LOCATIONS
LAND
20 Dec 13. British security equipment manufacturers, BCB International Ltd, have announced that they will be opening a sales office in Tripoli in the New Year. The 159 year old Cardiff-based company has Government agencies and security organisations among its customers. BCB’s Tripoli Office will be managed by Taha Kuymizakis a native from Benghazi.
MARITIME
19 Dec 13. SSBN Alexander Nevsky to enter service with Russian Navy. Alexander Nevsky, the Russian Navy’s second Borei-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), will be commissioned in to the Russian Navy on 21 December 2013. RIA Novosti cited a defence industry source as saying that the commissioning of the submarine into the Russian Navy fleet will take place during a ceremony at the Sevmash shipyard in the northern city of Severodvinsk. The 170m-long Alexander Nevsky has a hull diameter of 13m, a crew capacity of 107, a submerged speed of 29k and a maximum depth of 450m. By 2015, the Russian Navy is expected to receive eight Borei-class submarines to replace the existing Project 941 and Project 667 (Nato Typhoon and Delta-3 and Delta-4) class ballistic missile, as part of a state 2020 rearmament procurement programme. Powered by an OK-650 nuclear reactor and AEU steam turbine, Alexander Nevsky can carry up to 16 ballistic missiles and torpedoes, including the Bulava (SS-NX-30) sea-based SLBM. Designed by the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology, the Bulava replaces the R-39 solid-fuel SLBM. Russia is planning to spend $166bn on its military rearmament programme through 2020, which will see the navy equipped with ten Graney-class nuclear attack submarines and 20 diesel-electric submarines, including six Varshavyanka-class vessels. (Source: naval-technology.com)
20 Dec 13. Italian Navy receives second FREMM vessel, Virginio Fasan. The Italian Navy has received the second Frégate Européen multi-mission (FREMM) vessel, Virginio Fasan, during a ceremony held at Fincantieri shipyard in Muggiano, La Spezia, Italy. The delivery of the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) configured Virginio Fasan vessel is part of a contract awarded to Orizzonte Sistemi Navali to build ten vessels for the Italian Navy to replace the ageing Fincantieri-built Lupo and Maestrale-class ships by 2021. Italy will receive the vessels in two versions, namely an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) model and a general-purpose (GP) vehicle. The 144m-long and 19.7m-wide Carlo Bergamini has a full-load displacement capacity of 6,500t, a maximum speed of 27k and an accommodation capacity of 145. Orizzonte Sistemi Navali (51% Fincantieri, 49% Finmeccanica) is the prime contractor for Italy, while Armaris, a joint venture between DCNS and Thales, is the prime contractor for France under the FREMM programme. The Italian FREMM vessels will be armed with the SAAM Aster 15 missile system, Teseo Mk2 sea-skimming anti-ship missiles and MBDA’s Milas all-weather weapon system to support anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and anti-air warfare missions. Capable of supporting a range of missions and better safeguard the Mediterranean area, the FREMM frigates will also be used to conduct broad maritime defence strategies such as deterrence, protection, crisis mitigation and power projection. In addition, the ships will be equipped with EMPAR G-band multifunction phased array radar and Galileo Avionica silent acquisition surveillance system (SASS) to serve as infrared search and track (IRST) system. (Source: naval-technology.com)
23 Dec 13. Australian Navy second landing helicopter dock ship
departs Spain. The Royal Australian Navy’s second and last amphibious ship’s hull has departed from Vigo in northern Spain. Built at the Navantia Ferrol shipyard in Spain, the landing helicopter dock (LHD) hull will be transported to Melbourne, Australia, by the heavy-lift ship, Blue Marlin, according to Defence Minister Senator David Johnston. The LHDs are expected to be over 230m long, 27.5m high an