Naval Group launches first Gowind corvette for UAE Navy
by Kate Tringham
The first Gowind corvette ordered by the United Arab Emirates is pictured during its launch at Naval Group's yard in Lorient on 4 December. (Naval Group)
French shipbuilder Naval Group launched the first Gowind 2500 corvette on order for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Navy at its Lorient shipyard on 4 December.
The new ship, named Bani Yas, is the first of two Gowind corvettes being procured by the UAE under a contract signed in 2019.
The construction of Bani Yas started in 2020 and is planned to be delivered in "the coming months", a Naval Group spokesperson told Janes. The second ship is also under construction and is scheduled to be launched next year. Under current planning, the second ship will be handed over approximately six months after the delivery of Bani Yas, the spokesperson said.
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Corvettes Defence procurement France Major surface combatants Sea vehicles United Arab Emirates
Malaysia to procure eight more Littoral Mission Ships
by Ridzwan Rahmat
Putrajaya is acquiring eight more Littoral Mission Ships for the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN).
The vessels will be known as 'New LMS Second Batch', the Malaysian Minister of Defence Hishammuddin Hussein said in his annual address to the staff of the ministry on 17 January.
However, no further details on this programme were given, with the minister only adding that the matter is being discussed.
The Littoral Mission Ship (LMS) or Keris-class programme is Malaysia's first order for naval ships from China. A contract for four vessels was signed between Putrajaya and the trading subsidiary of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) in April 2017.
The first vessel, KD Keris (111), was commissioned in January 2020. The second vessel, KD Sundang (112), was inducted into service in March 2021, and the third-of-class, KD Badik (113), was commissioned in October 2021.
The RMN received the fourth vessel, Rencong (114), in December 2021, and the boat will be commissioned on 28 January, Hishammuddin said at the same event.
Hishammuddin also said that the RMN will receive in March 2022 the first of three new Leonardo AW139 airframes ordered under the country's Maritime Operations Helicopter (MOH) programme.
Malaysia Patrol forces Sea vehicles
Turkish Navy commissions first intelligence-gathering ship
by Lale Sariibrahimoglu
TCG Ufuk (A-591) will be used by Turkey's National Intelligence Organization for signal and electronic intelligence missions while also meeting the test and training vessel requirements of the Turkish Navy. (Cem Devrim Yaylali)
Turkey's first dedicated intelligence-gathering ship, TCG Ufuk (A-591), was officially commissioned into service at Istanbul Shipyard in Tuzla, Istanbul, on 14 January, İsmail Demir, head of Turkey's Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB), has announced.
The ship will be jointly operated by the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) and the Turkish Naval Forces Command (TNFC). It will be used for signal and electronic intelligence missions while also meeting the test and training vessel requirements of the TNFC.
Ufuk was designed by STM, which has overall responsibility for the programme, and built at Istanbul Shipyard under a contract awarded in 2017. It was laid down in 2018 and launched in February 2019.
The overall design is based on the Turkish Navy's Ada (MILGEM)-class corvettes, but features changes to the propulsion system, superstructure, and the removal of armament (it will instead use only small-calibre machine guns for self-protection).
Armed forces C4ISR systems Defence procurement Equipment in service Navy Navy Sea vehicles Turkey
RN sets sights on low-cost, fixed-wing UAV under Project Vampire
by Richard Scott
A QinetiQ Banshee Jet 80+ target vehicle pictured on its launcher on HMS Prince ofWales 's flight deck during trials in September 2021. (Crown Copyright)
The UK Royal Navy (RN) is moving forward with plans to procure a low-cost fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as an initial increment of its Future Maritime Aviation Force (FMAF).
Dubbed Project Vampire, the acquisition aims to assess uncrewed or autonomous air systems for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, electromagnetic operations, and threat simulation. The release of an invitation to tender (ITT) by Navy Command Headquarters on 17 January comes four months after initial demonstrations of the Banshee Jet 80+ aerial target vehicle from the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales .
Managed by the Develop Directorate within Navy Command, the FMAF programme is exploring the transition of a number of aviation roles – intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, communications, lift, and strike – from crewed to uncrewed air platforms. As one strand of FMAF, Project Vampire aims to address a number of capability problem sets utilising a low-cost, fixed-wing UAV as a means for the development of operational concepts, payload types, and associated communication and digital architecture.
Air vehicles Aircraft carriers Armed forces Defence technology developments Equipment in service Navy Major surface combatants Navy Sea vehicles United Kingdom Unmanned aerial vehicles and targets
https://www.janes.com/defence-news/naval-weapons/latest/naval-group-launches-first-gowind-corvette-for-uae-navy
French shipbuilder Naval Group launched the first Gowind 2500 corvette on order for the United Arab ...
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