LOCATIONS
LAND
01 Dec 14. Rolls-Royce has announced an £18m investment in Bristol, UK, to support the TP400 engine. The TP400, produced by the Europrop International engine consortium in which Rolls-Royce is a senior partner, powers the Airbus A400M military transport aircraft which has just entered service with the UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF). The investment will fund the provision of facilities to perform maintenance, repair, and overhaul of the TP400 engines, training for employees, and the conversion of an existing test-bed to be capable of running the engine while on the ground. This will initially be used to support engines in service with the RAF, but will also be available to support service requirements for other A400M customers.
MARITIME
28 Nov 14. Royal Australian Navy commissions HMAS Canberra III. The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has commissioned HMAS Canberra III (LHD 01), the first of two Canberra-class landing helicopter dock vessels (LHD), in Sydney, Australia. RAN chief vice-admiral Tim Barrett said: “HMAS Canberra is an exciting addition to the RAN. This very capable ship will serve the nation well for decades to come.” Aimed at delivering an amphibious potential to the Australian Defence Force, the BAE-built HMAS Canberra is powered by a diesel and gas turbine (CODAG) propulsion system, which is combined with one LM 2500 gas turbine and two MAN 16V32/40 diesel generators. The 27,000t LHDs, which are the largest ships ever built for the RAN, will be deployed to deal with combat situations and humanitarian emergencies, and to transport military equipment and aviation units. HMAS Canberra III is eight storeys above the water and is capable of carrying more than 1,100 personnel, 100 armoured vehicles and 12 helicopters. The 230m-long LHD is equipped with four 20mm automated guns, six 12.7mm machine guns, an anti-torpedo towed defence and Nulka active-missile decoy system. The second Canberra-class LHD, HMAS Adelaide, is scheduled for commissioning in June 2015. (Source: naval-technology.com)
27 Nov 14. Russia’s newest attack submarine tests escape chamber
The Russian Navy’s Project 885 Yasen-class submarine, host platform for the navy’s first post-Soviet submarine escape chamber trials. Source: Russian Ministry of Defence. The Russian Navy’s newest nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) Severodvinsk tested in early November its floating escape chamber, in waters near its Zapadnaya Litsa base in northern Russia, according to a report from the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Severodvinsk is the lead boat of the Project 885 Yasen class. It was formally accepted into service in June. Northern Fleet commander Admiral Vladimir Korolev told Russian news services that this was the first submarine escape chamber test undertaken by the post-Soviet Russian Navy. According to the MoD, Severodvinsk submerged to a depth of 40 m and stabilised motionless to simulate a distressed submarine. A five-man test team then executed actions to abandon the submarine via its escape chamber, which is housed in a vertical section of the fin. In addition to the test team, the escape chamber carried ballast equal to the weight of the entire crew. After the escape chamber successfully separated and surfaced, rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) towed it alongside the Project 05360/1 salvage and mooring vessel Mikhail Rudnitsky. The test crew exited the escape chamber, and the chamber was hoisted aboard the ship. Meanwhile, Severodvinsk took on ballast to stabilise its position and to compensate for the chamber’s weight, and then surfaced. Adm Korolev told the media that the success of this exercise confirmed the design and reliability of the submarines coming into the fleet. He commended his submarine command and the Severodvinsk crew for thorough preparation which enabled the safe conduct of the training scenario. A fleet spokesman stated that all modern Russian submarines, including those currently in build, are equipped with esc