EVENDALE, Ohio - GE Marine reports that its LM2500 aeroderivative marine gas turbine now powers the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) HMAS Canberra Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) ship. This recently commissioned ship is the first of two LHDs to be introduced into the RAN fleet.
According to the RAN’s website, "Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Tim Barrett said that the commissioning was a step towards developing the future of the Navy. ‘HMAS Canberra is an exciting addition to the Royal Australian Navy. This very capable ship will serve the nation well for decades to come.’"
HMAS Canberra also marks another milestone for the RAN as it is their first project application of an LM2500 gas turbine-generator set versus a traditional mechanical drive system.
At 27,000 tonnes, the HMAS Canberra was built by contractors BAE Systems Australia and Spanish shipyard Navantia; the two companies also will construct sister LHD HMAS Adelaide. The RAN LHDs are based on Navantia’s design for the Spanish Navy’s Buque de Proyección Estratégica (BPE) program that also feature the GE LM2500 gas turbine-generator set. The RAN currently operates 16 LM2500 gas turbines in two additional ship classes – the Adelaide- and ANZAC- class frigate programs.