Procurement Programme of The Royal Australian Navy - Amphibious Warfare

Amphibious Warfare

The RAN's amphibious capabilities will be greatly increased by a new class of two Canberra class amphibious vessels. These ships, based on Navantia's Strategic Projection Ship (later commissioned into the Spanish Navy as Spanish ship Juan Carlos I, are to dispace approximately 27,000 tonnes, will transport 1,000 personnel and 150 vehicles, and can transport these ashore through landing craft carried in a well deck, or helicopters, with up to six operating simultaneously from each ship's flight deck. The new ships, named HMAS Canberra and HMAS Adelaide, will be built at Navantia's shipyard in Spain, then transported to Tenix Defence facilities in Victoria for finishing. The two ships will replace HMAS Tobruk and one of the Kanimbla class amphibious vessels. The second Kanimbla class ship is to be replaced by a strategic sealift vessel of 10,000 to 15,000 tons displacement, which will provide the capacity to transport equipment, supplies, helicopters, and soldiers into zones of operation, and embark or disembark these without port facilities. The RAN will also replace the six Balikpapan class heavy landing craft with six larger vessels. In mid-2011, the RAN acquired the former British Royal Fleet Auxiliary landing ship RFA Largs Bay, which entered service in December 2011 as HMAS Choules.