Taiwán bota buque anfibio misilístico

Taiwan launches new amphibious vessel with anti-ship missiles

By: Mike Yeo ||  Defense News


The Yu Shan is fitted with a pair of missile launchers that are believed to be capable of holding eight indigenous Hsiung Feng II anti-ship or 16 Hai Chien naval surface-to-air missiles. (Taiwan's Office of the President)


MELBOURNE, Australia — Taiwan has launched the first of a new class of multimission amphibious ships that can carry troops and equipment to its offshore and South China Sea islands. The vessels can also conduct surface warfare missions with anti-ship missiles.

The landing platform dock, named Yu Shan after Taiwan’s tallest mountain, was launched at the shipyard of the state-owned shipbuilder CSBC Corporation in the southern Taiwanese port city of Kaohsiung on Tuesday. The launch ceremony was attended by Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng, among other senior civilian and military officials.

Speaking at the ceremony, Tsai called the launch of the Yu Shan a “milestone” for the self-governing East Asian island’s plans to bolster its shipbuilding capabilities, adding that the ship “will strengthen the Navy’s ability to fulfil its mission and further solidify our defenses.”

Previously released specifications for the LPD indicate that the ship displaces 10,600 tons when fully loaded and measures 152 meters, or about 500 feet, with a hull draught of 20 feet. Top speed of the LPD is said to be 21 knots with a range of 7,000 miles.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said the Yu Shan can accommodate up to 673 troops and its vehicle deck can carry AAV7 tracked amphibious vehicles, among other land platforms. The ship also has a twin hangar sized for Sikorsky Seahawk and Black Hawk helicopters as well as a single flight deck spot to conduct helicopter operations. A well dock is incorporated in the design to stow, launch and recover landing craft.

Unusually for an LPD, the Yu Shan is fitted with a pair of missile launchers believed to be capable of holding eight indigenous Hsiung Feng II anti-ship or 16 Hai Chien naval surface-to-air missiles, giving the ship a combat capability.

The ship is also equipped with a single 76mm multipurpose gun and a pair of Phalanx close-in weapon systems; the latter is for defense against missile threats.

The Yu Shan is scheduled to enter service with Taiwan’s Navy in 2022 following final construction and sea trials with the builder. Taiwan has a requirement for four LPDs to replace the Navy’s current amphibious fleet, which is made up of two Newport-class landing ship tanks and a single Anchorage-class landing ship dock, all of which are former U.S. Navy hulls.

HMAS Adelaide realiza vuelos de prueba de sus MH-60R

HMAS Adelaide Sails for Flight Trials of MH-60R Helicopters

MH-60 Romeo helicopter ‘COBRA 15’ prepares to land onboard HMAS Adelaide as she departs Sydney for First of Class Flight Trials (photo : RAN)

Adelaide departs Sydney to maintain Navy preparedness

HMAS Adelaide has left its home port in Sydney to conduct First of Class Flight Trials for the MH-60R ‘Romeo’ helicopters off the coast of Queensland.

The trials will determine the safe operating limits of the Romeo helicopters on the Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) in a range of sea states and wind speeds at both day and night.

Adelaide’s Commanding Officer, Captain Jonathan Ley, said the training was essential to ensuring Navy maintains its readiness to conduct Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations in support of the Australian public and our neighbours if required.

“The results will provide a new standard of operational capability, informing how Navy can employ the MH-60R and LHD together in the future to increase both lethality in combat, and responsiveness during humanitarian assistance and disaster relief tasks,” Captain Ley said.

The Australian Defence Force is supporting Whole-of-Government COVID-19 efforts while maintaining operational preparedness.

Captain Ley said Navy had put in strict measures on its ships to ensure the continuation of essential training while preserving the health and welfare of its people.

All crew on Adelaide were screened for COVID-19 symptoms before departure.


HMAS Adelaide LHD (photo : Owen Foley)

At sea, health threats including communicable diseases like COVID-19, are deliberately considered as part of force health protection.

Major Fleet Units deploy with a medical officer or an appropriately trained medical team who are capable of screening and providing care to any personnel with symptoms.

“Adelaide is currently the Navy’s High Readiness Vessel and may be tasked by the Australian Government to respond to emergencies across the region, including support to civil authorities in Australia, or overseas, in their efforts against COVID-19. It is imperative that we maintain that high readiness capability, and provide reassurance that ADF can respond immediately even in times of crisis,” Captain Ley said.

The MH-60R ‘Romeo’ helicopter, based at 816 Squadron in Nowra, New South Wales, is the Navy's next generation submarine hunter and anti-surface warfare helicopter.

The trials are a crucial testing process to establish the true extent of how the MH-60R operates in the maritime environment on Navy’s various platforms.

Lieutenant Commander Chris Broadbent of the Aircraft Maintenance and Flight Trials Unit said the trials include aviation facilities assessments, equipment calibration, and evaluation of the interface between a particular helicopter type and class of ship.

“While MH-60R aircraft have been used on HMA Ships Adelaide and Canberra for some time, new tests are required to determine what new safe operating limits they can achieve when working together,” Lieutenant Commander Broadbent said.

The flight trials will be conducted in Queensland waters over the coming weeks and include actively chasing the right weather conditions to adequately prove capability.

RAN

Siguen los problemas operativos con el LHD australiano

LHD Pod Problems Still Ongoing

HMA Ships Adelaide and Canberra sail in formation at sunrise before entering Sydney Harbour.


One of the Royal Australian Navy's Landing Helicopter Docks' (LHDs) azimuth propulsion pods has faced more issues this year, following months in dry dock last year.

A member of Defence confirmed to the joint standing committee for foreign affairs, defence and trade that in March this year, the pods on one of the amphibious assault ships suffered from leakage.

"We have had an issue this year in March where we had a small amount of leakage because one of the seals was leaking," a Defence spokesperson told the committee.

The vessel was undocked today and the seal will be replaced, the spokesperson said.

Confirmation of the leakage comes after both HMA Ships Adelaide and Canberra were in dry dock from March 2017 until June 2017 due to a migration of oils across seals in the LHDs' azimuth propulsion pod systems.

The docking and inspection of Adelaide in 2017 identified wear in some bearings in the port pod, which was assessed to be the likely cause of the oil contamination.

Defence Department Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG) deputy secretary Kim Gillis told the Parliament’s joint committee of public accounts and audit last month that 45 per cent of the slippage of the LHDs related to fixing, and potentially recovering costs, of the propulsion pods for the LHDs, the Canberra and the Adelaide.

"We are in commercial negotiations so we have remediated the pods... we are in commercial negotiations with the companies and manufacturers, so you have an asset which is now operational, but we haven’t defined it as full operational capability until we actually (have) completed these commercial negotiations," Gillis said.

"This is something we are driving industry to make sure they have fully remediated and if there is an appropriate cost recovery … we are in commercial negotiations with those companies as we speak."

Defence Connect