Hobart class
 HMAS Hobart in June 2016
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The Hobart- class , also known as the Sea4000 or Australian Air Warfare Destroyer , is a class of three guided missile destroyers of the Royal Australian Navy . The ships that have been in service since September 2017 are based on the Spanish frigates of the Álvaro-de-Bazán class and replace the decommissioned destroyers of the Perth class . The whole project should cost around eight billion Australian dollars .
history
Since the Perth class was retired between 1999 and 2001, the Australian Navy had no longer had any extensive air defense capabilities. A new class of ships was therefore designed to close this gap. Due to the lack of capabilities in the armaments industry to build ships of this size and complexity, a suitable model was sought abroad. After a long back and forth, two different types of ships from two different manufacturers were up for final selection; the winning design was then to be adapted to specific Australian needs and built under license in Australian shipyards. The two designs were on the one hand a variant of the Spanish Álvaro de Bazán class and on the other hand a variant of the American Arleigh Burke class . In August 2005 it was finally announced that the Australian Department of Defense had selected the American design as the preferred bidder.
In January 2006, the Navy announced that the three ships to be built will be named Hobart , Brisbane and Sydney .
On June 20, 2007, the F100-Álvaro-de-Bazán design from the Spanish shipyard Navantia was surprisingly selected as the winner. The actual construction of the ships is to be carried out by the Air Warfare Destroyer Alliance . Specifically, this means that the state-owned Australia Submarine Corporation (ASC) will be responsible for building the ships, while Raytheon Australia , a subsidiary of Raytheon , will equip the ships. The third and final member of the Air Warfare Destroyer Alliance is the Australian Ministry of Defense , which acts as the buyer of the ships.
On April 15, 2010, the development phase culminated in the construction phase. The 31 blocks each of the ships were to be built in three shipyards, the main contractor ASC was commissioned to produce the nine blocks of the front superstructures, BAE Systems Australia the twelve hull blocks and Forgacs the ten blocks of the rear superstructures. Right at the start of construction there were technical problems with a twisted fuselage section manufactured by BAE, which delayed the project. In response, 13 blocks originally allocated to BAE were split among the other Australian yards. Contrary to the initial plans of Navantia, up to five more are to be manufactured in Ferrol , Spain .
On June 4, 2014, it became known that the ships ordered would be several hundred million dollars more expensive in the best case and, instead of being delivered in March 2016 as planned, in 2015. In fact, the HMAS Hobart wasn't delivered until June 15, 2017.
comparison
| Álvaro de Bazán variant | Arleigh Burke variant | |
| length | 146.7 m | 148 m |
| width | 18.6 m | 21.3 m |
| Displacement | 5800 t | 8100 t |
| Top speed | 29 kn | 29 kn |
| Range | 4800 nm at 18 kn | 5500 nm at 18 kn |
| crew | 180 | 220 |
| Warfare system | Aegis | Aegis |
| VLS cells | 48 | 90-96 |
| Harpoon anti -ship missile | 8th | 8th |
| Torpedoes | 6th | 6th |
| Main gun | 1 × 127 mm Mark 45 lightweight gun | 1 × 127 mm Mark 45 lightweight gun |
| Close-range defense systems | 1 | 2 |
| helicopter | 1 × Seahawk | 2 × Seahawk / NFH-90 |
technology
ship
The ships are said to have a length of 146.7 m, a width of 18.8 m, a draft of 7.2 m and a water displacement of around 7000 t. The crew should be around 180 people. In addition, there should be accommodation for around 40 more people, for example special units or boarding teams .
electronics
The central element of the electronics is the Aegis combat system from the US manufacturer Lockheed Martin . Aegis is an integrated command, fire control and reconnaissance system. As such, it takes on tasks such as locating, tracking and fire control of sea and air targets as well as displaying the situation. The central components of the system are the ship's operations center and the AN / SPY-1 D (V) radar system. With its four flat and immovable antennas, the AN / SPY-1 gives it a characteristic appearance. From a technical point of view, this is what is known as passive electronic beam swiveling . This eliminates the need for moving parts, which increases reliability. Another advantage is the significantly higher performance, especially when pursuing a large number of targets at the same time, as well as the range.
In addition, a sonar is to be installed. It is also likely that it will be equipped with further electronics (e.g. navigation radar etc.), but nothing is known about this. The ships should also be able to be used as flagships, which requires further specific electronics.
Armament
The main armament of the Hobart class is the American Mk 41 Vertical Launching System with 48 cells. For a comprehensive air defense this can be equipped with missiles of the type RIM-66 SM-2 and RIM-162 ESSM . The latter are carried in so-called "quad packs" of four missiles per cell. The Hobart class has eight anti -ship missiles of the type AGM-84 Harpoon for anti-ship defense . Two Mark 32 (Mod 9) SVTT triple torpedo launchers for torpedoes of the type MU90 are available for anti-submarine defense .
The main gun used is the 5 "/ 62 Mark 45 (Mod 4) light weight gun from BAE Systems . This is a 5-inch multi-purpose gun, which corresponds to a caliber of 127 mm, with a length of 62 caliber. This is the Royal Australian Navy For the first time also able to use guided ammunition with increased range for land target combat . A Phalanx CIWS (Block 1B) is installed as a close-range defense system for defense against approaching missiles . It is unusual for the Hobart class that only one phalanx is installed, as two are normally used to ensure a 360 ° blocking can. to ward off speedboat attacks are two 25-mm M242 Bushmaster automatic cannon available.
The Hobart class performs a helicopter of the type MH-60R Seahawk with.
Combat value increases
Even before the first unit was commissioned in September 2017, the destroyer was considering increasing the combat value. The focus of the considerations is on the Mk 41 Vertical Launching System , as this is compatible with other missiles of the type SM-3, SM-6 and BGM-109 Tomahawk . Equipping the RIM-174 SM-6 ERAM would greatly enhance the Hobart-class's long-range air defense capabilities. Much more concrete are already the considerations about an entry into the US American Standard Missile SM-3 project, which aims to intercept ballistic missiles. A much more powerful radar system with active electronic beam steering (AESA) would make sense for both missiles. The equipment with Tomahawk cruise missiles, which could also be carried with the Mk 41 VLS, would massively increase the land attack capability, but is currently considered relatively unlikely. The use of UAVs was often planned during the design and construction phase . Since this was not implemented initially, retrofitting is very likely for future increases in combat value.
Stealth technology
The Hobart-class, like most destroyers currently being procured or planned, is built according to stealth principles. This means that the ships are designed on the premise of reducing their radar signature in order to make it difficult to locate them. To achieve this, all the outer walls must be inclined and specially coated; The rocket starters, guns, dinghies, etc. must also be disguised accordingly. The heat radiation is also reduced in order to reduce the probability of detection by infrared sensors. In a complicated process, the exhaust gases are mixed with cold air for this purpose before they are expelled. If the ship is detected despite these countermeasures, it should only be perceived as a very small object according to the planning. The very high cost of this technology is a significant financial disadvantage in purchasing the Hobart class.
units
| Identifier | Surname | Keel laying | Launch | Commissioning | Whereabouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DDG 39 | HMAS Hobart (III) | September 6, 2012 | May 23, 2015 | 23 September 2017 | active |
| DDG 41 | HMAS Brisbane (III) | 3rd February 2014 | 15th December 2016 | October 27, 2018 | active |
| DDG 42 | HMAS Sydney (V) | 19th November 2015 | 19th May 2018 | 19th May 2020 | active |
Web links
- The HMAS Hobart (III) on the official website of the Royal Australian Navy
- The HMAS Brisbane (III) on the official website of the Royal Australian Navy
- The HMAS Sydney (V) on the official website of the Royal Australian Navy
- Air Warfare Destroyer Alliance (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original dated December 12, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from March 15, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from June 1, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from November 21, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/business/construction-begins-on-8bn-air-warfare-destroyers/story-e6frede3-1225854046801
- ↑ Overdue and over budget: $ 8bn destroyer plan in crisis In: theaustralian.com.au, accessed October 13, 2011
- ↑ Changes to Air Warefare Destroyer Construction Program ( Memento of the original from June 1, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: navy.gov.au, accessed on October 13, 2011
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from August 18, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Ballistic-missile-system-moving-closer/2006/11/22/1163871451687.html
- ↑ Ridzwan Rahmat: Australia commissions second Hobart-class destroyer. Jane's Information Group , October 28, 2018, accessed October 30, 2018 .
- ^ Gabriel Dominguez: Australia launches third and final Hobart-class Air Warfare Destroyer. Jane's Information Group , May 21, 2018, accessed May 21, 2018 .
- ↑ Xavier Vavasseur: Final Air Warfare Destroyer 'HMAS Sydney' Commissioned in the Royal Australian Navy. navalnews.com, May 19, 2020, accessed May 20, 2020 .
