In recent years the Australian amphibious fleet has been woefully lacking in capacity, but on 28 November 2014 all of that changed for the better. The Royal Australian Navy gained an enormous new asset as the first Canberra-class large-deck amphibious-assault ship was commissioned into service. Displacing more than 27,000 tons when fully loaded, the 757-foot warship can carry more than a dozen helicopters and embark 1,000-plus combat troops. Construction of the Canberra began in 2009 at Navantia’s Ferrol shipyard in Spain. Once the ship was launched in 2011 she was transferred to BAE’s Williamstown shipyard in Australia for fitting out. In addition to a large flight deck, two aircraft elevators, and a helicopter hangar deck, the ship’s floodable stern well can accommodate four LCM-sized landing craft. Fitted with extensive medical facilities, the ship has a range of 9,000 nautical miles, allowing for distant operations in support of a wide variety of maritime missions. A second unit of the class, HMAS Adelaide, is expected to enter service in 2016.
Israel recently took delivery of the first of three modified Dolphin-class submarines. The INS Tanin sailed from her shipyard in Germany to Haifa, arriving on 23 September 2014. The modified subs are actually improved variants of the three Dolphin-class boats already in service with Israel’s navy. The Tanin and her two planned sisters each displace 2,400 tons submerged, roughly 500 tons more than the original Dolphin class, because they are built to a lengthened 225-foot design that includes a 37-foot plug housing an air-independent propulsion (AIP) system for extended underwater operations. The AIP system eventually may be backfitted into older units of the class as well, which are now more than a decade old. The Israeli Dolphin class has long been rumored to be capable of launching nuclear-tipped cruise missiles.
Construction on the first of at least two new MEKO A200–class frigates for Algeria appears to be moving smoothly since the contract was signed in March 2012. This past December the first ship was moved out from under a covered dry dock and is pictured here following her official “docking out” ceremony. The warship, being built in Germany for delivery to Algeria in 2016, appears to be based closely on the Valour-class ships currently serving with the South African Navy. Fitted with a single gas turbine engine and two diesels powering a water jet and two screws, these frigates can carry up to two Super Lynx maritime helicopters, six of which were recently ordered by Algeria. A third MEKO A200 frigate may also be ordered in the near future. The Algerian ships are expected to be armed with a 3- or 5-inch gun, antiship cruise missiles, surface-to-air missiles for point defense, and antisubmarine-warfare torpedo tubes.