When the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier sails out of the Rosyth dockyard in 2017, the Royal Navy will take ownership of the largest, most capable surface warship ever built in the UK.
The 65,000-tonne, 280-metre long leviathan, the result of many years’ design and construction effort at yards around the country, will be bristling with cutting-edge technology – from the integrated electric propulsion system through to the novel two-island configured flight deck that will provide unsurpassed levels of survivability.
Less obvious, but equally important, will be the Highly Mechanised Weapons Handling System (HMWHS), effectively the first naval application of common land-based warehouse techniques. The system will move palletised munitions from the magazines and weapon preparation areas, along trackways and via several lifts, forward and aft or port and starboard.
The tracks can carry a pallet to magazines, the hangar, weapons preparation areas, and the flight deck. In a change from current procedures the magazines are unmanned – the movement of pallets is controlled from a central location, and manpower is only required when munitions are initially being stored or prepared for use. This automated system speeds up delivery of weapons and contributes to the reduced manpower requirements of the new carrier over the previous Invincible Class. The Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) carriers will have a crew of 679, only increasing to the full complement of 1,600 when the air elements are embarked.
The development of the HMWHS represents a clearly identifiable trend in defence maritime environments, seen first on the QEC and next on the Type 26, a new fleet of warships for the Royal Navy that will be built at BAE Systems’ yards in Glasgow from 2016.
“There is a move towards more automated systems onboard warships,” says Geoff Searle, Type 26 programme director at BAE Systems. “One of the reasons behind that is safety, and another is reduced manning. It’s also about the speed and efficiency of servicing the weapons requirements for the ship. More automation means more capable weapons handling systems that can replenish the ship at a faster rate. It’s a trend we are seeing in other systems as well, leading to a more lean-manned approach.”
On course for efficiency
David Wright, head of business development for surface ship systems and equipment at Babcock, and the chief engineer on the QEC weapons handling project, agrees with Searle’s suggestion that greater mechanisation of weapons handling is a trend that will continue. “Much of the technology developed for the aircraft carrier is filtering down to smaller ships,” he says. “There is a general requirement for leaner manning and more efficient ship operation. In the past, basic stowages saw weapons manually locked in place, with manual control and delivery. Over time the use of technology has, in certain situations, enabled the human to step out of the loop. Greater automation means more reliable and flexible operation – that’s what navies around the world want from modern weapons handling systems.”
The next generation of weapons handling systems is being driven by some basic parameters, including the ability to store multiple weapon types efficiently and to manage the ship’s inventory, linked to an inventory programme management system. Magazine handling has to remain operational in high sea states, and must have the ability to remain operational after extreme events such as underwater explosive shock. The system must also be highly reliable and easy to maintain, while being fully integrated with the launch system, using speedy operation from stowage to launch-ready. That’s quite a list of requirements for the engineering teams at Babcock to consider.
Many navies still use basic stowages and either manually operated or at most manually controlled overhead handling systems. These tend to require significant human input which brings the ship’s crew into contact with operational hazards.
But times are changing, and the experience and knowledge gained from the QEC project has encouraged Babcock to take further steps towards the development of even more advanced concepts. These involve even greater degrees of automation, removing more operators from hazardous areas and improving the integrity of handling systems to further improve safety.
Another challenge faced by navies is the launcher itself. These systems are ageing and difficult to maintain. That has prompted Babcock to initiate a research and development contract to produce the next generation of surface ship torpedo launcher. This is intended to bridge the gap between the existing technology and the more complex, and costly, vertically launched rocket deployment systems.
The Babcock launcher is being designed to specifically integrate into the magazine stowage design to provide a modular and integrated magazine system. Babcock is also investing in potential revolutionary technologies such as electromagnetic launch systems to replace traditional air-powered launch systems.
Flexibility is key
So when might such technology be seen? Last year Babcock began work on the first phase of the contract to design and supply the air weapons handling system for the UK’s new Type 26 Global Combat Ship, a war-fighting, maritime security and international engagement vessel that will replace the Type 23 frigates. The Type 26 GCS is planned to be fitted with a vertical launch silo capability which will enable the ships to conduct anti-ship, anti-submarine and land attack.
Wright says: “The weapons handling system for the Type 26 is still under development, so I’m limited in what I can say. But it’s known that the vessel will carry helicopters. Our technology, therefore, needs to be flexible enough to store weapons of different types, and deliver them in the order that they are required.
Electrically powered
“The QEC system will employ radio-frequency identification (RFID) for inventory management. Each pallet will have individual properties embedded in electronic tags providing details on the specifics of storing, lifting, and delivery.”
The weapons handling on the Type 26 will be an electrically powered system, providing an option for no manual handling, even during high sea states.”
Quieter operation
Other design considerations have tested the skills of Wright and his team. Through intelligent design and material selection, the weapons handling system on the Type 26 will have quieter operation than current in-service solutions. As with any system designed for use in anti-submarine warfare, stealth is critical, so noise reduction has been a central tenet of design thinking. Innovations and certifications obtained from the work on QEC mean Babcock will offer electric rather than pneumatic actuation, allowing for quieter operational handling. The use of structures with carefully calculated natural frequencies and the use of noise reducing materials all ensure minimal noise is generated during operation.
Wright says that experience gained on QEC will be invaluable as Type 26 moves through design, development and construction. Ultimately, the aim is to produce a more automated weapons handling system that reduces crew input. “Future systems will be quicker, safer, more flexible, and better integrated with systems such as fire suppression. These ships are state-of-the-art, and the weapons handling systems will reflect that, too.”
The next step in automation: BAE prepares to build adaptable combat ship
The Type 26 Global Combat Ship will be a multi-mission warship designed for operations including combat missions, counter-piracy, and humanitarian and disaster relief.
Prime contractor BAE Systems has been awarded an £859 million demonstration phase deal for the work, safeguarding hundreds of jobs at its shipyards in Glasgow. BAE will complete the detailed design work, and will award subcontracts to around 30 companies in the supply chain, securing long-lead items.
The first equipment manufacturing deals for the Type 26, worth more than £170 million, were awarded last month to seven companies in the supply chain, in advance of construction.
“The manufacturing phase will begin in 2016,” says Geoff Searle, Type 26 programme director at BAE Systems. “We have more than 1,000 people working on the project across the company.”
The contracts awarded cover key equipment such as propulsion, communications and electrical systems for the first three ships. They were awarded to:
- Babcock for the ship’s air weapons handling system;
- David Brown Gear Systems for the propulsion gearbox and the test facility;
- GE Power Conversion for the electric propulsion motor and drive system and testing facility;
- Raytheon for the integrated navigation and bridge system;
- Rolls-Royce Power Engineering for the MT30 gas turbine;
- Rohde & Schwarz UK for the communications systems;
- WR Davis for the uptakes and downtakes.
The plan is for 13 Type 26 ships to be delivered in anti-submarine warfare and general-purpose variants, sharing a common acoustically quiet hull to shield the vessel from detection by submarines. Entering service as soon as possible after 2020, the Type 26 will be in service until at least 2059, and is being designed to be supported and upgraded as technology becomes available, so it will meet the maritime demands throughout its life.
Weapons capability will be provided by the Sea Ceptor anti-air missile system, supported by the Artisan 3D radar. Propulsion will be provided by two electric motors, four high-speed diesel generators and a gas turbine direct drive.
The key area that makes the global combat ship stand out is its adaptability. The Type 26 will adapt to operations, allowing equipment and crew to flex to meet changing tasks.
At the centre of this concept is the flexible mission bay, located forward of the helicopter hangar, which can house and deploy additional boats, unmanned vehicles or up to 20 containers for humanitarian aid. The design also incorporates a five-inch (12.7cm) medium-calibre gun and a flight deck that can operate aircraft up to Chinook helicopters.