There really needs to be more info on what the OCV is designed to be.
To me it so far sounds like the ultimate politicians ship: Large pretty ships that make for great PR back-drops but without the huge costs of real warships.
With 20 vessels it would seem a Armidale replacement, at least in part but why a 2000t Patrol Ship to replace a 300t Patrol Boat. That extra cost will mean fewer Frigates, aircraft, tanks etc.
If they are ment to be warships then only a fraction are likely to be armed as such and again we end up with small Corvettes in place of larger ships with a corresponding reduction in combat capabilities.
And finally theres the "Modular" thing everyone seems in love with, come on this is just the "built for but not with" disaster with a fancier name.
I can see the RAN reduced to 10 major surface ships (AWD + ANZAC 2) with a couple of half-assed OCVs to make it look good on paper.
As I understand it, the idea is that the ~20 OCV proposed will be replacing the Armidale PB, Huon MHC and some/all the survey vessels.
While I do have some reservations about a 2,000 ton, presumably steel-hulled vessel replacing a seamless, composite-hulled MHC for MCM work... The idea does have some merit.
IMO if one makes an honest appraisal of the Armidale PB, the design should not have been selected by the RAN for service. Again, IMO the design is a good one, delivering what the RAN/government asked for, but it is not so suitable if one where to consider what the RAN needs.
Essentially the Armidales were to replace the worn out Fremantle PB's which patrolled the northern waters of Australia. From what I understand, this largely consisted of fishery patrols, intercepts of suspicious vessels, refugee boats, etc. When the replacement was needed, the specifications seemed to be just what was needed to continue doing what the Fremantles had been. Unfortunately, the design chosen seems too specialized to be used elsewhere by the RAN.
The Armidale is a ~60 m, aluminum-hulled vessel of ~270 tons, capable of patrolling something like 3,000 n miles and being at sea for 42 days. Where it seems to run into problems is that being so small and lightweight, the vessel is not really suited to 'blue water' operations or transits. This means that for patrols in the Indian or Southern Oceans, the Armidale is really not suitable far from land. In addition, the vessel mounts a 25 mm Bushmaster, and is not really capable of being armed with greater weaponry. This means the vessel is of limited use in any sort of anti-shipping role. Lastly, there had been reports that due to possible problems maintaining the aluminum hulls, the cost of maintenance and ops would likely climb significantly once the Armidales had been in service a decade.
I imagine that the 2,000 ton OCV would be something like a robust OPV, primarily tasked with patrolling, but due to size and fitout, able to do ocean-going, as well as EEZ patrolling along Australia's northern coast. By including modular connections, be they for Stanflex containers, the systems for LCS, etc it potentially gives the RAN greater options in terms of operational use of the OCV.
This IMO is quite different from being 'fitted for, but not with..." Use of a modular container system allows for a smaller number of different hulls/vessels, yet still retaining the ability to carry out some special or specific operations on an as needed basis. Additionally, changing fit-out in a 'fitted for, but not with" type vessel usually requires an upgrade plan, significant yard of dock time, and then ship workup following the installation of the upgrade. A modular system like Stanflex is designed to be changed dockside, with the changeover being completed within something like 48 hours, before the vessel can be redeployed with the new fitout.
To me, that sounds a bit different.
-Cheers
