GE to Power Royal Australian Navy’s LHD Ships

GE Marine announced that it will supply the Spanish shipbuilder, , with two LM2500 aeroderivative gas turbines. The LM2500s will power two new Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) amphibious ships.

 In February 2007, Navantia and ’s Tenix Group announced the two companies will jointly construct the two new LHD vessels. Navantia will oversee the ships’ design and construction, power plants and platform control system. The Tenix Group will handle the construction of the superstructure and the bulk of the fit-out at its facility.

The two Canberra-class LHD ships – to be named HMAS Canberra and HMAS Adelaide – will rely on one LM2500 gas turbine in a COmbined Diesel Electric And Gas turbine (CODLAG) configuration with diesel engines. The new LHD ships are expected to carry 1,000 personnel, six helicopters and 150 vehicles, and replace both HMAS Manoora and HMAS Kanimbla.

GE will manufacture the=2 0LM2500 gas turbines at its Evendale facility, and will deliver the gas turbine-generator sets in August 2009 and November 2010. The RAN is slated to launch the first LHD in March 2009, with commissioning in January 2013. The second LHD will be launched in October 2010, with commissioning to follow in June 2014.