Thinking more and more about the USMC's move to northern Australia and the training opportunities that provides.
One thing everyone seems to be overlooking is the opportunity to network with not only the Australian Army but also its Navy. Imagine the shock in China if they ever see a USMC MEU partially embarked aboard an Australian Navy LHD?
I love LHD's my favorite ship is the lhd7 Iwo Jima. We need more like them!. Intresting well deck they have you can tell the have it set up for lcu style landing craft
ReplyDeleteyeah and that's the problem! i can see the aviation element along with the helo company being aboard these ships and maybe the boat company but no way are they setup for AAV's or LCAC's.
ReplyDeletei think thats because they're following the European model...that's got to change...or else they're going to have to put some really powerful motors on those LCU's...way too slow and too much distance to cover in the pacific for a slow plodding old skool LCU.
Hey guyd, they are being set up to carry the same LCM-1E's that Spain are including with their Juan Carlos 1. They've got a top speed of up to 22 knots and can carry up to an M1A1 Abrams. Each LHD will have 4 of them...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.navy.gov.au/Future_Ships#Landing_Craft_Mechanised
There's no detail in that video but there's also room to carry 2x CB-90 style boats too, which the Australian Army looks like it will be buying to fulfill it's tactical watercraft requirement...
AAV's would be nice but we aren't buying these to set ourselves up to invade Iwo Jima. I think with 4x LCM-1E's, 2x CB-90's, up to 24x transport helos (Chinooks and MRH-90's) plus 4x Tiger ARH's per ship we'll have a force well able to conduct the medium intensity combat operations we are set up for.
What we really need is some decent fire support capability to supress any land forces that may be trying to oppose us. We're not likely to get F-35B's any time soon and the 2-3 127mm guns and 4-8 Tiger gunships we'll have available in theatre won't be sufficient. We really need something like Guided MLRS launched from the boat, to give us a decent amount of punch to make that entry...
i get ya but the Australian Army has a decision to make. are they going to be a raid type force like the Brits or are they going to be a medium wt force that can strike from the sea...what i mean is this. unless you 're going to leave the vehicles behind then you're good with this LCM...if you're going to be mechanized once on land then you need LCACs or you're limited to certain beaches.
ReplyDeleteThe question is, why are they keeping the ski jump? Is it simply not wanting to change the design from what the Spanish built, or are they keeping their options open for F-35's down the road?
ReplyDeleteI hear you Sol, but I think it's a crawl, walk, run situation. When ADF gets some experience under it's belt of operating true amphibious capability, rather than the compromised capability we've had in the past, I think you'll see ADF move closer to the USMC method of operating, meaning AAV's and maybe B model F-35's.
ReplyDeleteTo start with, the new boats and current plans will still vastly improve our capability.
Fencer, RAN looked at removing the ski-jump, but the cost to remove it, rather than simply leaving it in place was prohibitive. So it's there, but don't expect much use from it...
i'm glad the news came out when it did cause i was gonna suggest that Australia buy some of those British Harriers so that they could have a jet flying off them and evaluate whether they wanted B's or not...but something tells me you'll see Harriers over there anyway...
ReplyDeleteyou have to be impressed with the way that Australia is up arming though....first the Bay class from the UK, along with the Canberra class...pretty good moves in my opinion.
Our new Chief of the Defence force is the ex-chief of Army. He's long had the intent of turning Australia from a lightweight force, to a solid middleweight force.
ReplyDeleteThese acquisitions, along with much greater numbers of armour, artillery etc is realising that intent.
Finally...