s a

NEWS EXTRA

Reports by Usman Ansari and Charles Strathdee

WORK BEGINS ON BRAZIL’S SSK TO PAVE WAY FOR NUCLEAR BOAT

Some 100 people were in attendance at the Cherbourg centre of DCNS for the official ‘first-cut’ ceremony for construction of a conventionally-powered attack submarine (SSK), the maiden vessel in a new class for the Brazilian Navy. Coming nine months after the signing of the contract, the ‘first-cut’ marks the start of the industrial production phase and it will be followed by the arrival of some 130 Brazilian engineers and technicians that will participate in the Technology Transfer programme for the construction of submarines by the naval shipbuilder Odebrecht in Brazil.

The contract calls for the design and construction of four SSKs, as well as technical assistance with the design and construction of the non-nuclear portions of the country’s first nuclear-powered submarine plus design and construction of both a naval shipyard and a submarine base for the Brazilian Navy.

The first boat of this new class is scheduled to enter service in 2017. With a surface displacement of less than 2,000 tons, the 75-metres diesel-electric boats will have a crew of between 30 and 45. The blue-water SSK design meets the Brazilian Navy’s specific requirements of providing protection in the littorals as well as being capable of a wide range of missions from Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW) and Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) plus deploying Special Forces and also intelligence gathering.

TOP

ISRAELI NAVAL COMMANDO RAID CAUSES INTERNATIONAL STORM

A botched boarding operation involved Israeli Navy commandos, as attempts were made to prevent a six-strong flotilla of merchant vessels attempting to take aid shipments to the besieged Gaza Strip. Nine people aboard one of the lead ships in the flotilla, the Mavi Marmara, were killed as fighting broke out. Elite Israeli troops, from the Shayetet 13 unit, rapid-roped down onto the upper deck from a hovering helicopter only to be assailed by people wielding knives, poles and chains.

Meanwhile, other members of the unit - said to be the equivalent of the UK’s SBS or USA’s SEALS – tried to conduct a boarding from Rhibs but were assaulted by people operating water hoses, hurling flash grenades and shooting missiles from slingshots. The commandos on the upper deck, primarily armed with paintball guns, drew their sidearms, meant only to be used as a last resort, in a desperate bid to fend off their determined attackers.

Conducted in the full view of human rights activists with video cameras and even Iranian and Turkish TV camera crews, the shocking scenes drew widespread condemnation of Israel from the international community and provoked a concerted counter-propaganda effort by the Israeli Defence Forces.

Israeli Navy warships stood off as the fiasco unfolded, having earlier allegedly threatened to fire on the aid flotilla if its vessels did not heave to and permit a boarding.

The main fear of the Israelis is that such shipments will be used to smuggle missiles or other weapons into the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by the fanatical Hamas terrorist organisation. Shayetet 13 commandos have in the past intercepted arms shipments and successfully taken them over, but in the case of the humanitarian aid flotilla, they appeared neither mentally prepared nor properly trained to deal with events. Their performance even drew criticism from Israeli military analysts who said specially trained police officers or personnel accustomed to riot control should have been sent in with the naval commandos.

TOP

FRIGATES DEPLOY EAST AND SOUTH

The UK Duke Class (Type 23) frigate HMS Northumberland has deployed on a seven-and-a-half-month deployment to the Gulf of Aden and Oman. She will be supporting on-going operations, including anti-piracy as part of a multinational effort to disrupt terrorist and organised crime sea routes.

Sister ship HMS Portland was, meanwhile, in South Atlantic having relived the Sheffield Class (Type 42) destroyer HMS York. The seven-month deployment, as part of Atlantic Patrol (South) fulfils a commitment to support the South Atlantic regions with either a frigate or destroyer and a Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) support vessel. The patrol ship provides a maritime presence to protect British interests in the region and acts as a reassurance to UK overseas territories, Commonwealth and other friendly nations. HMS Portland’s patrol is also aimed at being a deterrent to potential aggressors who may wish to threaten UK nationals, territory or interests.

The Atlantic Patrol is responsible for maintaining British sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, too, including South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. A naval vessel is present in the Falkland Islands area for the majority of the year - including throughout the southern winter. The RN also has a permanently forward deployed patrol vessel, in the River Class (Batch 2) ship HMS Clyde.

TOP

TOO FEW SHIPS FOR MALAYSIAN NAVY

The head of the Royal Malaysian Navy, Admiral Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar, has called for more surface vessels if his fleet is to maintain its operational tempo and have six ships at sea at any given time. Three warships apiece are usually deployed in the waters either side of the Malaysian peninsula, but the current force levels (six frigates, four Offshore Patrol Vessels, and two mine-hunters) means this level of deployment cannot be sustained in the long run without additional warships.

A major stumbling block, though, is the paucity of funds, which probably accounts for why a follow-on batch of Lekiu Class frigates under Project Brave appears to have been cancelled. These were thought to have been enlargements of the Lekiu design, and capable of area air defence with the benefit of technology available from the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers.

The Kedah Class OPV programme also appears to be grinding to a halt, though the fifth ship of the class, Kelantan, was commissioned in May, leaving only Selangor to come, which should commission later this year. The programme was, however, intended to eventually deliver 27 ships, but due to issues over financial and delivery problems, could be capped at six.

It is not only surface combatants where the RMN is lacking, however, as there is a pressing need for fixed-wing Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA), but no funds have been allocated for this programme, either. A requirement for six Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) helicopters is currently in its early stages study, but funding may again be an issue.

TOP

SAILORS INJURED IN AUSSIE SUB

One of Australia’s submarines suffered a setback when three sailors were injured aboard HMAS Collins as she suddenly rolled heavily in rough seas off Western Australia. Collins was on the surface at the time of the incident and the injured crewmembers sustained cuts and other minor injuries. The submarine returned to the west coast base HMAS Stirling, near Fremantle. There was no notable damage to the boat and she was expected to return to sea soon after.

TOP

DISASTER RELIEF FOR PAKISTAN NAVY

Disaster relief teams from the Pakistan Navy have been working in the country’s mountainous far north in the Attabad region, where a landside earlier in the year blocked a river and resulted in a steadily growing lake. Villages and hamlets have been lost to the advancing lake, which had severed the Karakorum Highway, the only land link between Pakistan and China.

Initially the navy despatched a team from the Special Service Group (Navy) as an advance party to co-ordinate with other agencies taking part in the relief effort. After their assessment of the situation, a medical team, and search and rescue units were despatched to the region. The Pakistan Navy has experience of relief efforts in such areas due to its participation in disaster relief operations after a 2005 earthquake, although it does not operate in the region as a matter of course.

TOP

GERMAN SUBMARINE DEPLOYS

The German Navy Type 212A submarine U-31 left her homeport of Eckernfürde in May and headed for the Mediterranean to participate in Operation Active Endeavour (OAE), which sees the alliance’s warships monitoring shipping in order to detect and deter criminal and terrorist activity. While transiting the Skagerrak, the boat tested her sonar prior to her participation in Exercise Swordfish, which was hosted by the Portuguese Navy. U-31 is well-suited to the tasks that lie ahead for, with her modern fuel cell Air Independent Propulsion (AIP), she can remain submerged for 14 days continuously and operate undetected. The submarine is expected to return to Eckernfürde in early September.

TOP

MED DRUG BUST

While conducting a surface search mission off the Moroccan coast a Seahawk helicopter from the Perry Class frigate USS Elrod spotted three individuals dumping packages into the sea from a Rhib. The helicopter passed on the information to the warship, which then altered course to intercept the Rhib, which was in international waters. The frigate sent a swimmer in to recover several packages from the sea, two of which tested positive for narcotics. A boarding team inspected the Rhib to verify the vessel’s registration and country of origin discovering the suspected drug smugglers were from Morocco. The USS Elrod then notified the Moroccan authorities and remained on the scene until the three suspects could be handed over.

TOP

RAN HELO TENDER

Australia’s Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) has invited tenders for the supply of 24 naval combat helicopters. The deal, worth Aus $1.5 billion, will see a run off between the Lockheed Martin/Sikorsky MH-60R, and the NH-90 NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH). The programme should see the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN’s) sixteen S-70B Seahawk helicopters replaced with the selected type by 2014.

The RAN is thought to be in favour of the MH-60R, due to the lower price and lower degree of technical risk, considering they are advanced variants of the helicopters set for replacement. The Tactical Transport Helicopter version of the NH-90, however, has already been selected to replace the RAN’s Sea King helicopters, and is also in service with the army in the same role. While both contenders would seem to have a good chance of being selected, the NH-90, being the larger and more powerful helicopter is more versatile and can carry a greater sensor and war load fit in its ASW/Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW) guise. It can also carry a good payload for replenishment duties or other transport tasks. The MH-60R would deliver a very capable, heavily armed combat helicopter that is already in service with Australia’s major military ally. Both types would be equally well suited for Search and Rescue (SAR) roles.

TOP

The above is a selection of News-in-Brief items from the July 2010 edition of WARSHIPS IFR. The News Digest also features some items not published in the magazine. For more news, buy WARSHIPS IFR today! www.warshipsifr.com