A tour of what will become HMAS Canberra when it is completed and commissioned.
This video gives a good look around the Nuship Canberra at its current state of completion. Nuship Canberra is the first of the Landing Helicopter Dock ships (LHD) and is currently under construction at the BAE Systems Williamstown Shipyard at Port Phillip Bay. The ship is due to commence sea trials in late 2013.
Ski jump flight deck for helicopters? Hmm, apparently she’ll have the ability to operate 18 aircraft but which aircraft?
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I would guess the F-35, or maybe we will get none, the idea being that it can operate with allied forces and their planes.
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F-35B is just about the only choice there is.
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The Yak-141 isn’t production ready. Used Harriers? Not likely either.
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Generally Australia buys new kit – when it uses “second-hand” like HMS Terrible that became HMS Sydney, there are normally compelling reasons. The air force in particular is a buyer of new equipment with borrowed equipment (such as the F4s flown by the RAAF many years ago purely for tactical training and to fill a gap until the ordered aircraft, at that time F-111 as I recall, are available.
It was suggested that the cost of redrawing and re-engineering the Juan Carlos I designs to take out the ski-jump was substantial and considered unnecessary – to keep the price down.
Whilst the RAN currently maintains that there are no plans to embark Australian operated fixed wing aircraft, the vessels (Nuships Canberra and Adelaide) certainly could provide a flight deck for an F-35 type or such.
Current expected aircraft load is a mix of MRH-90 transport helicopters and S-70B Seahawk anti-submarine helicopters. Using the light vehicle deck for helicopters, 18 medium sized helicopters could be accommodated on the vessel.
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Some Suchoi Naval fighter? SU-27 or whatever the newest versoin is. The Russians operated them from carriers without catapults.
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Mmm, can’t see the Aussie Department of Defence buying Russian though.
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