Turkey will buy six second-hand A69 patrol ships from France. France is planning two LHA, Mistral and Tonnerre, to replace the LPDs Orage and Ouragon in 2004/5. These 199 m long 28 m beam ships will have a continuous flight deck and the ability to operate 16 helicopters. No ski jump is fitted. The well deck will have room for 4 LCM or 2 LCAC. They have two point defense SAM launchers, two 30mm guns and a 3D radar as the primary sensor. The ships will be capable of 20 knots with their electric podded propulsors. EADS, the Franco-German-Spanish aerospace company, has proposed a new version of Rafale. It will have 2,550 litre conformal tanks, a laser designator and the Anglo-European active array radar AMSAR. The plane would be re-engined with the M88-3 to permit Mach 1.4+ ‘supercruise’ while carrying 6 Mica or Meteor missiles. Russian Su-39 All-Weather Strike Aircraft Russia is modernizing her Su-25 Frogfoots to the Su-39 (at right)standard beginning in 2002. The aircraft, which has seen frequent use in Chechnya, will receive improved avionics and the ability to use precision-guided weapons. A Form 20 for the Su-39 appears on page 30. The UK Surface Ship Torpedo Defence (SSTD) system will enter service in 2004. Details released so far indicate that it is a reactive soft kill system with a towed sonar and decoy operating in concert with launched expendable decoys. The UK Future Attack Submarine (FASM) program has been renamed MUFC - Maritime Underwater Future Capability (rumors that the similarity of the acronym to the most popular soccer team in the UK are allegedly groundless!). This is to consider a range of submarine, torpedo, aircraft and UUV solutions, some, all or one of which will deliver the capability. The UK is trialling the SEARAM weapon system on HMS York. SEARAM is an autonomous mounting that has the 20mm gun removed from a Phalanx mount and replaced with additional EO sensors and an 11 cell launcher for RAM missiles. Artist’s Conception of British Type 45 Destroyer Six ships of the proposed 12-ship UK Type 45 destroyer class have been announced. The first three will be named Daring, Dauntless and Diamond. These Batch 1 vessels are 152.4 m long, displace 7,350 tonnes, have 190 crew and are capable of 29 knots and 7,000 nm at 18 knots with their integrated electric propulsion. Planned armament is one 4.5” Mk8 Mod 1 gun, 48 PAAMS (Aster 15/30), 2 30mm, 2 Phalanx, SSTD and a Lynx or Merlin helicopter. Sensors include a bow sonar, 2 navigation radars, EO suite, long range air search and SAMPSON 3D active phased array radar. There is considerable room for modification, including space for MTLS, extra VLS (for either more PAAMS or land attack missiles), SSM and a bigger gun (127mm or 155mm weapons are possible). It is intended that these will be inserted into the Batch 1 ships in an “incremental acquisition” program, although the RN is sure to want these weapons from new in later Type 45s. The German F124 ships (Sachsen, Hamburg and Hessen) will enter service from 2003 onwards. The 143 m long, 5,600 tonne displacement DDGs will be capable of 29 knots using a CODAG propulsion plant. Armament includes 8 Harpoons, 32 cell Mk41 VLS (24 SM2 Block IIIA and 32 ESSM), 2 RAM, 1 OTOBreda 76 mm. Sensors are SMART-L, APAR and 2 STN Atlas navigation radars, ESM, ECM, IRST, EO and an SQS-24B Mod sonar. The ship can operate 2 NH-90 helicopters. Chile has ordered 10-12 F-16C/D Block 50 which may come with AIM-120 missiles and the conformal tanks already fitted to the UAE F-16s. The third Seawolf class SSN, Jimmy Carter, is to be used as a special forces and test platform. It has been launched with a special operations section that has a number of “large vertical mission tubes” which can be used as external missile clips, underwater hangar, SEAL equipment stowage, mines or UUVs. (See also the piece on the Ohio SSGN on page 13.) Also in the US the competing DD-21 designs are taking shape. Both feature large hulls with low RCS slab-sided superstructures with integral sensors. Both have large flight decks, extensive Mk41 VLS cells (as many as 250) and two 155mm guns. The propulsion plant will use fixed water jets. BAe Systems. India is looking to lease another Russian SSN, despite their unhappy experience when they hired a Charlie I in 1991. Again in India, a recent political scandal involving the Defence Minister has put in doubt the purchase and refit of Admiral Gorshkov and her MiG-29K air group. The status of their 32,000 tonne “air defence ship” STOBAR CV is unknown. India will buy 3 A-50Ehl AEW aircraft from Beriev (w/Israeli technical assistance). New-production Il-76TD will be refitted by Beriev to an AEW configuration. IAI will handle systems integration, including Elta radar and phased array radar antennae. Delivery by 2005. China has been busy putting together a shopping list (a pity they missed “train pilots to avoid collisions!”). They are seeking two more Sovremennyy DDG, two or three Kilo/Amur SSKs and are looking to add SA-N-6 missiles to their indigenous Luhai DDGs. Two major classes are under development. The Type 093 SSN is similar to the Victor III but will feature anti-ship and land attack missiles. A range of carriers is being looked at, ranging from 23,000 tonne STOVL CVs to 40 to 48,000 tonne STOBAR designs. The larger designs feature a potent mix of SAMs, SSMs and land attack missiles (makes you wonder why they bother with the aircraft!). Taiwan is fielding a locally-built air-launched ARM, called Tien Chien 2A. The Tien Chien 2 (Sky Sword 2) is an AMRAAM equivalent with a 22 kg warhead. The seeker has been modified into an air-launched antiradiation missile, although with an unknown level of targeting capability. (For the moment, assume it’s a 2nd Gen ARM with the same range speed, and warhead as the Tien Chien 2.) Taiwan has developed the weapon because of US refusals to sell them the AGM-88 HARM missile. South Korea is seeking up to six KDX-3 destroyers. These vessels are reportedly “DDG-51 equivalent” in type and are meant to enter service early next decade. Also being investigated are a 12,000-tonne LPD and a 15,000 tonne STOVL carrier of the Principe de Asturias type with 15 to 18 aircraft. South Africa has bought six Lindau-class Type 351 “Troika” mine hunters from Germany. Four will be activated, the others will be used for parts. They will serve patrol craft, since the Germans are not selling any of their minehunting ROVs. Egypt has ordered four Ambassador III FPBs. These 60.62 m vessels have a low RCS shape and are armed with a Super Rapid 76mm, 8 Harpoon, Phalanx and RAM. Sensors include 3D radar and EO devices. Australia has released a Defence White Paper. Amongst the announcements are plans for 100 new aircraft to replace both the F/A-18 and F-111 from 2012, 4 to 7 AEW aircraft and 5 tanker aircraft. The FFG-7s will be replaced by 6 ships on a common hull from 2013 onwards. The first 3 will have an AAW bias. The ANZAC frigates will get a major AAW and ASuW upgrade and the replenishment and amphibious fleet will be completely replaced from 2009 onwards. Whether this can all be achieved is debatable, especially as the RAN has had to return the fast ferry, Jervis Bay, to its owners as they could not afford to run her. Additionally, Australia has decided to align herself more closely with the United States on a strategic level. This may be a result of, or caused by, several different interrelated events: GE Electric Boat, a US company, is offering to buy about 40% of Australian Submarine Corporation, the company and shipyard at Port Adelaide that built the Collins class. After the purchase, the yard may build diesel submarines for Australia or a foreign customer or possibly AAW vessels with Aegis technology for Australia. A program to upgrade (continue to fix) Collins’s combat system was suddenly put on hold after the com-petitors had been narrowed down to two - US Raytheon and German STN Atlas. A spokesman has implied that the US does not want to have European companies even close to the “sensitive” US technology present in the Collins’ combat system. STN Atlas provides combat systems to German subs, which are widely exported. They say they’re going to sue. Big Time. Like $100 million. The USA appears to be encouraging Australia with offers of access to sensitive submarine technology and possibly satellite intelligence, to make sure that the upgrade program goes to a US company. The discussion may have also included threats to limit future access to such technology if the contract went to STN Atlas. As an example of US and Australian cooperation, Australia’s Nulka decoy is entering service. All six Adelaide-class FFGs and ANZAC Warramunga have been fitted, and the rest of the ANZACs will be progres-sively fitted over the next five years. The USN has fitted three CG-47s and a DDG-51 so far and Canada will fit four ships. Jane’s Defence Weekly has reported that certain sonar types operate at frequencies that render anechoic tiles ineffective. Such sonars, mainly LF active towed array systems such as the new Sonar 2087 for the RN, reportedly operate at frequencies below 1000 Hz. Thanks to Mal Wright and Mike Markowitz for their contributions. BT Back to The Naval Sitrep #21 Table of Contents Back to Naval Sitrep List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2001 by Larry Bond and Clash of Arms. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history and related articles are available at http://www.magweb.com