Juan Carlos I in February 2023
History
Spain
NameJuan Carlos I
NamesakeKing Juan Carlos I of Spain
Ordered5 September 2003
BuilderNavantia
Cost€462 million[1]
Laid downMay 2005
Launched22 September 2009[2]
Commissioned30 September 2010[3]
HomeportNaval Station Rota, Rota[4]
IdentificationPennant number: L61
StatusActive
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeJuan Carlos I class
Displacement26,000 tonnes[5]
Length230.82 m (757 ft 3 in)[6]
Beam32 m (105 ft)[5]
Draught6.9 m (23 ft)[6]
Propulsion2 × 11 MW POD,[5] GE ITP LM2500 + Navantia MAN 16V32/40
Speed21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)[5]
Range9,000 nautical miles (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)[5]
Boats & landing
craft carried		Four LCM-1E
Capacity913 soldiers + up to 46 Leopard 2E tanks
Complement
  • Ship's company: 261[5]
  • Air wing: 172
Sensors and
processing systems
  • LANZA-N air search, ARIES surface search, PAR aircraft landing[5]
  • EID ICCS integrated communications control system
Electronic warfare
& decoys		REGULUS and RIGEL[5]
Armament
  • 4 × RWS Sentinel 2.0
  • 4 × 12.7 mm machine guns
  • 2 x BPDMS (FBNW)
  • 1 x VLS (FBNW)
Aircraft carriedAV-8B Harrier II, Chinook, Sea King, NH90
NotesAircraft composition:

Pure combat: 25 AV-8B/F-35B + 6 flight deck parking spots

Mix: 11 AV-8B + 12 NH90 + 6 flight deck parking spots

Pure transport: 25 NH90 + 6 flight deck parking spots

Juan Carlos I is a multi-purpose amphibious assault ship-aircraft carrier[7] in the Spanish Navy (Armada Española). Similar in role to many aircraft carriers, the amphibious landing ship has a ski jump for STOVL operations, and is equipped with the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II attack aircraft. The vessel is named in honour of Juan Carlos I, the former King of Spain.[8]

The new vessel plays an important role in the fleet, as a platform that replaces the Newport-class LSTs Hernán Cortés and Pizarro for supporting the mobility of the Marines and the strategic transport of other ground forces, and acts as a platform for carrier-based aviation replacing the now withdrawn aircraft carrier Príncipe de Asturias.

Design

The design for the Buque de Proyección Estratégica (Strategic Projection Vessel), as it was initially known, was approved in September 2003.

The bow of Juan Carlos I, showing the ship's ski-jump ramp. Málaga, July 2013

The vessel has a flight deck of 202 metres (663 ft), with a ski-jump ramp. The ship's flight deck has eight landing spots for Harrier, F-35 Lightning II or medium-sized helicopters, four spots for heavy helicopters of the CH-47 Chinook or V-22 Osprey size.[9] The ship can carry either 30 helicopters or 10/12 McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II or Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II and 10/12 helicopters,[5] using the light vehicles bay as an additional storage zone.

The ship uses diesel-electric propulsion, simultaneously connecting both diesels and the new technology gas turbine powerplant to a pair of azimuthal pods, for the first time in the Spanish Navy.

The complement of the ship is approximately 900 naval personnel, with equipment and support elements for 1,200 soldiers. Multi-functional garage and hangar space on two levels covers 6,000 m2 (65,000 sq ft), with capacity for 6,000 tonnes load on each level. A stern well deck measuring 69.3 by 16.8 m (227 by 55 ft) can accommodate four LCM-1E landing craft which can beach-deliver non-swimming ground vehicles like tanks and four RHIBs, or one Landing Craft Air Cushion plus Assault Amphibious Vehicles.[10]

Construction

Attack aircraft McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II
Harrier II and helicopters on board

Construction of the 231 m (758 ft), 27,000-tonne ship started in May 2005 simultaneously at the Navantia Shipyards in Ferrol, Galicia (with the cut of the first plate corresponding to Block 320) and in Fene, Galicia (with the cut of the first plate corresponding to Block 330). The ship, that supposes a service load of 3,100,000 hours of production and 775,000 hours of engineering, was launched 10 March 2008,[11] and was commissioned 30 September 2010.[3][12] The original budget was €360 million but the ship cost €462 million (US$600 million) in the end.[1]

Exports

Australia

In June 2007, following a lengthy contest that pitted it against the similar but smaller French Mistral-class amphibious assault ship, the Australian government announced that it would build under licence two ships of the same design, known as the Canberra-class landing helicopter dock. Navantia was responsible for the ships' construction from the keel to the flight deck in Spain, after which the hulls were transported to Australia for completion by BAE Systems Australia. The first of these ships, HMAS Canberra, was commissioned on 28 November 2014. The second ship, HMAS Adelaide, was commissioned on 4 December 2015.

Russia

In September 2009, Russia invited Navantia to take part in a competition to supply the Russian Navy with a new generation of amphibious assault ships, competing against the French Mistral-class ships. In January 2011, Russia chose the Mistral proposal over the Spanish concept.

Licensing

Turkey

TCG Anadolu of the Turkish Navy at the Golden Horn in Istanbul. Baykar MIUS Kızılelma is a jet-engined UCAV designed to operate on TCG Anadolu. [13][14][15] Its maiden flight took place on December 14, 2022. [13][16][17] TCG Anadolu was commissioned on April 10, 2023. [18][19]

Navantia provided design, technology transfer, equipment and technical assistance to Turkey's Sedef Shipyard for the design and production of TCG Anadolu, a modified Turkish derivative of the Juan Carlos class, classified as a "Light Aircraft Carrier" by Turkish Lloyd.[20][21] It features local command and control systems;[22][23] and the combat management system of the ship ADVENT is integrated by HAVELSAN.[24] In December 2013, the Turkish Navy's amphibious assault ship program was estimated to cost €375 million (US$500 million),[25] however the total was near US$ 650 million when the ship entered service.

Originally, the Turkish Navy wanted a slightly shorter flight deck without the forward ski-jump ramp, optimized for helicopter-only use.[26] The navy later opted for a fully equipped flight deck with the ski-jump after deciding to purchase Lockheed Martin F-35B STOVL aircraft.[27][28][29] Turkey was a Level 3 partner in the Joint Strike Fighter program and the Turkish Air Force was to get the F-35A CTOL version. On 17 July 2019, the US removed Turkey from the F-35 program for purchasing the Russian S-400 missile system.[30]

The Turkish version is capable of operating up to 10 helicopters on deck in "light aircraft carrier" configuration.[26][31] The final design's dimensions are: 232 m (761 ft) (length), 32 m (105 ft) (beam), 6.9 m (23 ft) (draught), and 58 m (190 ft) (height).[26] Its displacement is 24,660 metric tons (in "light aircraft carrier" mission configuration) or 27,436 metric tons (in "amphibious landing ship" mission configuration).[26] Its maximum speed is 21.5 knots (39.8 km/h; 24.7 mph) (in "light aircraft carrier" configuration) or 29 knots (54 km/h; 33 mph) (in "amphibious landing ship" configuration).[26]

Its maximum is 9,000 nautical miles (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) when travelling at an economical speed.[26] It has a 5,440 m2 (58,600 sq ft) flight deck and a 990 m2 (10,700 sq ft) aviation hangar which can accommodate either twelve medium-sized helicopters or eight CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters.[26] When the aviation hangar and the light cargo garage are unified, up to 25 medium-sized helicopters can be carried, or up to twelve helicopters and twelve F-35 fighters.[26] Six more helicopters can be hosted on the flight deck.[26]

The ship has a 1,880 m2 (20,200 sq ft) light cargo garage for TEU containers and 27 Amphibious Assault Vehicles (AAV);[26] a 1,165 m2 (12,540 sq ft) dock which can host four Landing Craft Mechanized (LCM) or two Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC), or two Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel (LCVP);[26] and a 1,410 m2 (15,200 sq ft) garage for heavy loads, which can host 29 Main Battle Tanks (MBT), Amphibious Assault Vehicles and TEU containers.[26] The crew consists of 261 personnel: 30 officers, 49 NCOs, 59 leading seamen and 123 ratings.[26]

The final contract for the ship's construction was signed with the Navantia-Sedef consortium on 7 May 2015.[26][27][32] While the commissioning of the ship was scheduled for 2021 in the beginning,[26][27][32] it entered service in 10 May 2023.[33] The estimated cost according to the final specifications was $1 billion in 2015.[26] Construction began on 30 April 2016 at the shipyard of Sedef Shipbuilding Inc. in Istanbul.[28][34][29]

The construction of an identical sister ship, to be named TCG Trakya, is currently planned.[35][36]

Ships

Name Pennant no. Laid down Launched Commissioned Homeport
 Spanish Navy
Juan Carlos I L61 May 2005 22 September 2009 30 September 2010 Naval Station Rota, Rota
 Royal Australian Navy — Canberra-class
Canberra L02 23 September 2009 17 February 2011 28 November 2014 Fleet Base East, Sydney
Adelaide L01 18 February 2011 4 July 2012 4 December 2015 Fleet Base East, Sydney
 Turkish Navy — Anadolu-class
Anadolu L-400 7 February 2018 30 April 2019 10 April 2023 Gölcük Naval Base, Kocaeli
Trakya Planned

References

  1. 1 2 Ministerio de Defensa (September 2011). "Evaluación de los Programas Especiales de Armamento (PEAs)" [Evaluation of the Weapons special programs] (PDF) (in Spanish). Madrid: Grupo Atenea. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 17, 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  2. ↑ "El 'Juan Carlos I' sale a la mar para las primeras pruebas de navegación" [The Juan Carlos I goes to sea for the first navigation trials] (in Spanish). El Correo Gallego. 22 September 2009. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Lleva el nombre de 'Juan Carlos I'" [Sports the name of Juan Carlos I] (Press release) (in Spanish). Ministerio de defensa. 30 September 2010. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  4. ↑ "Navantia acaba pruebas de mar en "Juan Carlos I" y planea entrega el 24 junio". Finanzas (in Spanish). 2 June 2010. Archived from the original on 5 November 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "LHD Juan Carlos I". Spanish Ministry of Defense (Armada). 2014. Retrieved 2014-07-10.
  6. 1 2 "LHD Juan Carlos I Technical data". Armada. Archived from the original on November 28, 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  7. ↑ LHD "Juan Carlos I" (L-61) - Armada Española - Ministerio de Defensa
  8. ↑ "Spanish Navy receives its largest warship 'Juan Carlos I'". Brahmand.com. 4 October 2010. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  9. ↑ "LHD Juan Carlos I (Mission profile)" (in Spanish, English, and French). Spanish Ministry of Defense (armada). 2007-10-28. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  10. ↑ "Juan Carlos I Landing Helicopter Dock, Spain". Naval Technology. Naval-Technology.com. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  11. ↑ "Alonso elude concretar si el Gobierno contratará una sexta fragata F-100 para Navantia". La voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 28 October 2007. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  12. ↑ "El buque 'Juan Carlos I' concluye con éxito sus pruebas de mar y podrá ser entregado a la Armada el 24 de junio" [The Juan Carlos I ship concludes successfully her sea trials and can be delivered to the Navy at June the 24th]. 20 minutos (in Spanish). 2 June 2010. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  13. 1 2 "Baykar's unmanned fighter aircraft completes first flight". baykartech.com. 15 December 2022.
  14. ↑ Tayfun Özberk (1 May 2022). "Here Is How UAVs Will Be Recovered Aboard TCG Anadolu". navalnews.com. Naval News.
  15. ↑ "Image of Baykar MIUS Kızılelma UCAVs deployed on TCG Anadolu (L-400)". stargazete.com. 14 December 2022.
  16. ↑ "Bayraktar Kızılelma: Maiden Flight". Baykar Technologies. 14 December 2022.
  17. ↑ Herk, Hans van (14 December 2022). "Kızılelma takes to the sky!". www.scramble.nl.
  18. ↑ Emma Helfrich (11 April 2023). "Turkey's 'Drone Carrier' Amphibious Assault Ship Enters Service". thedrive.com.
  19. ↑ "Turkish Navy Officially Welcomes Its New Flagship, TCG Anadolu". TRT World. 11 April 2023.
  20. ↑ "Navantia and local partner selected by Turkey for construction of one LPD based on the Juan Carlos I" (Press release). Navantia. 27 December 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  21. ↑ "Turkey selects Navantia's Juan Carlos LHD design as winner of its LPD tender". Navy Recognition. 28 December 2013.
  22. ↑ "Navantia and SEDEF Join Forces to Construct LHD and LCMs for Turkish Navy". World Maritime News. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  23. ↑ "Model of the Turkish variant of Juan Carlos I (L-61) class LHD". Dartmouth Centre for Seapower and Strategy, Plymouth University. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  24. ↑ "Turkish Navy Future LHD Model Showcased with F-35B STOVL Aircraft at IDEF 2015". Naval recognition (Press release).
  25. ↑ "Turkey Selects Local Shipyard for LPD Contract". Defense news. 29 December 2013. Archived from the original on January 1, 2014.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "Turkey signs contract with Navantia-Sedef for the construction of a light aircraft carrier", Dartmouth Centre for Seapower and Strategy, Plymouth University, 11 May 2015.
  27. 1 2 3 "The Contract For LPD Construction Has Been Signed", Bosphorus Naval News, 19 May 2015.
  28. 1 2 "The Construction of The Multipurpose Amphibious Assault Ship TCG Anadolu Has Started". Bosphorus Naval News. 2 May 2016.
  29. 1 2 "Technical specifications of TCG Anadolu (L-400)" (JPEG). TurkishNavy.net. 2 May 2016.
  30. ↑ "Turkey calls on U.S. To reverse decision on F-35 exclusion". Los Angeles Times. 18 July 2019.
  31. ↑ "Turkey's New Assault Carrier Will Transform Navy". Forbes.
  32. 1 2 "Havuzlu Çıkarma Gemisi 2021 yılında Deniz Kuvvetleri'ne teslim edilecek" Archived 2018-12-12 at the Wayback Machine, Denizhaber, 7 May 2015.
  33. ↑ "TCG Anadolu Gemisi için geri sayım" (in Turkish). hurriyet.com.tr. 17 September 2022.
  34. ↑ "First steel cut for Turkish LHD ship". Naval Today. 3 May 2016.
  35. ↑ Anıl Şahin (2019-02-14). "Deniz Kuvvetlerinden TCG Trakya açıklaması". SavunmaSanayiST.com.
  36. ↑ Ahmet Doğan (2019-11-09). "TCG Trakya ne zaman bitecek?". DenizHaber.com.

Bibliography

  • Warship International Staff (2007). "Launch of the Spanish Aircraft Carrier Juan Carlos I". Warship International. XLIV (4): 362–363. ISSN 0043-0374.
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