Canberra varies considerably from the flat deck aircraft carriers deployed by the United States and shares qualities more akin to those helicopter carriers/amphibious assault ships originating from Europe, Japan, and those currently in service with the United States Marine Corps (USMC). The role of LHDs is a multi-purpose one as far as naval surface fighting warships go - carrying a fleet of aircraft (in this case helicopters) while equipped with full-service hangars, a large hold for military vehicles, hundreds of troops, and landing craft - the latter needed to bring the land components to shore. Additionally, onboard facilities (medical, dental, recovery) allow LHDs to serve in the humanitarian role when needed.
HMAS Canberra is equipped to handle up to eighteen mission-ready helicopters in its hangar space though a typical fielding will be about eight rotary-wing aircraft. The hold will have the capability to house up to 110 armored vehicles of both light- and heavy-weight classes as well as up to 1,046 combat-ready troops. Four large mechanized landing craft (designated as LLCs) will be carried to help wade the elements from ship to shore. A typical operating staff for Canberra is 358 persons made up of 293 Royal Australian Navy (RAN) personnel, 62 Army personnel, and three Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) personnel in a typical staffing arrangement.
Canberra was designed from the outset as a conventionally-powered vessel meaning a traditional turbine configuration (as opposed to a nuclear reactor) was selected to drive the craft. The propulsion machinery includes a General Electric LM2500 series gas turbine coupled to 2 x MAN 16V32/40 series diesel generators in a COmbined Diesel And Gas (CODAG) arrangement. CODAG allows the operating crew to use diesel power for cruising and rely on the gas turbine for short-term, high speed dashing - a more economical measure than traditional reliance on one sole power source over the other. HMS Canberra is also equipped with 2 x Siemens azimuth thrusters for fine-tune maneuvering. The propulsion system gives Canberra a maximum speed of over 20 knots in ideal conditions and her range is listed as 10,000 miles when making headway at 15 knots.
Structurally, HMS Canberra follows the same deck arrangement as the Spanish Navy's Juan Carlos I with a "ski jump" set at the bow, launch facilities located at the stern, a landing/take-off deck area set to portside and the island superstructure set to starboard. The ski jump assists in getting aircraft airborne to offset the shorter runway area. Since the vessel is intended to operate alongside a contingent of support ships, it is modestly armed in a self-defense way through 4 x 25mm Rafael Typhoon Remote Weapon Systems (RWSs) and 6 x 12.7mm Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs). The Typhoon is an Israeli development first debuting in 1997. The vessel also carries a full suite of sensors and processing systems for increased battlefield situational awareness and survivability including "Giraffe" AMB radar, a Saab 9LV combat system, AN/SLQ-25 "Nixie" towed torpedo decoy, and "Nulka" missile decoy. Bridge controls and flight operations feature all-modern equipment including streamlined color-coded read outs and flat panel displays.
With dimensions that include a length of 757 feet, a beam of 105 feet, and a draught of 23 feet, HMAS Canberra is the largest vessel ever operated y the Royal Australian Navy. As a new entry into the history of the RAN, its service has yet to be written and this article will be updated accordingly.
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