Russian Navy to receive new nuclear attack submarine by yearend

The Russian Navy will receive a new Graney class nuclear-powered multipurpose attack submarine by the end of 2011, a spokesman for the Malakhit design bureau said on Monday.

Construction of the Severodvinsk submarine began in 1993 at the Sevmash Shipyard in the northern Russian city of Severodvinsk but has since been dogged by financial setbacks. It was floated out in June last year.

"The submarine is undergoing harbor trials at the Sevmash Shipyard and is getting ready for sea trials in May," the official said. "It should enter service with the Russian Navy by the end of this year."

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.

In 2009, work started on the second sub of the Graney class, the Kazan, which will feature more advanced equipment and weaponry.

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Ships unable to get navy escorts from Egypt's Suez port

Vessels at Egypt's port of Suez are unable to pick-up military escorts for protection through the pirate-prone Gulf of Aden due to the unrest in the country, says a senior industry official.

Ships have been traveling through the Suez Canal, the main passageway for Europe's crude oil and imported goods, as usual with no reports of delays or cancellations.

Operations at the port have slowed, however, as anti-government protests have kept supplies and some staff from reaching the docks, Reuters reports.

"No ships have been delayed, but there have been no immigration or customs officials to clear security teams for shipments for the past two days," said a senior coordinator with a shipping firm operating in Suez, who wished not to be named.

"Crew changes for ships have also stopped and some provisions, like food and water, were not reaching the port," he added.

Suez has jumped into the world's radar as the scene of clashes between government forces and protesters demanding the removal of President Hosni Mubarak, who has ruled Egypt for three decades.

Half of all vessels that travel through the Suez Canal stop at the port city to re-supply, refuel, change crew and pick-up security escorts, the company official said.

More than 34,000 vessels passed through the canal in 2009, of which nearly 2,700 were oil tankers carrying some 29 million metric tons of oil, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Ships were now docking at ports in nearby countries, like Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, to obtain military escorts and supplies.

The maritime industry has become increasingly reliant on military escorts for protection against Somali pirates when traveling through the Gulf of Aden via the Suez Canal.

Global pirate attacks hit a seven-year high in 2010 and a record number of crew were taken hostage, with Somali pirates accounting for 49 of the 52 ships seized, the International Maritime Bureau watchdog said this month.

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DECOMMISSIONING OF HMAS MANOORA

Minister for Defence Stephen Smith and Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare today announced that HMAS Manoora would be decommissioned and that Defence would develop a new comprehensive plan to transition to the new Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) Ships.

HMAS Manoora will be decommissioned on the advice of Chief of Navy.

The Manoora was placed on operational pause by the Seaworthiness Board in September last year.

An examination of the over 40 year old ship has revealed it requires remediation of significant hull corrosion and the replacement of both gear boxes.

This work would cost over $20 million and would take until April 2012 to complete.

The Manoora was scheduled to be decommissioned at the end of next year.

“That is not value for money for another nine months of service,” Mr Smith and Mr Clare said.

HMAS Manoora and the Royal Australian Navy’s other amphibious support ships (HMAS Kanimbla and HMAS Tobruk) will be replaced by two Canberra Class LHDs, the largest Ships ever operated by the Royal Australian Navy.

Later this month (February 18) the hull of the first LHD will be launched in Spain where it has been constructed by Navantia.

The hull will arrive in Melbourne next year for further work to be completed at the Williamstown Shipyard before the LHD becomes operational in 2014. Australia’s second LHD will become operational the following year.

The LHDs are bigger than Australia’s last aircraft carrier. Each is 230 meters long and can carry a combined armed battlegroup of more than 1000 personnel, 100 armoured vehicles and 12 helicopters. Each also includes a 40-bed hospital.

“Stepping up to this new capability is going to require a lot of work by Navy,” Mr Smith said.

“It is very different to the ships we currently operate. One LHD will effectively replace the entire amphibious force we have today. It also has a number of capabilities, such as a floating dock that the Royal Australian Navy does not currently operate.

“Because of the decommissioning of the Manoora and the age of our other amphibious ships, I have asked Defence to present a new comprehensive plan for the transition towards the new LHDs.”

Transition plan:

“I have asked Defence to present me with options and recommendations to ensure the smooth transition to theLHD,” Mr Smith said.

This could include the lease or purchase of ships that would provide a platform to train and prepare for the LHDs, such as a Bay Class Ship from the UK Government.

If this option is taken up it could provide for the decommissioning of the HMAS Kanimbla or HMAS Tobruk to be brought forward.

HMAS Kanimbla was also placed on operational pause by the Seaworthiness Board last year. The Kanimbla is not now expected to be available for operations until mid-2012 and is currently scheduled to be decommissioned at the end of 2014.

HMAS Tobruk is currently being maintained at a 48 hours readiness posture in order to meet Australian Defence Force preparedness requirements.

The Tobruk will be required to dock this year to replace worn-out support bearings on a propeller shaft. She is due to be decommissioned at the end of 2012.

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Indian navy probes warship collision

Indian defence officials began a probe Monday into a collision between a warship and a merchant vessel near Mumbai, in the latest incident in the busy waters outside the city, an officer said.

The INS Vindhyagiri suffered damage and a fire broke out near the engine room as she returned to the city's naval dockyard on Sunday with the families of navy personnel on board.

"The cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained. That will only happen subsequent to the naval board of inquiry that will be set up," defence ministry spokesman Captain M. Nambiar told AFP.

Firefighters and military personnel battled thick smoke to bring the fire on the Leander class frigate under control as she was towed back to the dockyard from the busy shipping channel off India's financial capital.

Nambiar said the ship, which was commissioned in 1981, was listing in the dock's shallow waters because of damage to her hull but would right herself once pumping began.

Defence officials in New Delhi said that ammunition on board was cleared and that "all efforts" were made to contain the fire and flooding.

"Necessary measures have also been taken to prevent any spillage of oil from the ship," a statement said.

About 150 people were on board the vessel and had been on a short excursion when the collision happened with the Cyprus-flagged MV Nordlake, which was leaving Mumbai's Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT).

No one was injured, said Nambiar.

Six months ago, two cargo vessels collided off Mumbai, sending containers spilling into the sea, grounding one of the ships and causing it to list badly.

Shipping traffic into and out of JNPT and the Mumbai Port Trust -- which together handle about 40 percent of India's maritime cargo -- was severely disrupted after the waterway was closed due to the hazard.

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U212 / U214 Attack Submarines, Germany

Specifications:

Key Data:

Crew

27 (including five officers)

Vessel Type

Attack Submarine

Weapon Systems:

Torpedoes

six 533mm tubes, 24 STN Atlas Elektronik DM2A4 torpedoes

Combat Data Syetem

Basic Command and Weapons Control System (BCWCS)

Countermeasures:

ESM

EADS FL1800U

Decoys

TAU 2000 torpedo countermeasures system

Radar

Kelvin hughes type 1007 I-band navigation radar

Sonar

Atlas Elektronik DBQS-40 sonar suite and Atlas Elektronik MOA 3070 mine detection sonar

Periscopes

Zeiss Optronic SERO 14 search and SERO 15 attack

Propulsion

Diesel-electric, MTU 16V-396 diesel engine, 3.12MW, HDW / Siemens AIP (Air-Independent Propulsion) system, 300kW

U212 Dimensions:

Length

56m

Beam

7m

Draught

6m

Displacement (Surfaced)

1,524t

Displacement (Dived)

1,830t

U214 Dimensions:

Length

64m

Height

13m

Surface Displacement

1,700m³

Presure Hull Diameter

6.3m

Buoyancy Reserve

>10%

U212 Performance:

Speed (Surfaced)

12kt

Speed (Dived)

20kt

Range (at 8kt Surfaced)

8,000 miles

Range (at 8kt Dived)

420 miles

U214 Performance:

Submerged Patrol Speed of Advance

6kt

Range

12,000nm

Mission Endurance

12 weeks

Constantly Submerged

Three weeks without snorkelling

Mission Sprint Speed

15kt to 20kt

Maximum Dive Depth

400m+

Key Players:

Builders

Type 212 - Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH (HDW)

Operators

Type 212 - German Navy, Italian Navy

Featured Suppliers:

ATLAS ELEKTRONIK - Sonar Systems
Avio - Advanced Systems for Naval Automation and Propulsion
Calzoni - Marine Handling & Lighting Solutions
Consilium - Marine Safety Solutions 
EADS Space Transportation - Air Contamination Control Devices
Exide Technologies - Submarine Propulsion Batteries
Hagenuk Marinekommunikation - Naval VLF and SHF Radio Equipment
L-3 ELAC NAUTIK - Sonar Systems, Echo Sounders and Underwater Communication Systems
LINKSrechts - Helicopter Visual Landing Aid Systems (HVLAS), Submarine LED Lighting and Special LED Lighting Solutions
STL - Magnetometers, Digital Magnetometers and Gradiometer Systems

Related Photos

       The U212's diesel propulsion system is combined with an air-independent

        propulsion (AIP) system, used for silent slow cruising.

     U31 completing construction.

     The U212 is fitted with six torpedo tubes for DM2A4 heavyweight torpedoes.

     U31, the first of class, began sea trials in April 2003.

     The U212 attack submarine

     The AIP system is very quiet and produces no exhaust heat, making the U212 very difficult to detect.

The AIP fuel cell allows the U212 to cruise underwater for weeks without surfacing.

     U212 submarine schematic.

     The integrated sensor underwater system (ISUS). 

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Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System Completes Tracking Exercise

The Missile Defense Agency, U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin completed a key tracking exercise for the Aegis ballistic missile defense (BMD) system aboard three Navy ships.

In the test, known as Atlantic Trident, the USS Monterey (CG 61), USS Ramage (DDG 61) and USS Gonzalez (DDG 66) successfully tracked a short-range ballistic missile target. The Monterey and Ramage also simulated target solutions that would have resulted in successful intercepts.

"This event verified that both the Aegis BMD systems and crews aboard the ships are able to execute the missions necessary to support the nation's missile defense strategy," said Lisa Callahan, vice president of maritime BMD systems. "Aegis BMD is effective, affordable and interoperable with other systems and produces a layered air and missile defense capability to protect the U.S. homeland, our deployed forces and our allies."

This was the first Aegis test to take place on the East coast. Before this event, all tests occurred at test ranges in the Pacific Ocean. The exercise took place off of Wallops Island, Va., at the Wallops Flight Facility, a rocket launch site that supports science and exploration missions for NASA and other U.S. government agencies.

A total of 25 ships – 21 U.S. Navy Aegis-equipped ships and four Japanese Aegis-equipped destroyers – are currently outfitted with the Aegis BMD capability. An additional three ships are planned to become BMD-capable this year.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 133,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's 2009 sales from continuing operations were $44 billion.

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