TRIMARAN TECHNOLOGY . AFFORDABLE MULTI-ROLE CAPABILITY Austal-2.Ps 18/3/11 12:19 Pm Page 2
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TRIMARAN TECHNOLOGY . AFFORDABLE MULTI-ROLE CAPABILITY austal-2.ps 18/3/11 12:19 pm Page 2 he bold vision of a young company was borne out at How was this achieved? In the first instance, Austal was the end of 2010 when the US division of Australian- able to draw on its extensive commercial pedigree in high Theadquartered aluminium shipbuilder Austal was con- speed aluminium multi-hull vessels, including the design and tracted by the US Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) construction of the world’s largest trimaran. Second, it could to take the world’s most advanced multi-mission combatant demonstrate a fast and efficient design and manufacture phi- into series production. losophy that has realised a step change in naval shipbuilding In meeting the US Navy’s requirements for a fast, agile and practice. And third, it had the vision to articulate the multiple versatile Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), Austal has engineered a benefits offered by the trimaran hullform in terms of volume, seaframe design that breaks the bounds of naval convention. payload, powering, seakeeping and stability. Uniquely, the Austal LCS has successfully synthesised the These groundbreaking approaches to naval ship engineer- significant hydrodynamic and seakeeping advantages of the ing and production reflect Austal’s culture of innovation. And trimaran hullform, with the weight and powering efficiencies it is this same ability to think ‘outside the box’ that has given of a robust aluminium structure to create a shallow draft war- the company such confidence in the potential of aluminium ship that truly deserves to be called transformational. trimaran designs to perform a range of defence and maritime What is just as remarkable is the way in which this technol- security missions. ogy has been successfully transferred from its high technol- That confidence is shared by the US Navy. With USS ogy commercial parent into the military domain in less than a Independence delivered, and the follow-on Flight 0 vessel decade. Indeed, it took just seven years between Austal Coronado (LCS-4) to launch in mid-2011, the service is now commencing its initial 90-day planning to acquire a further 10 Focused Mission High Speed Hull 270 has further refined the trimaran hullform Flight 0+ trimaran vessels by Ship concept study and the 16 means of a FY2010-2015 block January 2010 commissioning of buy approved by Congress at USS Independence (LCS-2), the the end of 2010. Austal had first of the two LCS Flight 0 ships submitted a bid in June 2010 as built by Austal USA at its Mobile, prime contractor, and the order Alabama, shipyard. for the first of these vessels was That accomplishment – in an confirmed by NAVSEA on 29 engineering realm generally December 2010 under a recognised for its innate conser- US$432.1 million fixed-price vatism - is very much testament incentive award; contract to the compelling capabilities, options for the nine additional now backed up by at-sea operat- vessels to be exercised in the ing experience, advanced by following five years (subject to Austal during the formative annual Congressional appropri- stages of the LCS acquisition ations) will bring the final con- process. In particular, it succeeded in convincing a commu- tract value up to US$3.5 billion. nity previously wary of using aluminium alloys in large ship John Rothwell, Austal’s co-founder and chairman, puts the structures. award in perspective. “This contract has firmly established trimaran: t 2 ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT austal-3.ps 18/3/11 12:19 pm Page 3 Austal as an international defence shipbuilder, is a strong vote of confidence in Austal’s aluminium trimaran LCS design, and also reflects the strength and capability of our USA operations and highly-skilled workforce.” Further LCS production is anticipated in the years beyond 2015, and there is also potential for additional international orders through US government Foreign Military Sales (FMS). Austal, as the designer and builder, is best placed to con- tend with changes to the Flight 0+ design for future Flight upgrades, or for FMS opportunities. But for Austal, LCS is just the start. Buoyed by its success in the United States, the company sees worldwide applica- tions for suitably scaled aluminium trimaran designs serving In 2000 Austal embarked on a tests in order to understand warfighting, theatre support and constabulary missions. comprehensive research and and optimise the hull and Accordingly, Austal has continued to mature its ITAR-free, development project aimed at propulsion system with respect Australian-developed trimaran technology, as evidenced by developing a new hull design to seakeeping behaviour, fuel that would be capable of high consumption and speed in a the third generation hullform developed for the private ven- speeds in rough seas while at seaway. ture Hull 270 launched in 2010. The end result is a series of the same time offering The physical result of this versatile platform designs, ranging in size from 50 m to 127 unprecedented level of pas- intensive trimaran R&D effort m, able to meet a variety of littoral security needs. All derived senger comfort. Analyses iden- was Benchijigua Express, a 127 tified the trimaran hullform as m vehicle/passenger ferry that from the same technology base, they lend themselves to an combining the best attributes began service with Fred Olsen infinite variety of roles including, but not limited to, anti-sub- of monohull and multi-hull S.A. in 2005. It was from this marine warfare, surface surveillance, Exclusive Economic designs to deliver superior baseline that Austal subse- seakeeping. quently developed its success- Zone patrol, search and rescue, special forces support, Hitherto, the conventional ful Littoral Combat Ship hydrographic survey, mine countermeasures, intra-theatre monohull had been the only design. logistics, amphibious support and humanitarian relief. option for unrestricted opera- From the military user’s per- What’s more, the aluminium trimaran seaframe is ideally tion in oceans and high sea spective, the inherent advan- states, but only at lower tages of the trimaran bring configured to enable the rapid interchange of modular mis- speeds. To increase the speed numerous benefits, including a sion payloads. The result is a supremely agile and cost effec- of a monohull the slenderness large payload bay, flexible lay- tive ‘open architecture’ platform that transcends traditional of the hull has to be increased, out, shallow draft, excellent however this introduces stabil- manoeuvrability, and high vessel typologies to deliver unmatched operational flexibility ity problems. speed in a seaway. and significant through-life cost benefits. Trimarans are in principle Furthermore, outstanding sea- Already recognised as the world’s largest and most experi- stabilised monohulls, using keeping performance results in outriggers on either beam to enlarged aviation and water- enced designer and builder of aluminium ships, Austal is now enable both high speeds and craft operating envelopes, and pioneering a brand new platform concept that opens up a excellent seakeeping perform- ensures that crew and raft of possibilities to military and paramilitary customers. ance. Recognising the poten- embarked forces do not suffer Trimaran technology is on the bow wave of a naval revolu- tial of this approach, Austal from motion-induced fatigue undertook extensive model or seasickness. tion. the future is now Austal’s trimaran LCS is breaking the bounds of naval convention 3 ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT austal-4.ps 18/3/11 12:19 pm Page 4 s the world’s first operational trimaran warship, the designed and built to American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) Austal-built Flight 0 Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) USS Naval Vessel Rules, marking their first application to a sur- AIndependence (LCS-2) is today blazing a trail for a face combatant. new genre of versatile surface combatant that will form the The vessel’s aluminium structure – certified by ABS for a backbone of the US Navy in the decades ahead. It is also 30-year service life based on a detailed spectral fatigue opening their eyes of navies worldwide to the enormous analysis – provides a large roll-on/roll-off accessible mission potential offered by advanced aluminium seaframes – and bay area offering superior mission flexibility, rapid reconfig- enabling them to reassess the assumptions and preconcep- urability, improved damage protection and ample margins for tions that have historically narrowed the options concerning future growth. Above the mission bay is the largest flight the design, build and operation of front-line warships. deck on any US Navy surface combatant, capable of con- It was back in 2002 that the US Navy, having identified a ducting dual H-60 helicopter operations and accommodat- series of gaps in its ability to establish and maintain maritime ing the CH-53 (the service’s largest rotary-wing aircraft). dominance in choke points and shallow water regions This elevated aviation area benefits from reduced sea spray around the world, launched an accelerated acquisition pro- as well as the inherently superior seakeeping performance of gramme for a fast, manoeuvrable, focused-mission platform the trimaran so as to enlarge the helicopter operating enve- optimised for operations in the complex environment of the lope in higher sea states. Similarly, the stability afforded by littoral. Its objective was to deliver an affordable, modular the trimaran platform will enable manned and unmanned capability that could be forward employed to take on and watercraft to be launched and recovered in conditions up to defeat ‘asymmetric’ anti-access threats such as mines, quiet Sea State 4. diesel submarines and fast surface craft. A power-dense Combined Diesel and Gas Turbine main So was born the concept of the LCS. Conceived to oper- propulsion system comprises two MTU 8000 series diesel ate and fight in the crowded, shallow water environments engines and two GE LM2500 gas turbines driving four found close to shore, it would combine an agile, high speed Wärtsilä waterjets.