Rolls Royce Completes Installation of MT 30 Gas Turbine Engine for British HMS Queen Elizabeth Aircraft Carrier

Rolls-Royce, last week successfully completed the installation of the first MT30 gas turbine into the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth , at Babcock’s Rosyth shipyardin Scotland. The MT30, at 36 megawatts (around 50,000 horsepower),is the world’s most powerful marine gas turbine. Two MT30s will be installed in each ship and will provide two thirds of the 109 megawatts needed to power the 65,000 tonne ships – enough energy to power a town the size of Swindon. The MT30s are installed as part of a Gas Turbine Alternator (GTA) which also includes an alternator and gas turbine enclosure, weighing a total of 120 tonnes. It has been the culmination of many years of hard work to ensure the timely delivery of this first complete MT30 gas turbine alternator, which along with its twin will deliver around two thirds of the electrical power generated onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth. The installation involved the lifting of the MT30 gas turbine and associated ancillary equipment - housed in a steel package known as the gas turbine enclosure - onto the ship structure. With the enclosure in place, the large alternator, which is driven by the gas turbine to produce electrical power, was then hoisted into place The MT30 gas turbine is derived from the Rolls-Royce Trent 800 aero engine which powers the Boeing 777 aircraft, with around 80 per cent of the parts being the same. The MT30 currently powers the US Navy’s Freedom Class variant of the Littoral Combat Ship, will power their new DDG-1000 destroyers and was recently selected for the Republic of Korea Navy’s new FFXII frigate. Modular production of the MT30 begins on the same production line as the Rolls-Royce Trent aero engines in Derby, before the modules are assembled into the marine configuration, and put through a rigorous test and certification programme at the Rolls-Royce facility in Bristol. The power generated will meet the aircraft carrier’s demand for energy, which includes the propulsion motors, weapons and navigation systems as well as the entire low voltage requirements for lighting and power sockets. The four GTA packages (two per ship) are assembled by Cullums Detuners of Derbyshire. Due to the size, the alternator and gas turbine enclosure are shipped to Rosyth separately. Queen Elizabeth class is a class of two aircraft carriers being built for the Royal Navy. HMS Queen Elizabeth is expected to enter service in 2016 and HMS Prince of Wales in 2018. The vessels will displace about 65,000 tonnes (64,000 long tons ), be 280 metres (920 ft) long and have a tailored air group of up to forty aircraft. They will be the largest warships ever constructed for the Royal Navy. The projected cost of the programme is £5.9 billion.

Cassidian's TRS-4D AESA Naval Radar to Equip German F125 Class Frigates

Image: Arge F125

The German Navy's F125 class frigates will be equipped with Cassidian's newly developed TRS-4D naval radar, which will provide them with reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities that are unique worldwide. Cassidian, the defence and security division of EADS, has now successfully passed the first factory acceptance test for the radar system carried out by the customers, the German procurement authority BAAINBw and Blohm + Voss Naval. The first unit, which will equip a land-based system in Wilhelmshaven, is planned to be delivered next month. The first TRS-4D for the "Baden-Württemberg" lead ship is scheduled for delivery in August. "This new radar guarantees high operational availability on long-term missions and also improves the survivabilityof navy ships," explains Elmar Compans, head of the Sensors & Electronic Warfare unit at Cassidian. TRS-4D enables ships ranging from patrol vessels to frigates to carry out the various detection tasks required of ship-borne, medium-range radar systems both in the open sea as well as in complex coastal zones with a high target density. Compared to conventional radars, this more accurate, faster system now tackles a wider-than-ever scope of targets, e.g. for protection against asymmetric attacks. The new radar is based on a unique system concept. In contrast to any other systems available on the market, the TRS-4D is the first surveillance radar to make full use of the advantages of AESA technology (AESA = Active Electronically Scanned Array), which is based on multiple independent emitters. This results in a detection performance that is unprecedented worldwide. The core element of AESA technology as it is used here is a multitude of Cassidian-made transmit and receive modules based on the very latest gallium nitride (GaN) technology. GaN has unique electronic features such as high power efficiency, and also allows for very efficient industrial production processes. Cassidian is the European leader in this technology. The TRS-4D system concept provides navies and coast guards with all of the benefits of AESA technology, which up to now had only been available in very expensive systems. Cassidian is now also making this technology competitive for medium-sized surveillance and target acquisition radars. For the F125 frigates the system will be deployed in a version with four fixed arrays. However, a version with a single, mechanically rotating antenna is also available. The four F125 frigates of the "Baden Württemberg" class should replace the F122 "Bremen" class ships from 2016.

Third Russian Borey Class Submarine Under Testing

Russian submarine-builder Sevmash has begun moored tests of the third Borey-class (Project 955) ballistic missile submarine Vladimir Monomakh, the shipyard said on Friday, Ria Novosti reported. "The fourth-generation missile submarine Vladimir Monomakh has been submerged in the water and started moored tests," Sevmash said. Shipyard sea trials will start in the summer of this year, Sevmash said. Vladimir Monomakh will be the third and last Project 955 boat, armed with 16 Bulava ballistic missiles . The fourth and subsequent boats will be Project 955A vessels with 20 missiles. The fourth boat, Knyaz Vladimir, is under construction. Vladimir Monomakh has also been built with the incorporation of the latest acoustic signature reduction techniques, Sevmash said. The Russian Navy accepted into service the first boat of the class, Yury Dolgoruky, on January 10. The second in the class, Alexander Nevsky, is currently undertaking sea trials and is due to enter service this year.

Russian Navy Commissions First Borey Class Nuclear Powered Submarine

Russian Navy commissioned its first Borey class nuclear powered ballistic submarine the Yury Dolgoruky, on Thursday to its pacific fleet. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu attended the flag hoisting ceremony at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk in northern Russia. The signing of the acceptance act by the Defense Ministry took place on December 29. The fourth generation Borey class submarines are expected to form the core of Russia's strategic submarine fleet, replacing the aging Project 941 (NATO Typhoon class) and Project 667 class (Delta-3 and Delta-4) boats. Russia is planning to build eight Borey and Borey-A class subs by 2020. A Borey class submarine displaces 24000 tons when submerged and is 580 feet(170 meters) long, has a hull diameter of 42 feet (13 meters), and a crew of 107, including 55 officers, a maximum depth of about 1,500 feet (450 meters) and a submerged speed of about 29 knots. All the Borey class strategic submarines carry up to 16 Bulava ballistic missiles with multiple warheads(MIRV).