News
including autonomous underwater vehicles and
unmanned surface vessels.
The Russian Navy will give priority to the deploy-
ment of fourth-generation Borey (Project 955) and
Improved Borey (from the fourth ship) class nuclear-
powered submarines with Bulava-M missiles and
aircraft-carrier task groups.
Aircraft carriers
India to lay keel
of IAC
The keel of India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier
(IAC) was expected to be laid at the Cochin Shipyard
in December 2008.
Formerly known as the Air Defence Ship (ADS), she
is being built in modules on a traditional structure. It
is hoped that 400 of the 900 blocks will be complete Independence was christened in October.
by the time the keel is laid.
The US$1.6 billion ship will be only partially
complete with a displacement of 20,000tonnes The General Dynamics LCS Team – within which
(compared with her planned displacement of Austal is ship designer and builder – christened the
37,500tonnes) when she is launched in 2010. The state-of-the-art combat ship on 4 October 2008 on
restriction is due to the capacity of the building bay the waters of Mobile Bay.
and she should be at sea in 2013, one year late.
The delay is due to the failure to acquire the right UAVs
quality Russian steel, although 4000tonnes of bulb
bars were acquired from there. Deliveries of indige-
DCNs lands UAV
nous ABA-grade steel were made in its place.
on frigate
India plans to have a three-carrier navy initially based
upon the IAC, INS Vikramaditya. Indian sources have DCNS successfully landed a rotary-wing
said that work has begun upon a 65,000tonne design. unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), in automatic
mode, on French Navy frigate Montcalm in
Upgrade October 2008, while the ship was under way in
Us$13.3m
the Mediterranean.
Until now, unresolved challenges involving UAV
upgrade for MRV
recovery by ships at sea have limited their deploy-
ment for safety reasons. The experimental solutions
Following an independent expert review the Royal available to date have only worked reliably during
New Zealand Navy plans to spend NZ$20 million daylight and in calm seas; two severe limitations for
(US$13.3 million) to refurbish the Multi-Role Vessel systems that are required to operate round the clock
(MRV), HMNZS Canterbury. and in poor weather.
The review was ordered following the death of a To overcome these shortcomings, DCNS developed
seaman in an incident that raised concern over the the SADA automatic deck landing and take-off
vessels operation, design and performance. The ship system. SADA takes less than 2min to land a vertical
was commissioned in December 2006 and while the take-off and landing (VTOL) UAV on a moving flight
review found the ship was intrinsically safe it will not deck up to Sea State 5.
function as needed without the installation of new SADA uses an infrared sensor to accurately
rigid-hulled inflatable seaboats, modifications to the track the UAV while generating flight commands
main propulsion gear and additional ballasting to to adjust the trajectory until the UAV is
help it sail in rough water. positioned to ensure that its harpoon engages the
centre of the landing grid. Tracking accuracy is
Newbuildings 30cm, which is far better than that achieved by
LCs 2 christened
GPS-only systems.
The trials success is the result of close co-oper-
Austal USA’s 127m trimaran Littoral Combat Ship ation between DCNS and Austrian company
(LCS) 2, Independence, has been christened at Austal’s Schiebel, manufacturer of the Camcopter S-100
Mobile, Alabama shipyard. UAV that performed the demonstration.
10 Warship Technology January 2009
WT_Jan09_p6+7+8+10+
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