Page 30 - Australian Defence Magazine April 2019

MARITIME
ARAFURA
“Launch of the first OPV is scheduled for May 2021 with delivery in December 2021 after trials and verification.”
ship would take longer to complete than the second ship and the learning curve for third and fourth ships at a new facility, and planning for potentially a slightly smaller pool of experienced people from ship 04 on- wards. Civmec has two future roles, Croser suggests. The first is supplying the cut steel and secondly fabricated sub-assembles, and will be involved in the construction of the 10 OPVs at Henderson with the support of prime contractor Luerssen.
Also involved is its part in the Luerssen- Civmec Australian Maritime Shipbuild- ing Export Group (AMSEG) joint venture which currently has no contractual role in the OPV program.
However, its future intent is to combine Civmec’s steel manufacturing capability and infrastructure with the shipbuilding and de- sign expertise of Luerssen, to develop a new world-class sovereign shipbuilding capability.
“That is going to generate a business which is focused on export not only essentially of the Arafura-class but also other ships under the Luerssen flag,” Croser notes. “Civmec’s 180-metre long shipbuilding shed, their blast and paint facility and the rest of the resources including stores, logistics, ware- housing, engineering, and also offices for the Commonwealth, will be great.
L-R: CASG's Peter Croser, Minister for Defence Christopher Pyne and Peter Luerssen at the signing of the OPV contract.
“It has the potential of three lanes of ships being built or repaired in parallel which means if they get exports they can have one lane for Arafura and two other lanes for other classes or repairs.”
Design heritage
The Arafura class is based on four OPVs in service with the Royal Brunei Navy as the Darussalem class.
The steel-hulled ships will be 80 metres long with a beam of 13 metres, draught of four metres, and displacement of 1,640 tonnes which could eventually grow to a maximum of around 1,800 tonnes at end of life.
Maximum speed will be around 22 knots and the ships will have a range of more than 4,000 nautical miles and endurance of ap- proximately 21 days with a crew of about
40, although accommodation will be avail- able for a further 20 personnel.
The Arafuras will carry a stabilised 40mm gun and two 12.7mm machineguns, reintro- ducing the larger calibre to the RAN for the first time since the decommissioning of the last of its Fremantle-class patrol boats in 2007.
The 40mm weapon will be supported by an integrated electro-optic targeting system. A second and independent elec- tric-optic package will provide the OPV with a broader sur-
veillance capability. Additional sensors will in-
clude X band and S band sur- face search radars, a 2D sur- veillance radar, and electronic support measures. Data will be handled by a Saab 9LV combat management system
similar to that equipping the two auxiliary oiler replenishment (AOR) vessels under construction for the RAN in Spain.
Unlike the Armidales, the OPVs will be equipped with an identification friend or foe transponder and the Link 16 data link system, all adding to the scope of the situ- ational awareness system and the ability if required to contribute directly to the rec- ognised maritime picture in support of task group elements, possibly slightly further afield than the Australian station.
Although a helicopter will not be em- barked, an as-yet unnamed full-size mari- time tactical unmanned air vehicle (UAV) will operate from what is now called the utility deck and vastly increase the ship’s surveillance area. These are being sought under Sea 129 Phase 5.
The three seaboats carried by the OPVs will constitute its primary weapons system in border protection activities across Austra- lia’s exclusive economic zone. While the in- service Armidales are equipped with two 7.2 metre rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBS), the OPVs will carry two 8.5 metre RHIBS, each capable of carrying a full boarding par- ty, and a third 10-metre stern ramp-launched RHIC (rapid interception craft).
Australianisation
One obvious difference from the Darussa- lem class is in the weight of armament, with the Brunei ships carrying Exocet anti-ship missiles, a 57mm cannon, two Oerlikon 20mm rapid fire weapons and a helicopter.
“That equipment has not been fitted and we left the foundations, there was no point in removing them. We didn’t put in the cabling so it’s minimum change,” Croser explained to ADM. “Exocet was between the forward superstructure and the aft exhaust stack, it’s high up, so we gained Vertical Centre of Gravity (VCG) benefits by removing it. The total ship is managed by a model around weight and VCG; when you take something out and put in something the difference is noted and the change in displacement and VCG is logged.
“We can put containers on the utility deck and containers below the utility deck for things like the UAV, underwater sen- sors, accommodation, special services re- quired for visitors – this ship has room for growth in terms of displacement, VCG, power, cooling; it’s not an Anzac where all those things were on the margin”.
30 | April 2019 | www.australiandefence.com.au
DEFENCE