HNLMS Van Speijk hails Maersk McKinney Moller, the largest ship presently operating in the world.
PHOTEX: Maersk McKinney-Møller taken from HNLMS Van Speijk
Tag Archives: multipurpose frigate
Turkish Navy eyes Navantia’s F100 class frigates
Spain’s Navantia-built F100-class frigate is the base platform for the Norwegian Fridtjof Nansen-class frigate and the Australian Hobart-class destroyer.
Now it seems the Turkish Navy is interested… which would be in addition to its existing plans for 6 new TF2000-class frigates and 12 new Milgem-class corvettes.
Navantia’s F-100 Class Frigate Sparks Turkish Interest
Spanish shipbuilding company Navantia and the Spanish Navy have displayed the capabilities of the shipbuilding company as a designer and builder of the technologically advanced F-100 class frigates in Istanbul. The F-103 frigate “Blas de Lezo” arrived in the Turkish city on the 25th of July 2013.
The F-103 is leading the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG-2) from June to October 2013. Members of both the Turkish Under Secretariat for Defense Industry (SSM) and the Turkish Army showed their interest in the F-100 frigates during the technical visit they had previously realized.
The admiral leading the SNMG-2, Eugenio Díaz del Río, welcomed the Turkish delegation headed by the Head of Naval Platforms of SSM, Mustafa Seker. The Spanish Defense Attaché Colonel Julián de Pablo, the Commercial Vice President of Navantia Gonzalo Mateo, the Turkish Branch Office of Navantia General Manager Jorge García Monedero and some representatives from Lockheed Martin were also present during the visit.
The five F-100 class frigates built by Navantia for the Spanish Navy are multipurpose ships equipped with the AEGIS combat system. The F-100 class frigates are capable to lead and operate a multinational maritime force as it is the SNMG-2. This operative is formed by ships of several NATO member countries and it participates in the Ocean Shield operations against piracy in the Indian Ocean and the Active Endeavour operation against terrorism in the Mediterranean.
”We would like to thank the Spanish Navy and specially the crew of the F-103 frigate the extraordinary collaboration offered during the visit”, Navantia said in a release.
http://shipbuildingtribune.com/2013/08/01/navantias-f-100-class-frigate-sparks-turkish-interest/
The diminishing state of the French Navy seems all-too familiar
The French Navy’s politically-driven budget woes seem to be uncannily similar to those faced by the Royal Navy. The early decommissioning of the surface combatants and a reduced number of replacement vessels is the most obvious example. If we look at the future strength of the French Navy (Marine Nationale) as proposed in the 2013 Defence White Paper (livre blanc sur la défense et la sécurité nationale) the leaner forces will be expected to do as much, if not more.
Les forces navales reposeront sur la FOST avec ses 4 SNLE, des capacités de combat de premier plan pour les opérations de haute intensité et de gestion des crises majeures, avec un porte-avions, 6 SNA, 3 Bâtiments de projection et de commandement et 15 frégates de premier rang, comprenant les frégates de défense aérienne, les frégates multi-missions et des unités de combat moins puissantes, notamment les frégates de type Lafayette adaptées avec sonar. Elles seront complétées par des unités plus légères aptes au contrôle des espaces maritimes : 15 patrouilleurs, 6 frégates de surveillance, des bâtiments d’assistance. Elles comprendront également des avions de patrouille maritime ainsi qu’une capacité de guerre des mines apte à la protection de nos approches et à la projection en opérations extérieures.
Let’s translate that into English.
The naval forces will rely on the FOST (strategic oceanic force), with its four nuclear-powered, ballistic missile-carrying submarines (SSBN), high-level combat capabilities for high-intensity operations and major crisis management missions, with an aircraft carrier, six nuclear-powered attack submarines, three combined support and command vessels (BPC) and 15 frontline frigates, including air defence frigates, multi-mission frigates and less powerful combat units, notably Lafayette-type frigates with sonar capabilities. They will be supplemented by lighter units capable of controlling maritime spaces: 15 patrol boats, six surveillance frigates and support vessels. They will also include naval patrol aircraft and a mine-laying capability to protect our approaches and for deployment in external operations.
That politicians experience no cognitive dissonance is remarkable.
New submarines, helicopter carriers, corvettes for Russian Navy
The Russian Navy has been decommissioning its Soviet-era Sovremenny class (Project 956) destroyers since 1998 and the Steregushchy class (Project 20380) corvettes seems to be an adequate replacement. These are multi-mission vessels that are powerful enough to be designated as frigates by NATO, comparable in rôle to the FREMM, LCS and Type 26… although the Russians insist they are merely corvettes.
Whether or not the BrahMos-equipped Project 21956 destroyer ever goes into a production run is still to be seen. It would seem to be the logical replacement for the aging Udaloy (Project 1155) class.
Russia’s Pacific Fleet to Receive New Warships in 2014
Mistral-class helicopter carrier
MOSCOW, July 19 (RIA Novosti) – The Russian Pacific Fleet will start receiving new warships in 2014 for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the fleet’s commanders said.
“Rather large-scale deliveries of new equipment, new warships to the Pacific Fleet will start in 2014,” Rear Admiral Sergei Avakyants said in an interview with Rossiya 24 television on Thursday.
Avakyants emphasized the fact that the fleet received a new warship last time in 1991.
According to the Russian military, at least one of the two Mistral-class helicopter carriers, being built in France for the Russian navy, is intended for the Pacific Fleet, which has already prompted concerns in Japan.
Several Project 20380 Steregushchy-class corvettes are being built for the Pacific Fleet at the Amur shipyard in Russia’s Far East with estimated delivery in 2014-2015.
In addition, one of the first Borey-class ballistic missile submarines will be put in service with the fleet after the much anticipated commissioning by the end of 2013, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
The Pacific Fleet currently consists of the Varyag missile cruiser, four Udaloy-class destroyers, a Sovremenny-class destroyer and dozens of submarines, including five Delta III-class ballistic missile submarines.
New Admiral Grigorovich class frigate laid down at Kaliningrad
The Admiral Grigorovich-class (Project 11356) frigate is a modified Burevestnik-class (Project 1135) frigate, a long-established class of general purpose frigates which has already seen 3 iterations at the Krivak, Krivak II and Krivak III. The Russian-built Talwar-class frigate (4000 tons, 30 knots) supplied to the Indian Navy provides the base design for the Project 11356.
Russia Lays Down New Frigate for Black Sea Fleet
Russia Lays Down New Frigate for Black Sea Fleet
KALININGRAD, July 13 (RIA Novosti) – The Yantar shipyard in Russia’s Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad has launched construction of a new Project 11356 frigate for the Russian navy, local media reported.
The official ceremony, attended by Deputy Commander of the Baltic Fleet, Rear Admiral Sergei Popov, was held Friday, according to Baltic Reporter online news portal.
The Admiral Butakov is the fourth in a series of six Project 11356, or Admiral Grigorovich-class, frigates for delivery to the Black Sea Fleet between 2014 and 2016 under a contract with the Defense Ministry.
The lead warship in the series, the Admiral Grigorovich, was laid down in December 2010, the second, the Admiral Essen, in July 2011 and the third, the Admiral Makarov, in February 2012.
The Project 11356 frigates, displacing 3,850 tons are designed for anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare on the high seas, and for anti-aircraft operations, both independently and as an escort ship.
The ships are armed with an eight-cell launcher for Kalibr and Klub (3M54E) anti-ship and surface-to-surface missiles, a 100-mm main gun, Kashtan gun/missile close-in air defense systems, Shtil vertical-launch air defense missile systems, two torpedo tubes, an anti-submarine rocket system and a Ka-28 or Ka-31 helicopter, according to globalsecurity.org and rusnavy.com.
Sea trials for Morocco’s FREMM frigate
The FREMM multipurpose frigate is a joint French-Italian design for a frigate capable of anti-submarine warfare and anti-ship warfare. France’s Marine Nationale will acquire 8 ASW frigates with options for 9 more, Italy’s Marina Militaire will acquire 4 ASW and 6 GP frigates, and the Royal Moroccan Navy is acquiring 1 French-built ASW frigate.
Sea trials validate frigate’s combat systems
LORIENT, France, July 11 (UPI) — French shipbuilder DCNS has completed a third series of sea trials on a FREMM frigate for the Royal Moroccan Navy.
The trials were to check the performance of the ship’s combat systems and were performed off the coast of Brittany.
“This third series of sea trials represents a major milestone for the overall program and more particularly for the ship’s combat system,” said Gilles Raybaud, DCNS’s FREMM program manager for Morocco. “Our crews thoroughly tested the full suite of combat system hardware and software that makes FREMM frigates among the most versatile and advanced on the world market.”
DCNS said specific tests included target engagement sequences using Aster anti-air missiles and MM40 anti-ship missiles, fire control tests for the 76-mm main gun and testing of the frigate’s multi-function radar.
Other tests involved helicopter approach control and the deployment of various towed devices.
Initial sea trials on the ship – the future Mohamed VI – took place in April, during which the frigate’s propulsion and navigation systems were evaluated.
DCNS is building a total of 12 FREMM frigates. Eleven are for the French Navy.
FREMM frigates have a maximum speed of 27 knots and a range of 6,000 nautical miles at 15 knots.
Naval Matters 