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A Proven Solution For RAN's Patrol Boat Requirements
ADI Limited has proposed that its highly successful strategy for producing Australia's new fleet of minehunter ships be followed for the construction of the Royal Australian Navy's new patrol boat fleet.
ADI would base its patrol boats on an internationally proven design adapted in Australia by ADI to suit the RAN's specific needs. The vessels would be built at ADI's Newcastle facility from advanced composite materials, which offer significant benefits over metal alternatives.
The patrol boats project would take advantage of ADI's existing highly skilled workforce, its technology know-how, production facilities and management systems that have produced the six world leading Huon Class minehunters.
Announcing the company's bid for the patrol boat contract, ADI managing director, Mr Jean-Georges Malcor, said advanced composites were "the 21st century solution for high performance platforms and that ADI is Australia's only experienced builder of advanced composite naval ships."
"Advanced composites are stronger, lighter, longer lasting and require less maintenance than steel. In particular, ADI produced patrol boats made of advanced composites would use much less fuel than steel, be more robust and have a longer service life.
"Because composite material is not affected by corrosion, its maintenance is cheaper and more predictable. Therefore, the availability of such ships is greater than steel ships. Composites do not deteriorate over time, whereas steel ships degrade with age requiring ever increasing maintenance costs as they get older.
"The vessel we are proposing is a variant of the Royal Danish Navy's Flyvefisken Class patrol boat. A fleet of these advanced composites vessels are in service, proving highly versatile and seaworthy.
"Significantly, the Swedish Navy is now building a new class of corvette from advanced composites. However, it is not just the shipbuilders that are turning to composites. The Australian Army will, under the Air 87 program, acquire state-of-the-art "Aussie Tiger" armed reconnaissance helicopters from Eurocopter. These helicopters will be constructed of composites.
"In addition, when the Royal Australian Air Force acquires new generation strike aircraft under the Air 6000 program, most contenders will be built from composite materials because of their strength, light weight, longevity and reduced radar detection capability.
"In the US, a collision saw an Osprey Class minehunter built from the same design and composite materials as Australia's Huon Class minehunters shatter more than 300mm of a reinforced concrete wharf. The Osprey required only a patch and paint job to restore the ship's hull. (pictures are available)
"An important consideration of our bid is the boost it will deliver to regional Australia. If it is successful, the Hunter region can look forward to further sustainment of the job and business opportunities created by the minehunter program.
"The Australian Industry Group report released recently on the minehunter project emphasised the role of major defence programs in ensuring the economic wellbeing of regional Australia."
The production of the six Huon Class minehunters at Newcastle has been one of Australia's most successful defence projects.
Advanced composites offer the Royal Australian Navy a very low risk, superior performance solution for its new patrol boat fleet. Key features influencing composites' suitability for shipbuilding are:
--High strength
--Light weight - can be 50% lighter than steel and 10-20% lighter than aluminium
--Corrosion resistant and long lasting
--Tolerance to damage
--Can be moulded to complex shapes
Apart from building the Navy's new Huon Class minehunters from advanced composites, ADI has conducted extensive in-house R&D and completed comparative strength testing on a range of available hull materials. ADI's tests on steel and composites clearly show that where steel deforms and fractures, advanced composites display far greater resilience to damage.
Most of the world's minehunters are now built from composites and have been exposed to rigorous shock testing and near contact mine explosions without hull problems.
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A Proven Solution For RAN's Patrol Boat Requirements