South Africa Considers More Frigates

South Africa is reportedly negotiating with the German Frigate Consortium for the procurement of a fifth Valour (Amatola)-class frigate and, possibly, the option for a sixth unit.
Under an initial deal in 1999, the South African Navy (SAN) was to receive five units of the class. However, budget constraints limited the initial purchase to the four units that have been delivered thus far.
Defense Minister Mosiuoa Lekota has indicated that the original deal with Germany, which included the frigates and military equipment for the Army and Air Force, is almost paid off and the Defense Ministry could now move forward with additional procurements. Pricing will likely play a big role as to whether the SAN gets one or two additional units.
Under the original agreement, each unit cost $163 million, not including the South African weaponry and integration costs. Recent estimates are that units five and six will cost around $272 million per unit, without weapons and integration.
Assuming the successful conclusion of negotiations between the SAN and the German Frigate Consortium, a construction contract for the fifth unit with options for a sixth could be in place by 2007. The additional units are likely to be identical to the first four units of the class.
The first two units (Amatola and Isandlwana) were commissioned into the SAN as of August 2006; units three and four (Spioenkop and Mendi) are scheduled for commissioning in March and August 2007.

Pakistan's Navy next Goal Type 054A Frigates from China

‘Tarkash’ -an Updated Talwar Class Stealth Frigate Launched

The second of the three follow on Talwar class stealth frigates being built by Yantar Shipyard, Kaliningrad, Russia was ceremoniously launched on June 23rd 2010 by Mrs Ramma Dewan, wife of Vice Admiral D K Dewan, the Vice Chief of Naval Staff. The launching ceremony was attended by Governor of Kaliningrad Region, The Commander-in-Chief of Baltic Fleet of Russian Federation and other senior dignitaries from the Russian side in addition to Senior Indian Navy officers posted in Russia. The frigate, christened ‘Tarkash’ during the ceremony, belongs to the elite Talwar Class of ships, three of which namely Talwar, Trishul and Tabar are already in service with the Indian Navy. The first follow on ship, christened ‘Teg’ was launched on November 27th 2009. These frigates have been constructed to suit Indian Navy’s specific requirements and are highly potent platforms. Their mission in Navy spans the entire spectrum of Naval warfare, viz Air, Surface and Sub-surface. The ships are capable of operating in Blue waters, and are at the forefront of the Indian Navy task forces.
The features of the follow-on ships have been upgraded to a higher level of sophistication with the experience gained by the Navy in operation of the first three ships. ‘Tarkash’, which means ‘Quiver’, will also carry supersonic Brahmos missile system with vertical launch capability, which is an Indo-Russian joint venture. True to its name, Tarkash carries cutting edge weaponry which includes advanced Surface to Air missiles, 100 mm Caliber Guns (artillery), Close Range Guns, Torpedos, Rocket Launchers and associated Fire Control Systems. The ship will also carry one Russian built Anti-Submarine Warfare helicopter Ka-31.
The ship is powered by four powerful Gas Turbines giving it a top speed of 30 knots. The vessel is fitted with state-of-the-art Navigation, Communication and Electronic Warfare Equipment. It is also equipped with highly advanced Radar and Sonar systems for early detection and warning. ‘Tarkash’ is scheduled to join the Indian Navy in the second half of 2011, post commissioning in Russia.
Source: pib.nic.in

Indian Lost Its Navy Frigate INS Vindhyagiri In Peacetime

In the worst ever peacetime loss for the Indian Navy, the heavily armed frigate INS Vindhyagiri went down in the Mumbai harbour after colliding with a merchant vessel. The 3,000 tonne warship, designed to take on enemy submarines and surface ships, sank Monday afternoon after catching fire after the collision with a Cyprus-flag container carrier, M V Nordlake 24 hours earlier. 

The loss of the frigate — sources said a salvage would be difficult as the warship has touched bottom — sent shock waves through the naval community. Commentators said the incident was “ignominious” and had dented the Navy’s image. 

The Leander class frigate, commissioned in 1981, hit the merchant vessel near the Sunkrock lighthouse within the pilotage area of the channel at 4.36 pm on Sunday, as it was entering the harbour after a ‘day at sea’ for families of sailors and officers. No one was hurt in the mishap.

PNS ALAMGIR Oliver Hazard Perry (OHP) Frigate After Modernization Set Sail For Pakistan

The first Oliver Hazard Perry (OHP) frigate set sail for Pakistan on Monday. The frigate was acquired by Pakistan Navy from the United States. The ship is formerly known as the USS McINERNEY (FFG-8) and was commissioned in the Pakistan Navy as the PNS ALAMGIR (FFG-260) on August, 31, 2010 during a huge ceremony at the Mayport, Naval Station. The ceremony was attended by Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani. After commissioning, the PNS ALAMGIR underwent modernization and refurbishment and the BAE System Shipyard in Jacksonville Florida. 18 officers and 218 CPO/ Sailors underwent a series of training sessions to be able to operate the ship.

The Ship Transfer and Assistance Team (STAT) contributed greatly in the training. The Pakistan Crew’s stay in the US, not only contributed to the better understanding on issues of mutual concern, but also strengthened the relations between the two nations. Captain Naveed Ashraf T.Bt TI(M) was announced as the first Commanding Officer of the PNS ALAMGIR.

The ship set sail for Pakistan on Monday, after the completion of the final trials and cre workup. The ship is scheduled to stop at Bermuda (UK), Azores (Portugal), Cadiz (Spain), Golcuk (Turkey), Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) and Salalah (Oman) and would eventually reach Pakistan on 13 May 2011.

The PNS ALAMGIR will be a part of the 18th Frigate Squadron of the Pakistan Navy Fleet. Pakistan has become one of the important members of Global War on Terror (GWOT). Due to Pakistani government’s decision to fight terrorism, the Pakistan Navy joined the maritime coalition against terrorism which is led by the US. At the moment the Navy participates in the Coalition Maritime Campaign Plan (CMCP) which is one of the maritime components of the Global War on Terrorism. The CMCP encompasses operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). The coalition forces work under the command of United States Naval Forces Central Command (US NAVCENT). The responsibility areas include the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea and Red Sea.

Despite the strong resource constraints, the Pakistan Navy has always been a number one participant in the CMCP. The Pakistan Navy was the first regional navy to form a part of the CMCP and has greatly contributed its assents to ensuring stability and peace in the region. The Pakistan Navy has so far contributed one frigate to Task Force 150 (TF-150) and a Type-21 frigate to Task Force 151 (TF-151).

The Pakistan Navy has commanded TF-150 f our times and is currently in charge of the TF-151 off the coast of Somalia, where they are countering piracy. Pakistan is also the first non-NATO country to command a Task Force.

The Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigates are being used by a lot of navies and their main strength is conducting Maritime Security Operations which have become the main concern of the nations. The PNS ALAMGIR is scheduled to augment Maritime Security Operations in the Arabian Sea. Another of its goals is to support the Pakistan Navy Surface Fleet.

The PNS ALAMGIR has been named after Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir who was the sixth Muslim Ruler of Great Mughal Empire and is known to be one of the most fierce and experienced warriors, who protected his territories and was the Empire’s leader for nearly 50 years. Thanks to him the influence of the Mughal Empire was spread to the entire Indian Sub-continent.

Taiwan To Build Stealth Warships

Taiwan plans to build a new ‘stealth’ warship armed with guided-missiles next year in response to China’s naval build-up, a top military officer and a lawmaker said Monday.

 

Construction of the prototype of the 500-ton corvette is due to start in 2012 for completion in 2014, deputy defense minister Lin Yu-pao said in answer to a question by Kuomintang party legislator Lin Yu-fang at parliament.

The warship, which the navy says is harder to detect on radar, is expected to emerge after China puts into service its first battle carrier group, the legislator said.

The twin-hulled boat will be armed with up to eight home-grown Hsiung-feng II ship-to-ship missiles and eight other more lethal Hsiung-feng III anti-ship supersonic missiles.

The remarks came as China has been restoring The Varyag, an old Soviet aircraft carrier bought in 1998.

The aircraft carrier will be used for training and as a model for a future indigenously-built ship, according to Andrei Chang, head of the Kanwa Information Centre, which monitors China’s military.

The ship, currently based in the northeast port of Dalian, could make its first sea trip “very soon,” he said.

Calls have been mounting on the island for the military to come up with counter-measures against the perceived threat.

Ties between Taiwan and China have eased markedly since Ma Ying-jeou of the China-friendly Kuomintang party came to power in 2008, ramping up trade and allowing in more Chinese tourists.

India to Boost Blue-Water Warfare Capability With Two New Stealth Frigates

The Navy continues to hone its war-fighting capabilities despite being stretched in coastal security and anti-piracy operations. The force is now on course to soon induct two more deadly stealth frigates to bolster its growing "blue-water" warfare capabilities.

Sources say the 6,200-tonne indigenous stealth frigate INS Satpura is likely to be commissioned in June-July, while the Russian-built 4,900-tonne INS Teg should finally be ready for induction by September-October.

These long-awaited warships will come at a time when Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma has stressed that "maintenance of war-fighting abilities" remains the "top-most priority" for his force despite the "large number of peacetime commitments (anti-piracy, coastal security and the like) at hand".

"With the security situation being fluid, we need to maintain the organizational ability to deploy warships, submarines and aircraft at immediate notice," said Admiral Verma, at the naval commanders' conference here on Tuesday.

INS Satpura and INS Teg will certainly boost combat capabilities, packed as they are with sensors, weapons and missile systems, coupled with their stealthy nature due to "vastly-reduced" radar, infra-red, noise, frequency and magnetic "signatures" to beat enemy detection systems.

That's not all. INS Satpura, the second of three indigenous stealth frigates built under the Rs 8,101-crore Project-17 at Mazagon Docks, will be followed by INS Sahyadri after six months. The first, INS Shivalik, was commissioned in April last year.

Similarly, INS Teg is to be followed by its sister frigates, INS Tarkash and INS Trikhand, built under a Rs 5,514-crore project inked with Russia in July 2006, after gaps of six months each.

Both the Indian and Russian projects, of course, have been dogged by huge time and cost overruns. The three warships from Russia are actually "a follow-on order" to the first three frigates, INS Talwar, INS Trishul and INS Tabar, inducted by India in 2003-2004 at a cost of over Rs 3,000 crore.

Though their induction too was delayed, the Navy is quite happy with the power the Talwar-class frigates pack. The warships have "a very high weapon and sensor density", including eight vertical launch cells for the 'Klub-N' anti-ship and anti-submarine cruise missiles. In addition, the three new frigates will also be armed with the 290-km BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles.

The Shivalik-class frigates, in turn, can also deal with "multiple-threats" in all three dimensions -- air, surface and sub-surface. Apart from Russian Shtil surface-to-air missile systems and Klub anti-ship cruise missiles, they are also armed with the Israeli 'Barak-I' anti-missile defence systems to guard against Harpoon and Exocet missiles, launched from platforms like P-3C Orion aircraft and Agosta-90B submarines which Pakistan has acquired from US and France.

The defence ministry has also approved Project-17A to construct seven more frigates at Mazagon Docks and GRSE in Kolkata, with even more stealth features, for around Rs 45,000 crore. In all, the Navy has around 30 new warships and six submarines on order as of now to maintain its force-levels at about 140 combatants.

Pakistan Navy Launched 4th F22P Frigate PNS Aslat

The Pakistan Navy launched fourth F22P Frigate.

According to a Pakistan Navy spokesman, the ship was built in Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works with the help of Chinese engineers.

Pakistan and China had signed a pact in 2005 whereas three ships had already been incorporated in the Pakistan Navy fleet.

The vessel is the fourth F22P Frigate built indigenously at the Karachi shipyard with the Chinese assistance.

Pakistan Navy To Get 6 QING Class Submarines And 2 Typ 054A FFGs From China

In the past it Has been Reported that Pakistan is getting  039 class "Songs" or 041 class Yuan class From china But now reports emerge that it is the latest variant of 041 class named "QING" class submarines for which a deal was inked for 6.

The first Qing class built for Chinese Navy was launched last year and will be going through the sea trial this month 6/2011 which will include the firing of CJ-10K LACms with a range of 1,500 KM. 

The deal was signed between Wuhan-based China State Shipbuilding Industrial Corp (CSIC) and Pakistani Government in April 2011 is for 6 Qing class submarine, These submarines will be double hulled with a submerged displacement of 3,600 tons. It will be equipped with the new Stirling-cycle AIP and will be able to carry upto 3 CJ-10K which could carry nuclear warheds, Other features include hull retractable foreplanes and hydrodynamically streamlined sail. The AIP and the propulsion systems will be all electric and not the diesal electric propulsion system making the submarines very quiet. This propulsion system has already been tested on a number of heavier Chinese submarines.

And In the other development is Pakistan has also signed a deal for a 10 year leaso of 2 Type 054A FFGs. The two ships that Pakistan will receive are serial number 525 and 526 inducted in PLAN in 2005.

Russia Behind Schedule On Indian Frigates Delivery

Russia is not going to meet the deadlines in the implementation of a contract on the delivery of missile frigates to the Indian Navy, the state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport said.

Russia and India signed a $1.6 billion contract on construction of three modified Krivak III class (also known as Talwar class) guided missile frigates for India in 2006.

The first frigate was scheduled for delivery in April 2011.

"There is a delay, and it is hard to say now what the new deadline is going to be, although the first ship is undergoing dockside trials," said Oleg Azizov, head of Rosoboronexport's delegation at the IMDS naval show in St. Petersburg.

Russia's Yantar shipyard, which is building the ships, has asked Rosoboronexport for additional $100 million to finish the construction.

Azizov said an Indian Navy delegation will arrive in Russia next week to negotiate the new deadlines for construction.

This is the second time Russia has run into difficulties with Indian naval contracts. The price of the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier has been raised almost twice, and its delivery date was put back from 2008 to late 2012.

Russia has previously built three Talwar-class frigates for India - INS Talwar (Sword), INS Trishul (Trident), and INS Tabar (Axe).

The new frigates each will be armed with eight BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, jointly developed by Russia and India.

Two STUS And Guided Missile Frigate Join Pakistan Navy Fleet

dPakistan navy ships Madadgar and Rasadgar, the Small Tanker cum Utility Ships (STUS) have been commissioned and PNS Alamgir formally inducted in Pakistan Navy Fleet during an impressive ceremony held at Pakistan Navy Dockyard here on Tuesday.

The Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Noman Bashir graced the occasion as chief guest while the ceremony was also attended by officials from Ministry of Defence (MoD), Flag Officers from Pakistan Navy, senior management of Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KS&EW) and other distinguished guests.

PN Ships Rasadgar and Madadgar, the first ships of their class, have been indigenously constructed in Pakistan by Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KS&EW). Induction of STUS will increase logistic redundancy to Pakistan Navy fleet. These state of the art crafts are designed and equipped for multi-facet rolEs with robust and reliable modern machinery and equipment.

PNS Alamgir (Ex USS MCINERNEY) is an Oliver Hazard Perry Class guided-missile frigate. Ship was commissioned in Pakistan Navy on August 31th, 2010 after which she underwent major refurbishment and essential repairs in the U.S. The OHP Frigates are being used by a number of navies. PNS Alamgir will augment Maritime Security Operations capacity in the Arabic Sea in addition to supporting Pakistan Navy Surface Fleet.

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Noman Bashir while addressing the audience congratulated all those who were involved in the STUS Project and induction of Alamgir and also expressed satisfaction on the induction of these crafts in Pakistan Navy Fleet.

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