I have major concerns that one way that a regional opponent with modern DE subs could tie up our major fleet assets by holding coastal shipping traffic and offshore rigs under threat. Somebody with a few Kilo's wouldn't even need to definately deploy them against us, they would just have to say that they were going to and we would have to deploy significant numbers of our skimmers to protect the coastal fleet or keep it in port at great expense to the economy. Given that we don't have many skimmers that  would interfere with our ability of the navy to say protect the amphibs in an operation to our north.

I see corvettes as a potentially cheaper (in terms of money and manpower) way to get a larger number of hulls for this type of operation. The caveat is that they would have to be armed to deal with a modern submarine threat. That not only means effective ASW weapons but also anti-ship missile defences capable of providing a limited area defence role. A SPY-1K equipped corvette with Sea Sparrows and a rotary UAV or ASW missile system would probably be feasable and do the trick in this regard.

 

I also see corvettes being useful in the littoral role on offensive ops that the US is envisaging using its LCS, to deal with FAC and DE subs. A corvette will easily have the legs to do that in our near region from Australian ports.

-+-1500tonnes

-Twin Hulls for 35+ knot dash speed and shallow water operations

-Hydrodynamic variable depth sonar array that can be lowered between the hulls

-Low RCS features

-Twin prop with cross-coupled twin gas turbines.

-Modified CEAFAR "CEAFAR lite" with smaller arrays

-10-12 VLS cells in single rows down the middle of each hull. with combination of ESSM, Harpoon 3 and new Aussie designed GPS guided/inflight updatable ASW missile.

-Rotary UAV and facilities.

-Nulka

 

Oops, forgot the 57mm bolt on deck gun up front.

in honour of my favourite Star Trek ship :-).

Now that explains a lot!

The Austral the Multi-Role Corvette (MRC) would be a suitable platform for Anti-Piracy operations in our northern approaches the pacific and beyond. The multi-purpose decks give the MRC a very effective capability as a border control ship and in support of small landing parties.A MRC is able to carry any new RHIBs the SOCOMD acquires and transport SAS or 4RAR providing maritime mobility platform for Special Operations Command (SOCOMD)

Corvettes might be a good idea for coastal ASW so long as they are equipped with adequate weapons systems to deal with the modern submarine threat. That means an anti-air warfare system like SPY-1K which can deal with submarine launched missiles (I wonder if CEAFAR will be shrunk to Corvette size?) and ASW systems with adequate range to hit a sub with long range torpedos and missiles such as a helo (manned or unmanned) or anti submarine missiles. My question is whether both requirements can be fitted onto a small hull? (happy for an answer from anybody). Alternatively would a very fast Corvette that can quickly run down an enemy sub and hit it with lightweight torpedos be the answer?  If none of these options work I think we would be better off just getting more frigates.

The answer is that you can get two of the three requirements as long as you orient toward helo operations and forget about AAW except as point defense single layer addon.

 

I'm more interested in that OPV as an anti-pirate antidote in your AOs and in ours. Helos with rockets and a ship with a stop and search detachment and a hull big enough to carry an anti-surface ship gun yet cheap enough to replace that monstrosity called our USCG National Security  Cutter one for one? Sounds like an ideal 21st century gunboat to me. I like that idea. The USCG Deepwater fiasco has given me a love for things Austal like that.

 

Herald

 

 

Speed 35 knots - almost 10 knots  faster than the patrol boats!!! combined this with the stealthy superstructure and it becomes suited to chasing fast moving pirates/smugglers and submarines. (1)
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The trimaran design also allows high speeds in quite heavy seas and, equally important, the wide beam of a catamaran design allows helicopter operations in conditions where other ships would close down.  (2)

1. How exactly will excessive speed help in aiding ASW work? Nobody, sub or skimmer, goes around at risiculously high speed expecting to get too much help from thier Sonar.

And "stealth" simply means a reduced RCS. It does not make it invisible toeither radar nor the human eye, I dont think its usefulness in anti-piracy work is that far reaching.

 

2. Now here you must be taking the piss... Trimarans are shocking in any sort of sea state. Seeing Triton go through cyclone avoidance I honestly thought at times that I was gonna witness her entire crew buy the farm. At that moment you could not have paid me enough to swap my place in a patrol boat for thier place in hell.

 

 

Virginia's patrol at approx 21kt and the Collins would if they could but relying on batteries for submerged endurance that is not an option.

 

The RN likes to boost and coast in ASW ops with their towed arrays.

 

With the new deployable / disposable arrays under development an ASW vessel could scatter a couple of arrays around the patrol area and wait in the middle of the "web" like a spider ready to pounce on anything unlucky enough to be detected.

 

2. Now here you must be taking the piss... Trimarans are shocking in any sort of sea state. Seeing Triton go through cyclone avoidance I honestly thought at times that I was gonna witness her entire crew buy the farm. At that moment you could not have paid me enough to swap my place in a patrol boat for thier place in hell.