NAVY NEWS WEEK 6-2 5 February 2018 RAN frigate seizes $274m of heroin 29 January 2018 By: Staff Writer Crew members of HMAS Warramunga lay parcels of seized heroin on the flight deck of the Ship during an operation in the Western Indian Ocean. Image via Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Defence. In a joint counter-narcotics operation, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) seized 915 kilograms of heroin valued in excess of $274 million. A Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 aircraft detected a suspicious vessel in the western Indian Ocean on 23 January 2018, which was boarded and investigated by the crew of RAN frigate HMAS Warramunga on 24 January. Over the past two months, Warramunga’s crew has seized and destroyed more than 11.5 tonnes of hashish and over a tonne of heroin, valued in excess of $900 million.* The seizures include: 27-29 December 2018: 8 tonnes of hashish, 69 kilograms of heroin, (three vessels interdicted over this period); 3 January 2018: hashish, 3.5 tonnes; 7 January 2018: heroin, 111 kilograms; and 24 January: heroin, 915 kilograms. Commander of Australian Defence Force personnel in the Middle East Rear Admiral Jaimie Hatcher said the latest operation highlighted the significant contribution both Australia and New Zealand make to maritime security in the region. “Warramunga has now interdicted six vessels carrying illegal narcotics since November," RADM Hatcher said. "This operation highlights the important role played by partner nations, as part of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), in increasing maritime security in the Middle East and western Indian Ocean." Commanding Officer of HMAS Warramunga, Commander Dugald Clelland said the operation was a team effort between close partners. "The RNZAF P-3 was able to identify the vessel and direct us to a successful boarding resulting in the seizure of a very significant quantity of illegal narcotics," CMDR Clelland said. The illegal drugs were transferred to Warramunga for disposal at sea. This is Warramunga’s third deployment to the Middle East region, and is the 66th rotation of a RAN vessel in the region since 1990. Operation MANITOU is part of the Australian government's contribution to supporting international efforts to promote maritime security, stability and prosperity in the Middle East region. Combined Taskforce 150 is one of three task forces operating under CMF. Australia assumed command Combined Task Force 150 in December 2017. *Note: This calculation is a based on the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission Illicit Drug Data Report 2015-16 figures for cannabis resin (hashish) at $50 per gram (p215) and heroin at $300,000 per kilogram (p216). Source: https://www.defenceconnect.com.au With all the drugs conficated, it would be interesting to know how much (or how little) of the drug trade is being intercepted. Navy’s new £3.1bn aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth hit by another leak after mystery sprinkler system sparks flood A wall of water gushed down inside Aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth after a mishap with the ship's sprinkler system, coming just a month after The Sun revealed it was leaking 200 litres of water every hour By David Willetts, Defence Editor 30th January 2018, 1:30 am Updated: 30th January 2018, 8:02 am AIRCRAFT carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth was hit by another flood when a sprinkler system misfired. Huge water jets were triggered by accident in one of the ship’s main hangars. A wall of water gushed down as bewildered sailors looked on, video obtained by The Sun shows. The system was shut down within minutes and the water was drained without causing any damage, officials confirmed. The mishap came after The Sun revealed last month that the new £3.1billion carrier was leaking 200 litres an hour from a defective propeller seal. The new clanger happened on Sunday while the ship was in her home port of Portsmouth for a training exercise. A source said: “The alarm for flood went around but it was only minor. “No one knows why the sprinkler went off. It certainly is effective — that’s good to know.” Source: https://www.thesun.co.uk Remember that the Sun is a sensation-seeking newspaper, thus read their articles (including this one) with care. Attack Submarines Are Getting Quieter and Deadlier Air-independent propulsion is shifting the balance of power at sea January 29, 2018 Robert Farley Over the past decade, air- independent propulsion — or AIP — for submarines has spread rapidly around the world. The technology, which allows conventionally powered submarines to operate without access to outside air, has the potential the shift the balance away from the big nuclear attack submarines, or SSNs, that have dominated undersea warfare since the 1950s, and back towards small conventional boats. In global terms, this might again make submarines the great strategic equalizer; small, cheap weapons that can destroy the expensive warships of the world’s most powerful navies. Does this mean that the United States should invest in these kinds of boats? Probably not. Invention Several navies experimented with AIP during the 20th century. The earliest work began in World War II in the German and Soviet navies, although none of the experiments produced operationally suitable boats. After the war Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union took advantage of German research to produce their own experimental boats, but nuclear propulsion seemed to offer a more fruitful direction for submarine development. In the mid-2000s, converging technological developments enabled several major submarine producers around the world to begin to develop practical AIP systems. France, Germany, Japan, Sweden and China all laid down AIP-capable boats, in some cases exporting those submarines to customers around the world. An illustration of the Chinese S-26 submarine, an oxygen tank for a Sterling cycle AIP system circled in red. China Shipbuilding and Offshore International Corporation graphic Engineering AIP systems allow conventional submarines to recharge their batteries without surfacing for air, which enables them to remain underwater for extend periods of time and not expose themselves to detection. Three main types of AIP are found in extant diesel-electric submarines: Closed Cycle Steam Turbines Used on French-built submarines, closed cycle steam turbines mimic the energy production process found on nuclear subs — where a nuclear reactor provides heat that turns water into steam — by mixing oxygen and ethanol. This system — dubbed MESMA by the French — is complex, generates a lot of power, but is somewhat less efficient than the alternatives. Stirling Cycle A Stirling cycle engine uses diesel to heat a fluid permanently contained in the engine, which in turn drives a piston and generates electricity. The exhaust is then released into the seawater. This is slightly more efficient, and somewhat less complicated, than the French variant, and is used on Japanese, Swedish and Chinese boats. Fuel Cell Fuel-cell technology is probably the state of the art in AIP. A fuel cell uses hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity, and has almost no moving parts. They can generate a lot of energy with minimal waste product, and are very quiet. German-built submarines have successfully taken advantage of fuel cell technology, and the French, Russians and Indians are also moving in this direction. A Japanese ‘Soryu’-class submarine. Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force photo Procurement trends The great thing about AIP is that the technologies involved can be retrofitted into older submarines through the insertion of a hull section. Germany has done this with some boats, including a Type 209, and reports suggest Russia has managed to retrofit a Kilo. Sweden has retrofitted four older boats, and Japan at least one. For navies that want to maximize the lethality of their existing sub flotillas, retrofits can be cost effective. However, most navies are more interested in new construction. Germany has four types of SSPs under construction for various navies. Newly constructed Type 209s may also have AIP. Sweden has three classes of boats with AIP; the large Japanese Soryus will have AIP, as will the French Scorpenes, French-built Agosta 90Bs (for Pakistan) and Scorpene-inspired Kalvaris (for India). The new Spanish S-80s have AIP, as do the two small Portuguese Tridente boats. Russia’s troubled Lada class has AIP propulsion, and it is expected that the next diesel-electric class (Amur) will also have it. China’s 15 Type 041 (Yuan) boats have AIP, with another five on the way. Combat implications SSPs can exceed the performance of SSNs under certain conditions. They can take advantage of good endurance and extreme quiet to lay in ambush for approaching enemy vessels, although this requires good intelligence about enemy fleet deployments. They can also conduct short and medium range surveillance of enemy naval forces. In situations that favor small, maneuverable boats — shallow littorals, for example — they can pose a serious combat threat to their larger nuclear cousins. What this means for the United States Should the United States build SSPs? The United States has not built a diesel-electric submarine since 1959. Much of the know-how associated with the construction of nuclear subs is transferable to their conventional cousins, but it would nevertheless involve a significant learning curve. The United States is a global leader in the development of fuel-cell technology, so it is likely that American sub builders would go that route. However, the U.S. Navy is nearly unique for its global focus; it intends to fight in areas distant from U.S. shores. Diesel electrics, even with AIP, have shorter ranges than nuclear boats and therefore require nearby bases. Moreover, cost-consciousness in the U.S.