirement).

Effectively replacing the LCM-8, these vessels are intended to deliver troops and equipment onshore during amphibious assaults.

They are powered by two MAN D-2842 LE 402X engines each developing 809 Kw with two waterjets.

The LCM-1E can achieve a top speed of 22 knots and has maximum range of 190 nm at economic speed.

Navantia delivered 12 LCM-1Es to the Spanish Navy beginning in May 2006 through January 2008.

French shipbuilder CNIM proposed their L-CAT.

CNIM said the versatility of their Landing Catamaran would enable Australia to actively engage in the protection of its borders whilst withholding the use of expensive assets with high political visibility such as major RAN vessels (including the future LHDs).

Operated by a crew of four, with a range of 1,000 nm and cruising speed of between 15-20 knots, it was claimed that the 30 metre L-CATS could carry up to 100 tonne of cargo or its equivalent in soldiers and vehicles.

Built under licence?
However it was decided to proceed with Navantia's LCM-1E proposal, which was designed for inter-operability with the Canberra class LHDs, and accordingly a sole-source request for tender (RFT) was issued to Navantia in May 2009.

The RFT sought a prime contract with Navantia for the design and build of 10 or 12 LCM-1E with one of the following three options:
• Option 1: 10 or 12 LCM-1E built in Spain
• Option 2: four LCM-1E built in Spain, six or eight
LCM-1E built in Australia
• Option 3: 10 or 12 LCM-1E built in Australia.

As part of their response Navantia surveyed a number of potential shipbuilders in Australia which ADM suspects may have included BAE Systems, Forgacs, DMS Maritime, Cairns Slipways, Strategic Marine and Taylor Bros.

ADM understands that Aimtek (trading as NQEA) was too busy bidding for AWD modules to be able to respond to the survey.

ADM understands that a final decision on the LCM-1E will be made later this year once Defence has developed more accurate cost information and can consider the offers from Navantia.

Second pass approval is anticipated in December 2010 with contract negotiations expected in the first quarter of 2011.

Option choices as outlined above are under consideration by a consultant for Defence.

The task is not a difficult one with full LCM-1E kits supplied in shipping containers by Navantia for assembly and put to work by the preferred Australian yard.

Possible Australian modifications are believed to be minor and may include anchors bow and aft and some habitability inclusions to meet climate needs.

Eight craft are required for the two LHDs, plus two for training and hopefully two more (12 in all) for trials.

There is a possibility that additional LCM-1Es may be acquired as replacements for the Army's venerable LCM-8s.

While the selected local shipbuilder might well be chosen for the through life support of the vessels, it may be difficult for the DMO to bypass DMS Maritime for this role, in view of the Port Services and Support Craft contract DMS holds and the massive Fleet Marine Services contract, for which it has been selected as preferred tenderer, with contract award believed to be imminent.

Role of amphibious watercraft
As part of the RFT development activity for JP 2048 Phase 4A/B, industry was provided with the Operational Concepts Document (OCD) for the ADAS system indicating how it was expected to be operated, maintained and supported.

Somewhat dated-the OCD was endorsed by the DCC in April 2004-a key assumption was that the ADAS capability would be delivered via two large amphibious vessels with supporting aircraft and watercraft plus follow on support by strategic sea lift.

As we know that key assumption was correct as was another, that the future ADAS system would contain watercraft of some description operating out of a well dock in the major ships to facilitate landing of troops and heavy equipment.

An important feature was the need for bow and stern doors to support ‘drive-through' loading and unloading of vehicles at sea and when beached ashore.

A drive-through capability reduces loading/unloading times of wheeled (and in particular articulated) vehicles by eliminating the need to reverse.

As the illustration shows, drive-through loading is a feature of the Canberra Class LHD and its LCM-1E watercraft.

Future amphibious concepts envisioned watercraft operations initiated from amphibious ships positioned out of harm's way over the horizon (approximately 25 nm to sea) and more tactical decisions being made by individual commanders while en route to landing beaches.

The OCD said specialist craft must be designed to match all the expected conditions of landing beaches and the vehicles and equipment to be carried.

For instance, a watercraft carrying tanks may need to be able to beach, unload and retract on gradients as flat as 1:120.

These craft need to be designed to give fording depths (especially for wheeled vehicles) of no more than 1.1 m.

Propulsion and steering systems should not project beyond the bottom of any landing craft.

Watercraft may need to be fitted with systems to enable retraction from the beach into deeper water, such as ballasting systems and/or kedge anchors.

Watercraft which carry troops to a landing beach need to be designed to maximise the safety and protection of the troops they carry (as a minimum this should include ballistic protection against small arms fire).

The shallower the draft of the watercraft, the closer they can get to the beach.

Additionally, the craft must deliver the troops from over the horizon fit to fight.

Some may need to operate independently for extended duration to support subsequent intra-theatre lift.

ADAS watercraft should be configured with equipment to optimise their role in amphibious and military support operations.

Such equipment could included radar, GPS, echo sounder / forward looking sonar and communications equipment for secure communications to/from watercraft and amphibious shipping, amphibious beach team ashore, and subordinate troop ‘commanders' in watercraft.

Individual crew members may need radios to facilitate communications within the well dock.