Read the forum code of contact
By: - 15th July 2004 at 16:47 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Hmmm thanks for that mate, Can't understand why Egypt would buy those old ships but hey I'm not the one doing the buying.
I'd like to see the Turkish Mine hunters, they sound interesting. Same as the Indian ones.
By: - 15th July 2004 at 17:09 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
yeah id like to see how they get on with those mine hunters.. Iirc the VT guys had some interesting times.. when they build them for the RN.
By: - 15th July 2004 at 17:36 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
that's right so they did!
By: - 15th July 2004 at 20:30 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
that's right so they did!
Ja i have been trying to think what problems they have on the RN sweepers but cant remember.. I do remember that the materials on the ship were actually had better properties after they were in service for a few years. (curing characteristics of the matrix they used.)
By: - 16th July 2004 at 13:48 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I remember something about the material used in the construction was causeing problems in the magnetic fields thus setting off magnetic mines. Also engine mounts never had dampners instaled and created a lot of vibration in the hull and water. Also the engines were under rated, thus top speed was a slow crawl. I know there were more but these are the ones that I remember off hand.
By: - 16th July 2004 at 14:20 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
i recall hearing about it setting off mines..lol but but cant remember how it came about, it was something to do with the rivets/bolts used for reinforcing the hull material thickness wise.. they changed it to plastic ones or something now sure..bleh i wish i had written it down instead of my actual lecture notes..lol
By: - 16th July 2004 at 14:29 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
That's right they changed the Aluminium rivits to Stainless steal, and coated them in fiberglass.
By: - 16th July 2004 at 14:31 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
aah cool..cheers Ja.
By: - 16th July 2004 at 20:03 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
No prob mate
By: - 17th July 2004 at 10:09 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Navy Opts for Speed, Innovation in LCS Design Winners
Variety in Lockheed, General Dynamics Proposals May Provide Future Tradeoffs
By DAVID W. MUNNS
Assistant Editor
The Navy underscored its sense of urgency and determination to foster new technologies with the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program by awarding two final system design contracts with options for detail design and construction to Lockheed Martin’s Maritime Systems & Sensors Division and General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, while rejecting a bid by Raytheon.
The two winning contractors will design and build up to two ships each in this phase of the program.
Lockheed offered a more traditional approach with a semi-planing monohull design, emphasizing low-cost construction and proven ship architecture. General Dynamics’ design featured a larger ship size and included more innovative technologies, such as composite materials and a transformational trimaran hull design.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vern Clark expressed the need for expediency in the execution of the LCS program noting, “LCS will deliver capabilities to enable our Navy to dominate in this critical littoral region.” He emphasized that the ships will be a vital component of naval strike groups, adding, “We need this ship today.”
John J. Young, Jr., assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, said, “The acquisition team is successfully changing how we buy ships — completing the source selection on schedule and developing affordable designs that can adapt to changing technology.”
Rear Adm. Charles S. Hamilton II, program executive officer for naval ships, declined to comment on why Raytheon’s bid was turned down, but did say “technical, management and cost factors” facilitated the Navy’s decision. He noted that Raytheon had “a very interesting design, but did not measure as well against some of [the other] criteria” as did the General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin teams.
A Washington, D.C.-based naval analyst said the decision gives the Navy maximum opportunity for tradeoffs between the two winners because of the variance between the designs, pointing to the speed and lift of Lockheed’s design as a more traditional approach, whereas General Dynamics offered a more transformational design by using composite materials and more leading edge technologies.
General Dynamics was awarded approximately $78.8 million while Lockheed Martin’s contract award was $46.5 million. The variance in award amounts was attributed to Lockheed’s aggressive low-cost proposal, which was achieved by investing large amounts of money in its program to ensure its final design is ready so production can begin in January 2005.
The analyst suggested that General Dynamics and Raytheon both used transformational approaches to their proposed build; however General Dynamics was able to provide a greater comfort level for production than the Raytheon team.
The Navy awarded $10 million LCS preliminary design contracts on July 17, 2003, to General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. The final design phase of the program continues through Jan. 18, 2005, when the Navy plans to exercise the program’s first construction option. The service plans to award a second construction option on Dec. 31, 2005.
Over the long term, the LCS program could produce as many as 56 hulls, under the Navy’s notional force structure plan, or as few as 37 hulls, should the fleet force structure remain below 300 ships. LCS could be worth almost $4 billion through fiscal year 2009, with a scheduled procurement of nine hulls.
The LCS designs will be based on new hull forms with new propulsion systems and drafts of 20 feet or less. The key characteristics of the new ships will be economical loiter speeds, sustained high transit speeds, sprint capability of 40-50 knots and low sensor signature. LCS will have basic systems including guns, missiles and countermeasures for self defense; integrated navigation and command-and-control systems; and a small core crew to man the vessel.
The distinguishing characteristics of the LCS hulls will be their mission modules. The Navy plans three types of modules, or packages of equipment, which could be loaded and unloaded depending on the type of mission the LCS ships undertake. One type of mission module will contain improved detection, surveillance and defensive equipment for antisubmarine warfare. Another will include systems for defeating surface threats, such as small boats. A third type of module will contain equipment to accelerate mine warfare missions.
Competitors Look to Challenges Ahead With Eye on Next Phase of Program
By HUNTER C. KEETER
Associate Editor
With the smoke clearing from the first round of competition in the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program, executives from the competing companies, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, said their goals for the future are challenging but achievable.
The Navy plans to contract detailed design and construction of the first LCS hull at the beginning of fiscal year 2005, and the second at the beginning of fiscal 2006. “Flight 0” is the Navy’s term for the first generation of these new surface combatants. In fiscal 2005, the Navy plans to request proposals for a “Flight 1” LCS concept design, representing the second generation in development and an opportunity for new competition. A detailed design and construction of a Flight 1 LCS hull is scheduled for fiscal 2008, with delivery of the third ship in the class by fiscal 2010.
Tom Vecchiolla, Raytheon’s integrated defense systems director of naval systems, said his firm would continue to look for opportunities to contribute to the program, though it was unsuccessful in its bid for a Flight 0 contract.
“We are very interested in participating again [in the Flight 1 competition] in order to provide the Navy and the taxpayers the opportunity to get the best system at the best value,” Vecchiolla told Sea Power.
He set aside the notion that the Navy’s decision against Raytheon’s Flight 0 design was an implicit criticism of the firm’s past performance. The Navy provided all three firms a detailed debriefing on the positives and negatives of their proposals.
“We did not see shortfalls as contributing toward the down-select decision for LCS,” Vecchiolla said.
Technologies from its Flight 0 bid that Raytheon hopes to apply elsewhere include its systems integration approach into what the Navy has called the “total ship computing environment.” This environment comprises the hardware and software that manages ships’ functions. Raytheon is contracted to develop computing suites for several ship programs, based on the firm’s Ship Self-Defense System. Vecchiolla said he would combine those efforts with the total ship computing environment in development for LCS, the DD(X), the LPD-17 and other new ship classes.
Raytheon views the Navy’s DD(X) program — a new multimission surface combatant program running parallel to the LCS effort — as one of the “crown jewels” of its naval systems programs directorate.
“The Navy is using the DD(X) technology engine as a key aspect of the LCS program and leveraging that across the family of ships and systems,” Vecchiolla said. “We see our role in that effort continuing.”
For the Lockheed Martin team, which won a $46 million first-round contract for a steel, semi-planing monohull design, the challenge ahead is to sustain the effort that has brought success
in the Flight 0 competition, ensuring the ability to produce a ship to the promised schedule and budget specifications.
Fred Moosally, president of Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics & Surveillance Systems, said another near-term focus would be to convince doubters on Capitol Hill that LCS is the right horse on which to bet.
“We will work very hard to allay the concerns of the people in Congress with the maturity of the program,” he said. “We can convince Congress that we have a very mature design that is ready to be built today and there is no reason for a delay in the program.”
Carol Hulgus, vice president of programs at Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems & Sensors, said while there remained the “temptation” to look forward to the Flight 1 competition, or to international sales opportunities, her firm would concentrate on the task at hand.
“This team is going to stay very focused on delivering on the promise that we made to the Navy. They will get their [Flight 0] ship on time and at the price that we contracted for,” she said.
Executives with General Dynamics Bath Iron Works declined to comment on the challenges ahead in developing LCS or to what use they will put the lion’s share of the Flight 0 detailed design contract funding. The company won almost $79 million for its aluminum and steel trimaran concept.
General Dynamics spokesman Kendell Pease told Sea Power Bath Iron Works was going to “design the ship and build it,” but offered no further comment. nhe Navy awarded $10 million LCS preliminary design contracts on July 17, 2003, to General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. The final design phase of the program continues through Jan. 18, 2005, when the Navy plans to exercise the program’s first construction option. The service plans to award a second construction option on Dec. 31, 2005.
Over the long term, the LCS program could produce as many as 56 hulls, under the Navy’s notional force structure plan, or as few as 37 hulls, should the fleet force structure remain below 300 ships. LCS could be worth almost $4 billion through fiscal year 2009, with a scheduled procurement of nine hulls.
The LCS designs will be based on new hull forms with new propulsion systems and drafts of 20 feet or less. The key characteristics of the new ships will be economical loiter speeds, sustained high transit speeds, sprint capability of 40-50 knots and low sensor signature. LCS will have basic systems including guns, missiles and countermeasures for self defense; integrated navigation and command-and-control systems; and a small core crew to man the vessel.
The distinguishing characteristics of the LCS hulls will be their mission modules. The Navy plans three types of modules, or packages of equipment, which could be loaded and unloaded depending on the type of mission the LCS ships undertake. One type of mission module will contain improved detection, surveillance and defensive equipment for antisubmarine warfare. Another will include systems for defeating surface threats, such as small boats. A third type of module will contain equipment to accelerate mine warfare missions.
By: - 17th July 2004 at 14:49 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
So Australia wins a piece of the prize, woohoo, I'll bet any money now that the RAN will buy some of these ships now to replace the current FFG's in about 15 years.
By: - 23rd July 2004 at 19:08 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
The Eisenhower gets a new look
The Eisenhower will be moved to a new pier at Northrop Grumman Newport News on Saturday to test and certify some of its overhauled systems.
The Eisenhower will be moved to a new pier at Northrop Grumman Newport News on Saturday to test and certify some of its overhauled systems. PHOTOS BY ARIANA LINDQUIST/THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
By MATTHEW DOLAN, The Virginian-Pilot
© July 22, 2004
NEWPORT NEWS — It’s the Navy’s version of “Extreme Makeover.”
First, you find an aging aircraft carrier in need of a face lift. Then you rip open its heart to juice up its power source. You tear out, repair or replace almost everything from berthings to bulkheads, seal up the decks and finally, call it a day.
Or, in the case of the Dwight D. Eisenhower, call it three years.
“Being at sea is fun,” Capt. Charles E. Smith, the carrier’s commanding officer, joked while barreling down an unfinished passageway deep inside the ship. “Being here is hard work.”
On Saturday, the nation’s second Nimitz-class carrier will move from its temporary pierside home at Northrop Grumman Newport News to another pier at the shipyard to test its propulsion systems and certify its radar capabilities.
It’s the latest milestone in the carrier’s once-in-a-lifetime nuclear refueling and overhaul, bringing the flattop one step closer to a return to sea by November.
The carrier, commissioned in 1977, arrived at the shipyard in May 2001. Much of the heavy work for the $1.5 billion project, including the refueling of the two nuclear reactors, is now complete.
But while on time under a new construction schedule, challenges remain.
During the first visit by a reporter to the carrier in three years, miles of exposed cable and duct work could still be seen this week clogging passageways throughout the ship.
Airman Apprentices Michael A. Hamblen, left, and Christopher L. Adams work Tuesday on the flight deck of the Dwight D. Eisenhower. The ship is still very much a construction zone.
When the carrier moves on Saturday , it won’t be able to steam under its own power. There are no pilots on board. That’s a good thing because their ready rooms aren’t ready.
Only two of the carrier’s four catapults used to launch aircraft have been completely rebuilt. And the pebbly, non skid surface on the flight deck is only one-quarter complete.
“Non skid is a unique animal,” said Robert L. Gunter Jr., senior vice president for the aircraft carrier program for Northrop Grumman Newport News. “You can’t put it on in less than 40 degrees or when it gets greater than 100. And you can’t put it on if it’s going to rain in the next 24 hours.
“That middle section there,” he said, pointing to a grainy tar patch in the rear half of the flight deck, “it had to be taken up four times.”
Safety on the carrier, already one of the world’s most dangerous environments, carries special weight in the yards.
On the Ike, cutting metal, sanding surfaces and laying new floors are a daily event. Sailors in uniforms and shipyard workers in T-shirts are all required to wear hard hats and safety glasses.
“We’ve had a lot of bumps, bruises and cuts,” said the Ike’s senior medical officer, Lt. Cmdr. Walter Dalitsch III . “But so far, no serious accidents.” The crew has hauled its gear back onto the Ike slowly.
About 700 have moved aboard so far, with hundreds more expected to arrive in the next two weeks. Ike executive officer Capt. John D. Alexander said 186 arrived this week alone.
It has created a surreal environment for sailors living, eating and sleeping in the midst of a busy construction zone. Many services are displaced. Some of the soda machines and cafeteria-style tables, normally in the ship’s mess decks, take up space in the hangar bay where aircraft once stood.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Tracy Dalton stands in her berthing aboard the Eisenhower, where the new beds have been made longer to accommodate taller sailors. The bathrooms also have been improved.
“Eighty or 90 percent of them have never been to sea or even lived on a ship,” Master Chief Petty Officer Rodney Malbon , a 17-year Navy veteran who works in the Ike’s reactor department, said of his junior sailors. “It’s been a real adjustment for them, especially dealing with the lack of space.”
Petty Officer 2nd Class Tracy Dalton said the sailors have pride of ownership when they assembled their furniture in their own berthings.
Her space is now air-conditioned, and after 11 every night the shipyard has orders to scale back the most noisy work it does so she and others can grab some shut-eye.
Despite the challenges of serving on a ship that has not deployed in years, Smith said the Ike’s statistics for advancement, retention and discipline remain among the top three for carriers in the Navy.
The overhaul centers primarily on replacing two decks off the ship’s island house, modernizing its combat and communications systems, replenishing its two reactors and replacing about 6,000 valves.
There are smaller, quality-of-life changes, too.
The beds, a.k.a. “racks,” are longer to accommodate taller sailors. The bathrooms, or “heads,” have been retiled. And they’re building a second gym off the hangar bay.
The three-year overhaul centers on replacing two decks off the ship’s island house, modernizing its combat and communications systems, replenishing its two reactors and replacing about 6,000 valves.
But much of the niceties are still on the way. The officers’ wardroom lounge has new furniture but an empty space where a television should sit.
“When we’re at sea,” Smith said, grinning , “then they can watch TV.”
All Nimitz-class aircraft carriers are scheduled to undergo reactor regeneration and overhauls after about 25 years of service. The carrier Nimitz, the first ship of its class, went through its overhaul between 1998 and 2001 at Newport News.
Last year, the Navy and Northrop Grumman agreed to restructure their contract for overhauling the carrier by extending the work 11 weeks and reducing the minimum profit the shipyard will realize if work is completed late or is more than 5 percent over budget.
“Nothing happens without both of us working together,” Smith said.
By: - 24th July 2004 at 03:33 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Didn't know Ike, was up for refit, thought that was still a couple of years away.
By: - 24th July 2004 at 05:32 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Israeli General Staff Cancels Sa’ar 5 Plus Corvette
The Israeli general staff June 28 officially canceled the Sa’ar 5 Plus corvette program. The cancellation announcement stated that the program was not cost effective.
The cancellation comes after the Israeli Navy had changed requirements over the past several years from a corvette-sized vessel to that of a frigate and, most recently, a 13,000-ton amphibious landing platform (LPD).
Budgeting changes for the Sa’ar 5 Plus program have been radical as well. The program began at around $1 billion for up to four corvettes and dwindled to as low as $300 million. The cancellation announcement also assessed the estimated $500 million, 13,000-ton LPD as not being feasible.
Source: AMI INTERNATIONAL INC.
-ends-
What the hell would Israel want with an LPD?
By: - 24th July 2004 at 05:51 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Got this From CMF: (sooo....dunno whether it is a hoax)
By: - 28th July 2004 at 01:18 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
could have been fishermen..sleeping after casting the lines.
Wednesday 28th July, 2004
http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=52978435e8136148
U.S. carrier sinks dhow in Arabian Gulf
Big News Network.com Saturday 24th July, 2004
The U.S. Navy is investigating a collision between an aircraft carrier and a small vessel in the Arabian Gulf.
The dhow sank immediately after it was struck by the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy Thursday night, CNN reported. The carrier and a British navy vessel, H.M.S. Somerset, found no survivors.
Dhows, small sailing vessels used for fishing and to carry passengers and cargo in India, the Middle East and East Africa, sometimes have as many as 15 people on board.
A Navy spokesman said the collision was almost certainly accidental since American ships are wary of close encounters with small boats. A terrorist attack on the U.S.S. Cole involved explosives carried on small vessels and killed 17 sailors.
By: - 28th July 2004 at 16:15 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
India to build a 38000T aircraft carrier
India is going to build an aircraft carrier with the help of italy :
Italy's Fincantieri Gets Indian Aircraft Carrier Contract
Wednesday July 28, 10:31 AM EDT
MILAN -(Dow Jones)- Italian state-owned shipbuilder Fincantieri SpA said Wednesday it has signed two contracts with the Cochin shipyard in India to help build a new aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy.
Fincantieri said it will assess the Indian ship's design and will be responsible for its "propulsion system integration," while also supplying the engineering and design for the ship's ancillary propulsion systems and main plants.
The contracts also require that Fincantieri provide assistance during construction and testing.
Unlisted Fincantieri did not disclose financial details of the deal.
India's planned 38,000-ton "Air Defense Ship" will be one of the largest aircraft carriers in service with conventional propulsion based on four General Electric Co. (GE) LM 2500 gas turbines.
The propulsion system is similar to that of Italy's Cavour aircraft carrier, built by Fincantieri and launched in Genoa on July 20 of this year.
-By Christopher Emsden, Dow Jones Newswires; +39-02-58-21-99-05; chris.emsden@ dowjones.com
By: - 30th July 2004 at 00:23 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Goa Shipyard Lays Keel of Advanced OPV
(Source: Goa Shipyard; web-posted July 28, 2004)
The keel of the Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel to be built by GSL for Indian Coast Guard was laid by the Director General of Coast Guard Vice Admiral Suresh Mehta, AVSM on July 17 at GSL premises.
This is the first vessel of its class which will be built by GSL and will be the biggest vessel for the Coast Guard.
The vessel has been indigenously designed by GSL. GSL has also bagged an order for constructing another five EFPV for the Coast Guard for which construction is progressing rapidly.
This 105 m. AOPV is the biggest vessel in the series designed for the Coast Guard suitable for patrolling and policing maritime zone, search and rescue operation. This vessel has ALH helicopter staging facility for long range all-time search, rescue and surveillance operation.
The vessel has a deep displacement of 2250 tons powered by two pilestick-20PA6B STC engines developing 7710 KW each at 1050 RPM and having a speed of 24 Knots. It is centrally air-conditioned and can accommodate 126 persons on board.
The keel laying ceremony was also attended among others by the GSL CMD RADM Sampath Pillai, AVSM, Commander of Coast Guard (Western Region) and Commodore S. Padeep VSM.
By: - 4th September 2004 at 06:32 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Navy Commissions New Ship
By Journalist 2nd Class William Lovelady, Naval Reserve Mobile Public Affairs Det. 208
PORT PANAMA CITY, Fla. (NNS) -- The Navy commissioned its newest ship, USS Momsen (DDG 92) here Aug. 28, in a ceremony attended by Florida governor Jeb Bush, Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, and other civilian and military dignitaries.
Momsen is the 42nd Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer the Navy has put into service. Named in honor of Vice Adm. Charles B. Momsen (1896-1967), the ship is sponsored by his daughter, Evelyn Momsen Hailey.
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush received a 19-gun salute from a pierside 40mm cannon before welcoming the ship and crew. He said it was fitting that a ship named after Momsen, who dedicated much of his career to diving and lifesaving efforts, be commissioned here in the world capital of Navy diving.
“Momsen’s courage, resourcefulness, honor and commitment to his fellow Sailors reflect the heart of a true patriot,” said Bush. “Vice Adm. Momsen, and other men and women of his era, have been called ‘the greatest generation’ for their commitment to the cause of freedom. Today, we’re commissioning a ship that will carry a whole new generation of Americans to places like Iraq and Afghanistan in defense of that same cause.”
After the governor and other speakers addressed the audience, the commissioning pennant was hoisted, and Cmdr. Edward Kenyon assumed command of the ship.
Hailey’s husband, a retired Navy captain, set the ship’s first watch and passed the long glass to his grandson, Momsen’s great-grandson, Fire Controlman 2nd Class Andrew Hailey, one of the ship’s crewmembers.
With the first watch set, Mrs. Hailey gave the sponsor’s traditional command to the officers and crew, “Board our ship and bring her to life!” At this, nearly 300 Sailors ran up the fore and aft brows and assumed their places, some at controls and others manning the rails to render a salute to their guests on the pier.
For some crew members, like Fire Controlman 3rd Class Theresa J. Fox, their new ship is their first ship.
“It is both challenging and fulfilling to be a part of a crew that is bringing a ship to life,” said Fox. “It involves a lot of hard work and long hours.”
The more senior Sailors drew on their past experiences to ready the ship.
“Just learning what it takes to build a ship from the ground up has been a unique personal and professional experience,” said Gunner’s Mate 1st Class Steven E. Haddock, leading petty officer of the combat missile division. “We had to set up a new work center and establish procedures,” said Haddock. “We also had to teach all the new crew members security measures for the ship.”
Momsen is assigned to the U.S. Pacific Fleet and will be homeported in Everett, Wash. In addition to air and surface warfare, and surveillance capabilities, she is the Navy’s first ship to carry the Remote Minehunting System, an unmanned craft that seeks out underwater mines to protect the ship and Sailors.
For more news from around the fleet, visit the Navy NewsStand at www.news.navy.mil
Posts: 4,441
By: matt - 15th July 2004 at 09:46
July 2004 Join Now
Turkey Launches its First Indigenous Coastal Minesweeper
By AMI INTERNATIONAL INC.
The first Turkish indigenous coastal minesweeper (MSC), Amasra (M-266), was launched May 10 at Istanbul Naval Shipyard. The follow-on units of the Aydin class, M-267 and M-268, are under construction at Istanbul with the final two units of the class, M-269 and M-270, starting in 2005.
The first unit, Alanya (M-265), built in Germany by the Abeking & Rasmussen and Lurssen Werft Consortium and launched on March 21, 2003, will be commissioned by the end of the year. All six MSCs are being built under a July 30, 1999, $625 million contract.
The contract called for the first unit to be built in Germany with the five follow-on units built in Turkey in order to expand its shipbuilding capabilities. Istanbul Naval Shipyard can now add mine warfare vessels to Turkey’s portfolio of indigenously constructed ships.
Indian MCMV Program Is Given the Green Light
In early May, the Indian Ministry of Defense approved a plan by the Indian Navy to begin its future mine countermeasures vessel (MCMV) program. The current plan is for the procurement of up to eight MCMVs to replace the 12 existing Pondicherry-class ocean minesweepers that have been in service since the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The estimated $1 billion program calls for the construction of glass reinforced plastic ships at India’s Goa Shipyard. A request for tender (RfT) for construction and/or technology assistance is currently scheduled for June. A request for proposal (RfP) for the mine-hunting and neutralization equipment will follow shortly, possibly as early as August.
The RfT would be forwarded to Intermarine of Italy, Kangnam Corp. of South Korea and IZAR of Spain, all current builders of MCMVs.
An RfP for the mine-hunting equipment will be sent to at, a minimum, Thales of France, Atlas Elektronik of Germany, FABA of Spain and ECA of France. Indigenous companies such as Bharat Electronics will provide the fire-control radar and 30mm gun with assistance from OTO Melara of Italy.
Currently, the Navy is calling for the delivery of the first unit by 2008, which coincides with the planned decommissioning of the first Pondicherry-class minesweeper.
Brazil Accelerates Reactor Work For Nuclear Submarine Program
Brazilian sources indicated in late May that a special budget of around $7.8 million was to be released immediately for the completion of a land-based nuclear reactor prototype that will be utilized in the SNAC-2 nuclear-powered submarine program.
The reactor will be completed and tested at the Armar Research Center. The reactor, identified as RENAP-11 is expected to become operational by 2005 and will be tested and made suitable for naval service for the first unit of the SNAC-2 program.
The SNAC-2 program has been under way since 1979, but has been stalled by consistent funding shortfalls. The Brazilian Navy hopes to finally move forward with this program due its high priority and prestige associated with it. Current planning calls for a contract design by 2006 and a construction contract by 2009, with the first nuclear unit of a three-ship class commissioning in 2018.
The first unit of the class will be a conventionally powered variant — under the Tikuna SNAC-1 program — in order to test the hull concept prior to installing the nuclear reactors on units two and three.
Egypt to Buy Used Ships From Serbia-Montenegro
The Egyptian Navy is reportedly planning to purchase two Koni-class corvettes and five Osa I-class fast-attack craft (FAC) from Serbia-Montenegro.
Although details of the deal are sketchy, reports indicate that one Koni unit will be overhauled prior to transfer and a second unit that has been in a decommissioned status for 10 years would be used for spare parts. The five Osa Is will reportedly receive an overhaul package in Montenegro prior to transfer.
The Serbia-Montenegro Koni corvette variant is very heavily armed, compared to most still in active service worldwide. It has four SS-N-2 surface-to-surface missiles as well as the SA-N-4 surface-to-air missile, which could provide additional capability to the Egyptian major surface combatant force. The five Osa Is would provide additional firepower and commonality, as the sea service already operates its own Osa I-class FAC.
It is possible Egypt will continue to look for used vessels since it is having a difficult time in funding replacements for its existing fleet. U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programs will only cover a small number of platforms that are needed to modernize the Navy. The Egyptian Navy submarine force, as well as the majority of its major surface combatant and FAC force, falls outside the limited funding of FMS, forcing the sea service to look for the best financial deals, which include the used market.
Indian Navy in the Market For New ASW Helicopters
By the end of June, the Indian Navy was expected to issue a request for tender (RfT) for up to 20 new helicopters to replace its aging fleet of AugustaWestland Sea King helicopters.
The Indian Navy has expressed interest in the Eurocopter AS 565 Cougar, AugustaWestland EH-101 and the NH Industries NH-90. All three companies will be primary candidates for the antisubmarine warfare (ASW) oriented helicopters. The total contract price is not to exceed $600 million.
The tender is for an ASW helicopter with the following requirements:
§ Physical weight not more than 10-12 metric tons;
§ ASW and search-and-rescue capabilities;
§ A winch;
§ Endurance of up to four hours; and
§ Ability to host state-of-the-art electronic warfare systems.
The Indian Navy also will solicit separate bids to upgrade 12 of the existing Sea King helicopters that are currently in service and will remain so over the long term. The Sea King upgrades are expected to start by the end of the year and will include upgrades to the avionics, mission computer and radar system, and include new onboard missiles. Additional work will include upgrades to the navigation system, radars, lightweight torpedoes and air-to-surface missiles.
The Indian Navy probably will make a decision on the preferred supplier for the new helicopters by mid-2005. The new helicopters will work in conjunction with the upgraded Sea Kings from the Navy’s major surface combatant force.
AMI International Inc., Bremerton, Wash., is an international consulting and naval intelligence services company located on the Web at www.amiinter.com