스페인 해군 The aircraft carrier L-61 Juan Carlos I enters "pits" for a new propulsion system

The aircraft carrier L-61 Juan Carlos I enters "pits" for a new propulsion system

• The three sister ships of the aircraft carrier L-61 Juan Carlos I
• The aircraft carrier L-61 Juan Carlos I "parks" in front of the new Bernabéu

The Spanish aircraft carrier L-61 Juan Carlos I, flagship of the Navy, will have to go through the workshop to replace its propulsion system, key to its proper operation. The Directorate of Economic Management of the Logistics Support Headquarters of the Navy has approved the award to Navantia of a contract of 30 million to change the German-made thrusters (of the Schottel-Siemens consortium), which have been generating numerous problems in navigation for some time. The execution period is three years, from the formalization of the contract until December 31, 2025.

The aircraft carrier Juan Carlos I L-61 TheDebate

As El Debate reported, the Juan Carlos I has electric propulsion and has a gas turbine and two diesel generators. The vessel has two thrusters called POD (11.0 MW each). Technical problems have long been detected in these PODs, generating vibrations and noise. These vibrations interfere with the frequencies of other elements of the vessel. It has even been detected loss of propulsion at times. The Navy commissioned an in-depth analysis in 2020 to try to find an alternative, which now comes with the hiring of the Spanish company.

The award of the Navy to Navantia to reform the propellers has an amount of 30 million euros TheDebate

According to the Navy itself, "these failures have occurred for very different reasons, both electrical and mechanical, internal and external, which have left the ship without propulsion on several occasions, at least in one of its two lines." Breakdowns have affected sensitive equipment, making replacement inevitable and being able to maintain its availability for planned missions.

 

Juan Carlos I is an amphibious assault ship launched on March 10, 2008 by Navantia. It was registered in the Official List of Ships of the Navy on September 30, 2010, with the number L-61. Its parking base is the Naval Base of Rota.

 

The 'Juan Carlos I' is a multipurpose vessel, similar to the American LHDs of the Wasp Class, with the addition of the ski-jump bow to improve the fuel and armament payload capabilities of V/STOL aircraft.

The L-61 Juan Carlos I, the Amphibious Assault Ship Castilla and the frigate Navarra, with the 10th Combat Group of the US Navy (Carrier Strike Group 10), with the aircraft carrier George Bush at the head of theNavy

This ship supports the mobility of the marines allowing to complete the projection of a joint Marine Brigade. In addition, it performs strategic transport functions of the ground forces. The Juan Carlos I "is the only one with the capacity to operate fixed-wing aircraft in the Spanish Navy," stresses Defense.