Australian Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

A Spanish company vying for a $30 billion Navy ship building contract is using a Youtube video to imply its landing craft can carry Australia’s heavy tanks despite the boat sinking too low in water when the armoured vehicle was put on board.

Navantia, one of three contenders for Australia’s $30 billion Future Frigates contract, has a contract worth about $240 million to supply Australia with 12 landing craft supposedly capable of carrying the army’s 62 tonne M1A1 Abrams tanks.

Defence has since confirmed trials of the boats had to be suspended after they sank to low in the water when the 62 tonne Abrams was put on board.

Despite the suspended trials Navantia, which is ramping up promotions in a bid to win the Future Frigates contract, has maintained a promotional video on YouTube implying their landing craft by using imagery of lighter Spanish tanks on the vessels.

The 3.52 second Navantia video is titled in Spanish “LLC for the Royal Australian Armada 12 units: 2012-2015” and features a few short clips of a tank reversing onto the landing craft. The vessel is then featured cruising along in a dead calm harbour carrying the tank,

At the conclusion of the video, text in Spanish appears on the screen stating: “Flexible load capacity: Abrams vehicle, various military vehicles an infantry company or a container truck of 6 meters.”

Close inspection of the video however reveals the tank used in the video is not an Abrams but what appears to be a lighter older Spanish tank.

The tank was likely an M60 Patton which was significantly lighter than the Australian’s Abrams tanks, said tank expert, former soldier and Leopard crewman Jason Belgrave from the Australian Armour and Artillery Museum last week.

Australia’s M1A1 Abrams are some of the heaviest modern tanks built weighing more than 10 tonnes than the M60 Patton vehicles which were designed in the 1960s.

Navantia last week declined to respond on whether the advertisement had misrepresented the landing craft’s capability.

“Navantia promotes a range of cutting edge capabilities from around the world in our promotional videos,’’ a Navantia spokeswoman said.

Defence said it had no concerns about the videos and has defended the tender process for the boat’s acquisition.

“The LHD landing craft were procured through a request for tender process. The performance of the landing craft and associated risks were assessed by Defence and agreed by the Government,’’ said Defence spokesman.

Concerns about the landing craft’s ability to carry the Abrams have already been raised both in a report by the Australian National Audit Office last year and in March in a Senate Defence Committee Estimates Hearing.

The ANAO last year reported that the landing craft had not reached Final Operational Capability (FOC) because trials needed to be done to confirm the ability to carry Australia’s M1A1 main battle tank.

It noted that subsequent trials conducted in May 2016 were unsuccessful. Carrying the M1A1 on the LHD landing craft required the operation of the craft in an overload state, it said.

It said significant issues needed to be addressed prior to project conclusion.

In March in answer to questions about the ANAO’s report, Defence’s Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group deputy secretary Kim Gillis told the Defence Senate Estimates Committee that “prior to signing the contract for the Landing Helicopter Docks and the water craft (landing craft), they had been given a physical model of that specific landing craft carrying a tank “to which we added the additional weight to ensure that we would be able to carry the Abrams tank at the time.

“So we went through that process.”

In 2007, the then Coalition Government’s Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said landing craft to be acquired by the government would be able to carry the tanks.

Australia’s has 59 Abrams tanks none of which have ever been deployed in combat.

The landing craft are supposed to work in with Australia’s two Canberra class amphibious ships the Landing Helicopter Docks (LHD) moving men and equipment from the ships to shore when there are no fixed port facilities.

Navantia built the hulls of the LHDs.

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Lethe said:

The plan is for 9 future frigates.

Personally I suspect we would be better off with a larger number of smaller frigates. Ships can only be in one place at a time, and Australia has a lot of ocean territory to cover.

5 Hobart-class destroyers
12 4000-ton frigates
8 Soryu SSKs

Is probably the fleet I would've built.

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Deploying less than ten days ago with a fleet of Royal Australian Navy ships, landing helicopter dock HMAS Canberra completed the first international engagement activity of her Indo-Pacific Endeavour deployment.

Training with her US Navy counterpart, USS Bonhomme Richard, Canberra reached a new milestone on September 8 when a US Marine Corps (USMC) MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor landed on HMAS Canberra’s flight deck for the first time ever.

In addition to the MV-22, the training also involved the SH60S Seahawk helicopter with a focus on flight deck familiarisation for the USMC aircrew and currency training for Adelaide’s aviation support sailors.

Canberra’s sister ship, HMAS Adelaide was the first to accommodate an MV-22 Osprey last year during the US-hosted exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2016.

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) Joint Task Group, Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2017, has completed the first international engagement activity of its deployment.

Commander Joint Task Group, Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2017, Captain Jonathan Earley of the Royal Australian Navy, said successful activities like this highlight the continued enhancement of interoperability between the two militaries.

“It is important that we take opportunities like these to work with our US partners to enhance our understanding and processes for operating with this unique capability,” Captain Earley said.

Running from 4 September to 26 November 2017, Indo-Pacific Endeavour will at various stages involve more than 1200 ADF personnel, six navy ships, and a number of helicopters and fixed wing aircraft.

The engagement is focused on enhancing military cooperation with some of Australia’s key regional partners including Brunei, Cambodia, the Federated States of Micronesia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Timor-Leste.

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US MV-22 Osprey lands on Australia’s HMAS Canberra for first time ever

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antiterror13 said:

Perhaps 8 Hobart class destroyers (or 8 052C/D) and 20 056 light frigates plus 12 Yuan SSK AIP .. would be cheaper and much better option for Australia (no politic consideration, purely technical)

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FORBIN said:

It is your dream... obviously don't make sense with Politic and RAAN don't need such combattant type as Corvettes ! sometimes your able imagine incredible things ! your not in the reality.

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antiterror13 said:

did you read my post or do you understand what I said in my post??????

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no politic consideration, purely technical)

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FORBIN said:

Sure but even to consider it it is a no sense and you don't want understand !

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