Denmark The new Danish Multi Role Vessel develops the Stanflex technology currently used in a class of corvettes. These two new 6,300 tonne, 23 knot ships will enter service from 2003 and operate in a strategic support role. They can carry a range of equip-ment (200 troops, 900 m 2 RORO deck, two SF high speed insertion craft, 2 Merlin helicopters), support forces ashore (Mk45 Mod 4 with ERGM and 8 Harpoon Block II Land Attack and Antiship Missiles) and carry out specialist roles (logistic support including repairs, a 70-man staff joint HQ and a 40-bed hospital). For self defence, Stinger missiles and 35 mm guns will be carried. France More information on the Aster weapon system has been made available. Aster 15 has a minimum range of 0.9 nm and a maximum range of 16.2 nm. Aster 30 has a minimum range of 1.6 nm and a maximum range of 54 nm. Up to 16 missiles may be in simultaneous flight and the time from target detection to launch is 6 seconds. In the SAAM configuration (such as on Charles de Gaulle), more than 100 targets may be tracked and 10 engaged simultaneously. For the PAAMS configuration (such as in Type 45), these figures are 300 and 12 respectively. A new version of Exocet is being developed. MM40 Block 3 will be capable of high G evasive maneuvers, have 97 nm range and be able to be fired from the multi-role version of the Sylver VLS. Expected IOC is 2006. More details of the FMM (Frégate Multimission) have emerged. It is proposed that the first of these ships will enter service in 2008. Seventeen ships are planned. Eight ASW ships will replace the F67 and F70 classes, and nine land attack variants will replace the A69s. This design may also purchased by Italy, where ten hulls would replace the Lupo and Maestrale class. The ship has a 5,400 tonne displacement, is capable of 27 knots and have a 6,000 nm range. It will have a crew of 95 and will be able to carry 25 specialist staff. Both versions will have 8 MM40, a bow sonar, a 100 mm gun and a 48 cell VLS for Aster 15 and Scalp-naval. The ship is likely to have the Herakles radar, currently being developed for Singapore. This radar is a rotating passive electronically steeered S-band phased array capable of 100 nm range in search, 43 nm range in air defence coverage and will be able to guide 10 Aster missiles simultaneously. The land attack version will be able to embark SF troops, operate a NH90 CSAR/Insertion helicopter and a UAV, be capable of mine warfare and have additional VLS cells. The ASW version will have towed array sonar, operate an ASW helicopter and have ASW TTs. More information is also available about the Barracuda SSN. Six will enter service from 2012. The sub will displace 4,100 tonnes, dive to 350 m and be capable of over 25 knots. Four torpedo tubes will be mounted with up to 18 weapons carried, including torpedoes, anti ship missiles and land attack missiles. It will have electric propulsion at cruising speeds with conventional turbines at high speed. The K15 reactor will be used. There is an awful lot of heavy metal here, and France is looking for more equipment for both the Army and the Air Force. Whether or not this can all be afforded, especially as the European Central Bank may fine France for breaching government expenditure deficit targets, remains to be seen. Greece Fuel cell AIP technology has been adopted for the Type 214 submarine. In addition, a similar plant will be backfitted into the three currently operational Type 209s. Romania Romania has bought two Type 22 Batch 2 frigates from the UK. The former HMS London and HMS Coventry will receive new sensors and weapon systems prior to their delivery. Russia A range of upgrades are now available for Su-27/30 operators. These include and of the following options: Ground mapping (20 to 50 m resolution) and MTI The Kh-31A ASM Passive scanning radar array Secure datalink to illuminate target for LRAAM fired from another aircraft N-011M Bars radar with Noncooperative target recognition Zhuk MS radar offering 300 km range against ship target and 150 - 180 km against fighter targets. United Kingdom HMS Sheffield, the last Type 22 Batch 2, will be shortly retired. A replacement program for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary has been announced. The first results of the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) program will enter service at the end of this decade. China Eight Project 636/636M Kilo variants armed with Klub-S missiles have been ordered from Russia and will enter service in 2005. Malaysia Two Scorpene SSKs have been ordered from France and Spain and will enter service in 2007. Malaysia will buy 18 Su-30MKM Flankers, with deliveries scheduled to start in mid-2006. South Korea South Korea will buy 40 (with an option for 40 more) F-15Ks. These will enter service from 2005. The F-15K is based on the F-15E, but it has F110 engines, Active Electronic Scanning Array for the APG-63, Link 16 and the Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System. United States A variant of the F/A-18F Super Hornet, the EA-18 Growler, will replace the EA-6B Prowler aircraft currently in service with the USN and USMC. Just before the beginning of the Second Gulf War, the US Air Force demonstrated the MOAB, or “Massive Ordnance Air Blast.” Right. Everyone knows it really stands for “Mother Of All Bombs.” It weighs 21,500 pounds, and has an explosive fill of 18,000 pounds, or 8169 kg, of TNT. That’s 1362 damage points! It’s GPS-guided, and has stub wings, as well as lattice-style guidance fins. It can probably glide several miles, especially if dropped from high altitude. The only delivery system mentioned by the USAF right now is the MC-130, but Aviation Week says it can fit in the bomb bay of a B-2. India The Indian Air Force achieved IOC with its first Il-78 Midas in March of this year. The entire buy of six aircraft is to be delivered by the end of 2003, and are assigned to No 78 Squadron at Agra air base. These are Il-78MK (new builds with the extra fuel of the Il-78M). The crews and maintainers are already trained. The Su-30MKI already have probes, and the Mirage 2000s and Jaguars are being fitted. The acceptance of the Russian-built Talwar-class frigates into Indian naval service has been delayed by problems with their Shtil SAM system. Since the Uragan [SA-N-7] (the export name is Shtil) has been in Russian service for over twenty years, the problem probably relates to its integration with the ship’s combat system. BT Back to The Naval Sitrep # 24 Table of Contents Back to Naval Sitrep List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2003 by Larry Bond and Clash of Arms. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history and related articles are available at http://www.magweb.com