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Spanish ship Juan Carlos I (L61)

08.05.11 Las Palmas 001.JPG
Juan Carlos I on Las Palmas, May 2011
History
Spain
Name: Juan Carlos I
Namesake: King Juan Carlos I of Spain
Ordered: 5 September 2003
Builder: Navantia
Cost: €462 million (~US$600 million)
Laid down: May 2005
Launched: 22 September 2009
Sponsored by: Queen Sofia of Spain
Commissioned: 30 September 2010
Homeport: Naval Station Rota, Rota
Identification: Pennant number: L61
Status: Active as of 2016
General characteristics
Class and type: Juan Carlos I class amphibious assault ship
Displacement: 26,000 tonnes
Length: 230.82 m (757.3 ft)
Beam: 32 m (105 ft)
Draught: 6.9 m (23 ft)
Propulsion: 2 × 11 MW POD
Speed: 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)
Range: 9,000 nautical miles (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Boats & landing
craft carried:
Four LCM-1E
Capacity: 913 soldiers + up to 46 Leopard 2E tanks
Complement:
  • Ship's company: 261
  • Air wing: 172
Sensors and
processing systems:
  • LANZA-N air search, ARIES surface search, PAR aircraft landing
  • EID ICCS integrated communications control system
Electronic warfare
& decoys:
REGULUS and RIGEL
Armament:
  • 4 × 20 mm guns
  • 2 x BPDMS (FBNW)
  • 1 x VLS (FBNW)
  • 4 × 12.7 mm machine guns
Aircraft carried: AV-8B Harrier II, Chinook, Sea King, NH-90
Notes:

Aircraft 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

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

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

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

The new vessel plays an important role in the fleet, as a platform that not only replaces the Newport-class LSTs Hernán Cortés and Pizarro for supporting the mobility of the Marines and the strategic transport of ground forces, but also acts as a platform for carrier-based aviation replacing the now withdrawn aircraft carrier Príncipe de Asturias.

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

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. 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, using the light vehicles bay as an additional storage zone.


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