Australia's highly trained submarine force is facing serious problems as a combination of maintenance cycles and personnel shortages have recently sidelined as many as five of its six Collins-class submarines for brief periods. Despite a requirement for 670 personnel, only 430 were available for submarine service last year. During May 2009, it was reported that HMAS Farncomb was the sole remaining Australian submarine on-hand for immediate sea duty. Sister submarines Waller, Sheehan, Rankin, Dechaineux, and Collins, pictured here, were temporarily unavailable as tensions rose in the Pacific region. These challenges came just as Australia's Defence Ministry released an important forward-looking report that lays out the nation's future defense projections, including a planned doubling of its submarine force to include the acquisition of 12 domestically built, advanced new-generation submarines for use in the 2030s and beyond.
During late April and early May of this year UNITAS, the longest-running naval exercise in the world, celebrated its 50th anniversary. Since 1960, when the first exercise was held, UNITAS has played an essential role in helping Latin American navies achieve more effective interoperability. Derived from the Latin word for unity, united, or oneness, the exercise was initially tasked with improving antisubmarine warfare defenses in the region, thus some historical documents refer to UNITAS as an abbreviation for United International Anti-Submarine warfare training. As naval operational requirements changed, so too have the UNITAS exercises taking place each year in the western hemisphere. Some countries no longer take part while others join in at varying intervals. This year's training, dubbed UNITAS Gold, involved naval forces from Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Germany, Mexico, Peru, the United States, and Uruguay. More than 25 ships, 4 submarines, and 50 aircraft took part, including this Mexican BO-105 helicopter, pictured firing at the ex-USS Conolly (DD-979) during the sinking exercise portion of the event.
On 19 May INS Airavat, the Indian Navy's newest Shardul-class tank landing ship entered service. The vessel, shown here immediately following commissioning, joined her two sister ships, Shardul and Kesari, already in the fleet. The Shardul class is a slightly modified variant of the Magar-class tank landing ships, the first of which, Magar, entered service in 1987 with a second unit, Gharial, following in 1997. The Shardul-class ships were built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders in Calcutta and are capable of carrying 11 main battle tanks and 500 troops. Displacing 5,655 tons (full load), the Airavat and her sisters can operate a Sea King or Dhruv helicopter. They are fitted with 40-mm machine guns and 122-mm rocket launchers and carry the Igla Man Portable Air Defense System (MANPADS).