Catania, Italy - Proud Manta 2011 a NATO anti-submarine training, participated in the NATO fleet under the command of vessels belonging SNMG1 is hyperactivity. Left to right, the French Navy ship FS DUPLEX, Italian Navy, ITS EURO, ITS ETNA, the German navy FGS LUEBECK, Italian Navy, ITS DUILIO. U.S. Navy USS STOUT was depressed and at the rear.
Proud Manta 2011 Training February 4 to 17 NATO member in 10 countries, six submarines, 19 aircraft, surface ship carried eight boats participated in NATO's largest annual ASW Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) training.
Italian Ionian Sea south of Sicily in the training held in Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States has participated.
The Indian Navy will soon float a tender for the air independant propulsion (AIP) technology to be integrated in the follow-on order of the six Scorpene-class submarines, P-75 (I), which were cleared recently by the Government.
Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Nirmal Verma has said that, the DRDO was testing the the land-based prototype of the indigenous AIP, and that the French were offering Mesma, but the Navy was interested in the fuel-cell technology.
The AIP will be integrated from the first submarine, in P-75(I). The subs will be a different boat altogether, though the basic platform would be the same, but it will have better sensors, combat management system, better detection, and that the Indian Navy was also trying for an indigenous torpedo.
The Navy has sent out the Request For Information (RFI) for the same and hopes to float the tender this year, after revising the Naval Staff Qualitative Requirements (NSQRs).
HMS Ambush, the second of the Royal Navy's new Astute class of nuclear submarines, is powered by a nuclear reactor the size of a dustbin.
It is 97m long, the equivalent of 10 London buses, and weighs 7,400 tonnes compared with the 5,000 tonnes managed by its predecessor, the Trafalgar class.
It has the biggest "ears'' of any sonar system in service today, with the processing power of 2,000 laptops.
The nuclear reactor which drives the propulsion system is roughly the size of a dustbin but will last the 30-year life of the boat without needing to be replaced.
But there are some other big numbers to bear in mind - the first three Astute class submarines (HMS Astute, Ambush and Artful) cost the Government £3.8bn, according to last year's National Audit Office report, compared with an initial contract for £2.58bn.
That report also showed the project was 47 months late, with an original in-service date for Astute of May 2005.
Construction of the first of the two new aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy, HMS Queen Elizabeth, took a huge step forward today as workers at BAE Systems' Govan yard moved two giant sections of the hull together for the first time.
The structure is so big that it fills an entire hall at Govan and now extends beyond the doors onto the yard, providing a spectacular view from across the River Clyde.
Highlighting the skill and technology involved in British shipbuilding today, it took a team of 20 employees and remote controlled transporters just one hour to move 1,221 tonnes of steel over 100 metres across the shipyard. The hull section was then manoeuvred carefully into position to line up with the rest of the block.
Steven Carroll, Queen Elizabeth Class Project Director at BAE Systems’ Surface Ships division, said: “Seeing the mid section of the carrier come together brings into sharp focus the sheer scale and complexity of this engineering feat.
“With construction underway at six shipyards across the country, it is one of the biggest engineering projects in the UK today – second only to the London 2012 Olympics – and we’re all very proud to be a part of it.”
The two sections brought together today form the mid section of the hull up to the hangar deck and is referred to as Lower Block 03. Workers will now continue to outfit the block, which on completion will weigh over 9,300 tonnes and stand over 23 metres tall, 63 metres long and 40 metres wide. She is set to embark on the next stage of her journey to Rosyth in the latter part of this year, where HMS Queen Elizabeth will be assembled in the dry dock.
As a member of the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, BAE Systems is working in partnership with Babcock, Thales and the Ministry of Defence to deliver the nation’s flagships. This huge massive engineering project is rapidly gaining momentum and employs over 8,000 people across shipyards in Glasgow, Portsmouth, Appledore, Rosyth, Merseyside and Newcastle, with thousands more across the supply chain.
BAE Systems is also constructing the main stern section at its yard on the Clyde, which is the largest and most complex section of the carrier. At its Portsmouth facilities, work is well underway to construct the forward and lower stern sections of the hull, as well as the pole mast, whilst integration and testing of the ships’ complex mission system is underway at the Company’s Maritime Integration and Support Centre. Another team of BAE Systems engineers on the Isle of Wight is testing the advanced communication systems. The Company is set to begin work on the two island structures, which house the bridge and traffic control facilities, towards the end of the year.
Each 65,000 tonne carrier will provide the armed forces with a four acre military operating base which can be deployed worldwide. The vessels will be versatile enough to be used for operations ranging from supporting war efforts to providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief.
HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) Specifications
Displacement: 65,000 tonnes
Engines: 4 x Rolls Royce Olympus TM3B gas turbines delivering 112,000 shp to two shafts
Length: 284m
Max Beam: 73m
Max Draught: 11m
Complement: 1500 (including air crew)
Aircraft: Total of 40 to include: Joint Combat Aircraft, Maritime Airborne Surveillance and Control (MASC) Aircraft and Merlin Helicopters.
India has turned down an American offer to supply 16 multirole helicopters (MRH) through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route for its Navy and decided to go for open competitive bidding for the multi-billion dollar deal.
The US Navy had offered the MH-60 'Romeo' to meet Navy's requirement for 16 MRH through an inter-governmental agreement but the proposal was rejected, Defence Ministry sources told PTI on Thursday.
Under the FMS route, the procurement is done through inter-governmental agreements where the product is offered directly by the US government without any global tender being issued.
Following the Indian government's decision, only two contenders American S-70 Bravo and European NH-90 remain in the fray to take part in the field evaluation trials, the sources said. The trials are expected to start after March this year.
The tender was issued over two years ago in September 2008 and the two firms responded to the bids while the US Navy had offered its Romeo through the FMS route.
The Navy urgently requires the MRH to replace its aging SeaKing fleet inducted in 1970. It had 40-odd SeaKing choppers in its air wing, but the strength has come down to about 30 helicopters due to mishaps.
The MRH's primary role would be anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare, while its secondary role would include search and rescue, cargo carrying and casualty evacuation.
The RFP for the 16 MRH was initially issued in early 2006, but the tenders were cancelled two years later and reissued in September 2008.
As per the tender, the winning bidder would be required to supply the first MRH within 46 months in three phases.
The Navy will also have the option of placing orders for another 44 helicopters, once the present contract is completed.
The contract also mandates fulfillment of the offset obligations by the winning bidder, which requires it to reinvest 30 percent of the contract amount back into the Indian defence industry.
BAE Systems responded to an Indian Navy request for information on a new naval fighter last year with an offer based on the Typhoon combat jet.
BAE Systems responded to an Indian Navy request for information on a new naval fighter with an offer based on the Typhoon combat jet. Above, a Eurofighter Typhoon takes off in June 2009. (Alan Lessig / Staff file photo)
At the Aero India 2011 show, which opened here Feb. 9, the company took the wraps off what it thinks an Indian naval Typhoon might look like. The design may be aimed squarely at the Indians, but with questions still being asked by some sections of the U.K. government over the price of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), which is destined to equip a new Royal Navy aircraft carrier, the re-emergence of the naval Typhoon was a reminder options do exist.
Asked about the naval Typhoon at the show, Peter Luff, the British defense minister visiting Aero India in support of London's increasing export drive, ruled out interest in any platform other than the Joint Strike Fighter.
Paul Hopkins, BAE's vice president of air business development, said the work done on the naval Typhoon was solely geared toward the Indian Navy.
That said, the previous Labour administration eyed a navalized Typhoon as a possible plan B during negotiations with the U.S. over JSF technology transfer, and some of the work supporting the Indian request for information stems from that period.
Pictures displayed by BAE showed an aircraft model with a number of modifications compared to the land-based Typhoon being offered to the Indian Air Force in a contest to provide a medium, multirole combat aircraft. Most obvious is the conformal tanks and thrust vectoring nozzles, but other more subtle changes included a beefed-up undercarriage, some strengthening of the airframe and other requirements needed to take Typhoon to sea.
A small deployable flap on the upper wing could also be fitted to improve handling during take-off if thrust vectoring was not incorporated in the requirement.
Hopkins said BAE has done sufficient work to establish whether a naval Typhoon for the Indian Navy is feasible. Now the company has at least two hurdles to overcome.
First, Typhoon has to beat out opposition from the F/A-18, Rafale, Gripen, F-16 and MiG-35 for the Air Force order. Then the Indian Navy needs to decide whether it will continue to use ski jumps on its expanding aircraft carrier force or start to switch to a catapult and arrestor gear configuration.
"If it's a decision for a catapult, then we are not a contender," said Hopkins.
Meeting catapult requirements would add too much weight to the aircraft, blunt performance and add substantially to modification costs.
The more modest changes needed to launch from a ski jump and recover using an arrestor hook would add only around 500 kilograms to the aircraft weight, said Hopkins.
Air Force Typhoons already carry an arrestor hook for emergency landings although this would require strengthening.
Hopkins said a naval Typhoon would be capable of operating from the 45,000-ton Russian carrier Admiral Gorshkov, now being converted for the Indians into a vessel that can accommodate short takeoff but arrested recovery (STOBAR) flight.
Pictures of the Typhoon were shown on the BAE stand with the converted Russian carrier in the background.
BAE wasn't the only company with a fighter without a naval pedigree to respond to the Indian request for information.
A naval version of a STOBAR-capable Gripen is also being developed by Saab.
The F/A-18 and Rafale are already up to speed as land-based and naval fighters, and offer a ready-made catapult-launched solution once the Navy has a formal requirement for a new fighter.
Last month, the U.S. added to the possible naval contenders by saying it would make the JSF available if India asked.
While briefing media personnel in Bangalore on the eve of Aero India 2011, (Retired) Commodore Gyanendra Sharma, Managing Director of Northrop Grumman India announced that the Ministry of Defence has sent a Request for Information (RFI) for E-2D Naval Airborne Early Warning aircraft to Northrop Grumman.
As per details given by Mr. Sharma, Indian Navy has shown interest in procuring at least four such aircrafts. He also mentioned that first E-2D aircraft was successfully launched from USS Harry S. Truman signifying end of the testing phase. Northrop Grumman is positive that a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the same would be issued by year end.
It should be noted that E-2 (C&D) family of aircrafts are the only AEW&C aircraft capable of operating from aircraft carriers. Although carrier capable, only USA and France use them in thatrole. Rest of the operators deploy E-2C as shore-based AEW&C platforms. Currently US Navy is the only E-2D operator. India and UAE are the only countries to have expressed interest in E-2D. Even if E-2D enters service with Indian Navy in near future, Navy does not have aircraft carriers capable of operating E-2D. Hence E-2D will be used in shore-based role till the time right carrier is commissioned.
When asked about possibility of upgrading existing E-2C aircrafts to E-2D, Mr. David Parsley, Programmed Manager for Electronic Systems replied that externally E-2D might look similar to E-2C, but in terms of electronics and radar, it is a totally different beast. E-2D was designed from scratch and it is so advanced and powerful compared to E-2C that upgrading E-2C aircrafts to E-2D standards is not possible.
From Wikipedia E-2D Advanced Hawkeye
Though once considered for replacement by the "Common Support Aircraft", this conception never went into production, and the Hawkeye will continue in its role as the Navy's primary AEW aircraft for years into the future in the E-2D version.
The latest version of the E-2, the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, is currently under development and the first two aircraft, "Delta One" and "Delta Two" are in flight testing. The E-2D features an entirely new avionics suite, including the new APY-9 radar, radio suite, mission computer, integrated satellite communications capability, flight management system, improved turboprop engines, a new "glass cockpit", and the added capability for air-to-air refueling.
The APY-9 radar features an Active Electronically Scanned Array, which adds electronic scanning to the mechanical rotation of the radar in its radome. The E-2D will include provisions for either one of the pilots to act as a Tactical 4th Operator, who will have access to the full range of the mission's acquired data. The E-2D's first flight occurred on 3 August 2007. The E-2D will undergo Initial Operational Test and Evaluation in 2011.
Indian Navy’s Russian-built aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov is getting ready for mooring trials at the Sevmash Shipyard in Severodvinsk.
Major works on the aircraft carrier to be completed in the coming months would be installation of auxiliary steam piping systems and air conditioning systems.
That would mark the beginning of their completion for mooring trials, the shipyard said.
An Indian team, which is presently in Russia to oversee the refurbishing work on the naval vessel, has also met higher officials of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) which has undertaken the task of repairing and modernising Admiral Gorshkov.
The delivery of the aircraft carrier to India has been delayed since 2008.
India had inked a deal with Russia in 2004 to buy the warship at a cost of $974 million.
However, with the Russian shipyard hiking its cost for repair and refit work, the final price of the aircraft carrier went up to $2.33 billion.
Indian Navy now looks forward to receive the 45,000-tonne warship by 2012 end or early 2013 which will be rechristened as INS Vikramaditya.
The Future Surface Combatant (FSC) is a United Kingdom programme to replace the Royal Navy's Type 22 and Type 23 frigates. The FSC concept has proceeded with a number of aborted attempts since the late 1990s, but was brought forward in the 2008 budget, at the expense of two Type 45 destroyers being cancelled (ships 7 & 8).
Various configurations have been proposed, however as of March 2010 the FSC programme is planned to consist of two classes of warship.
* C1 (Type 26) - An Anti Submarine Warfare task group enabled platform
* C2 (Type xx) - A more general purpose platform.
BAE Systems Surface Ships is undertaking the assessment phase of the first, the (C1) Type 26 combat ship which is due to begin entering service at the start of the next decade. The second class remains undefined.
On 24 February, First Sea Lord Sir Mark Stanhope referred to the Type 26 when referring to the FSC at the IISS. The future frigate was again referred to as the Type 26 at a House of Commons debate on defence, on 15 March 2010.
BAE Systems were given a four-year, £127 million contract by the UK MoD on 25 March, 2010, to fully design the C1 variant of the FSC, known now publicly as the Type 26 frigate or "combat ship". It was confirmed that the first of the Type 26 frigates is planned to be delivered to the Royal Navy in 2020.
It was soon after reported that the current working baseline for the Type 26 design is a vessel 141 metres long (shorter than a Type 22 frigate, but longer than a Type 23) with a displacement of 6,850 tonnes (greater than either Type 22 or 23 frigates). The report also mentioned an "in service date" of 2021 for the first Type 26, with the plan to have one Type 26 vessel coming into Royal Navy service per year from 2021.
The defence review also stated that the Type 23 frigates are to be replaced with the new type of frigates from 2021 onwards.
The British and Brazilian governments agreed on a defence partnership that may lead to the sale of five or six Type 26 frigates to the Brazilian navy. In October 2010, BAE made a detailed proposal to the Brazilian navy, for a package including Type 26 frigates as well as variants of the Wave Knight class tanker and River class patrol vessel. On January 31, 2011, Defence Minister Gerald Howarth stated that Britain and Canada were in discussions about a possible joint program to develop a frigate for their respective navies.
In this article we will see how much is a warship cost to the navy of different country’s .
SUBMARINE (SSBN, SSN, SSK)
• Astute SSN (UK) - $ 2.410 million
• Barracuda SSN (France) - $ 1:35 billion
• Dolphin SSK (German / Israeli) - $ 635 million
• SSK Gotland (Sweden) - $ 365 million
• Improved Kilo SSK (Russia) - $ 350 million
• SSBN Le Terrible (France) - $ 3.8 billion
• Ohio SSBN-Replacement $ 7 billion (est.)
• Scorpene SSK (Spain) - $ 825 million
• Type 209 SSK (German / Portugal) - $ 550 million
• Type 212 SSK (Germany) - $ 525 million
• Type 214 SSK (Germany) - $ 500 million
• Virginia SSN-$ 2.4 billion
In this article we will see how much is a warship cost to the navy of different country’s .
AIRCRAFT CARRIERS (VSTOL, CTOL)
• CVH Cavour (Italy) - $ 2 billion
• Charles de Gaulle (France) - $ 3.7 billion
• CVN-78 Gerald R Ford-$ 13.5 billion
• Queen Elizabeth (UK) - $ 3.7 billion
• George HW Bush-$ 26.6 billion
• DDH Hyuga (Japan) - $ 6.1 billion
• Vikrant (India) - $ 762 million
In this article we will see how much is a warship cost to the navy of different country’s .
CRUISERS / DESTROYERS
• DDG 51 Arleigh Burke-$ 1.8 billion
• Daring Type 45 (UK) - $ 976 million
• DDG 1000 Zumwalt-$ 6 billion
In this article we will see how much is a warship cost to the navy of different country’s .
FRIGATE
• Absalon (Denmark) - $ 269 million
• National Security Cutter Bertholf, $ 641 million
• F100 Bazan (Spain) - $ 600 million
• F105 Cristobal Colon (Spain) - $ 954 million
• De Zeven Provinciën (Netherlands) - $ 532 million
• FREMM (French / Italian) - $ 745 million
• Freedom LCS-$ 637 million
• Holland (Netherlands) - $ 169 million
• Independence LCS-$ 704 million
• Iver Huitfeldt (Denmark) - $ 332 millon
• Nansen (Norway) - $ 557 million
• Type 124 Sachsen (Germany) - $ 6.1 billion
• Valour MEKO A200 (South Africa) - $ 327 million
• F-22P Zulfiquer (China / Pakistan) - $ 200 million
In this article we will see how much is a warship cost to the navy of different country’s .
CORVETTE / IPOs / Cutters
• Baynunah (UAE) - $ 137 million
• K-130 Braunschweig (Germany) - $ 309 million
• Clyde (Britain) - $ 47,000,000
• Falaj 2 (UAE) - $ 136 million
• Khareef (Oman) - $ 262 million
• Kedah (Malaysia) - $ 300 million
• Knud Rasmussen (Denmark) - $ 50 million
• BAM Maritime Action Ship (Spain) - $ 116 million
• Milga corvettes (Turkey) - $ 250 million
• Otago (New Zealand) - $ 62.6 million
• Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago) - $ 76 million
• River (Britain) - $ 31,400,000
• Sarah Baartman / OPV Damen 8313 (South Africa) - $ 20 million
• Sentinel-$ 47 million
• Sigma (Indonesian / Moroccan) - $ 222 million
• Visby (Sweden) - $ 184 million
In this article we will see how much is a warship cost to the navy of different country’s .
AMPHIBIOUS SHIPS
• LHA-America $ 5.3 billion
• Bay LSD (Britain) - $ 228 million
• LHD Canberra (Australia) - $ 1.3 billion
• General Frank S. Besson LSV-$ 32 million
• KRI Dr. Soeharso LPD (Indonesia) - $ 50 million
• Endurance LST (Singapore) - $ 142 million
• LPD Johan de Witt (Netherlands) - $ 370 million
• Juan Carlos (Spain) - $ 490 million
• LPD Kunlan Shan (China) - $ 300 million
• Makin Island LHD-$ 2.2 billion
• San Antonio LHD-$ 1.76 billion
• Mistral (France) - $ 529.8 million
In this article we will see how much is a warship cost to the navy of different country’s .
AUXILIARIES
• Type 702 AOR Berlin (Germany) - $ 445 million
• MRV Canterbury (New Zealand) - $ 124 million
• Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) - $ 160 million
• Lewis and Clark (T-AKE) - $ 538 million
• USNS Howard O. Lorenzen (T-AGM-25) - $ 199 million
• Patino AOR (Spain) - $ 288 million
• Sea Fighter FSF 1 - $ 200 million
• Wave Knight Auxiliary Oiler (Britain) - $ 172 million
The Russian Navy will receive a second Graney class nuclear-powered multipurpose attack submarine in 2015, a spokesman for the Malakhit design bureau said.
The construction of the Kazan submarine at the Sevmash Shipyard in the northern Russian city of Severodvinsk began in 2010. The first vessel of the Graney class, the Severodvinsk submarine, will enter service by the end of 2011.
"The hull of the Kazan sub has been built, but we still have to make many upgrades compared with the first vessel in the series. We are planning to deliver the submarine to the Navy in 2015," the official told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.
The Kazan will feature more advanced equipment and weaponry than the Severodvinsk, which has been under construction since 1993.
Graney class nuclear submarines are designed to launch a variety of long-range cruise missiles (up to 3,100 miles or 5,000 km), with conventional or nuclear warheads, and effectively engage submarines, surface warships and land-based targets.
The submarine's armament includes 24 cruise missiles and eight torpedo launchers, as well as mines and anti-ship missiles.
The Indian Navy has decided to exercise its option for an additional four Boeing P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft in a bid to boost its maritime patrol capabilities as well as counter piracy threats and the growing Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean.
In a deal expected to range between $1 billion to $1.5 billion, the new aircraft will be in addition to the eight the Navy had ordered in January 2009, for about $2.1 billion. The new contract price is also expected to include the cost of aero-structures and avionics.
“The Indian Navy has received the necessary government approvals and has decided to go ahead with the contractual processes to acquire four additional P-8I aircraft under the options clause,” Commander PVS Satish, public relations officer for the Indian Navy told The Economic Times.
According to sources, Boeing has already submitted its draft offset contract to the defence ministry last week. “The government is considering exercising the option of adding four P-8I aircraft,” Dr Vivek Lall, vice-president, Boeing Defence, Space & Security told ET. The P-8I, which is based on the Boeing next-generation 737 commercial airplane, is a variant of the P-8A Poseidon that the defence vendor Boeing is developing for the US Navy. India is the first international customer for the P-8 platform.
The first of the eight P-8I aircraft, which were bought through the direct commercial sales route with Boeing, are expected to be delivered to India within 48 months of the original contract signing. The aircraft are of supreme strategic importance for India’s naval forces, with the country looking to enhance its role in the high seas.
Further, the global community has been clamouring for India to play a more dominant policing role against sea piracy in the Straits of Malacca, which is one of the busiest commercial and military sea-routes in the world, and along the East African coast.
Also, in the ongoing scramble for sea power in the world’s thirdlargest ocean, India has been desperate to stop what it perceives as a growing Chinese hegemony in the region. Separately, Boeing has also submitted a reply to the Navy’s Request for Information for six medium-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft as well.
However, ministry sources did not confirm whether any of the other global defence vendors had responded to the same.
Others expected to be in the running for the contract include Russia’s Ilyushin, France’s Dassault and EADS . Like most defence deals pursued in India, the acquisition of the MRMR aircraft has followed a long and tortuous route. With the original global Request for Procurement issued in 2008, before the Mumbai attacks, the same was later scrapped by the defence ministry on certain technical grounds.
The current RFI also specifies the aircraft should be able to carry out electronic intelligence gathering and counter-measures, besides maritime patrol and search and rescue within an operational envelope of 350 nautical miles or almost 650 kilometres, as well as a patrol endurance of at least three and a half hours.
There are additional requirements that the aircraft be capable of carrying at least two anti-ship missiles and a jamming pod. As with the P-8I, the navy has specified in the RFI that certain pieces of equipment must be indigenous, like Identification Friend or Foe Interrogator with Secure Mode, MSS Terminal, BFE, Datalink and Speech Secrecy Equipment and vendors must indicate their commitment to integrate this equipment into the aircraft.
