France Is About To Sell Four Of These $412 Million Warships To Impoverished Greece
October 17, 2011
German officials are up-in-arms over the planned sale of four DCNS FREMM multimission stealth frigates to heavily indebted Greece. Spiegel reports the deal would provide up to four frigates at $412 million apiece in a purchase arrangement that would deliver the ships free of charge and offer a big discount when payment is due in five years.
An executive from the ThyssenKrupp group in Germany, that also competed for the Greek contract, complained by letter to the German government that the French purchase will essentially be co-financed by German taxpayers.
SHAH ALAM: Thales today confirmed that its SMART-S Mk2 radars and CAPTAS-2 sonar systems has been selected for the Royal Malaysian Navy LCS/SGPV programme. The announcement came after it received the LOA from Contraves Advanced Systems Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of the Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation Bhd. Contraves Advanced is the system integrator for Boustead Naval Shipyard the builder of the LCS/SGPV.
Lets hope they announced the missiles systems soon so they can start building the ships already.
Captas 2 and SMART-S MK-2
The Thales release:
Thales announces that it has signed a Letter of Award with Contraves Advanced Devices Sdn. Bhd. to supply six SMART-S Mk2 naval surveillance radar systems, as well as six CAPTAS-2 towed sonar systems for the Royal Malaysian Navy’s Second Generation Patrol Vessel (SGPV) Littoral Combat Ships (LCS).
The six SMART-S Mk2 radars will be installed on the Malaysian Littoral Combat Ships that are currently being built by Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd in Malaysia. The first SMART-S Mk2 is expected to be delivered within the next few years. Thales in Hengelo (The Netherlands) will build and test the first two radars; the other four systems will be assembled and tested by Contraves in Malaysia, using Thales components and know-how.
The Royal Malaysian Navy has also selected the CAPTAS-2 which is part of the CAPTAS family of active Variable Depth Sonar (VDS). CAPTAS-2 is designed to perform against quiet submarines, enabling surface platforms to carry out all Anti-Submarine Warfare missions such as escort, prosecution, area sanitisation and own force protection.
The CAPTAS-2 Variable Depth Sonar comprises state-of-the-art innovative technologies that provides a high source level in a compact array. Furthermore, Thales’s unique towed triplet receive arrayprovides instant left/right ambiguity resolution, and is ideally suited for torpedo defence.
Thales is the European leader in naval radars and number one internationally for sonars and underwater systems. This new success confirms the position of the Group as a trusted partner to Navies worldwide.
About SMART-S Mk2
This contract raises the number of SMART-S Mk2 radar systems sold to well over 50. With the first system under contract in 2003 and operational in 2006, this radar is the world’s market leader in naval medium to long range 3D surveillance radars.
SMART-S Mk2 is a medium to long range air and surface surveillance radar that operates in E/F band (S-band), has full 3D coverage, up to 70 degrees in elevation and two operational modes with 250/150 kilometre range respectively. The system is optimised to provide medium to long range situational awareness and target designation in complex environments such as the littoral. The SMART-S Mk2 range performance is matched with the operational capabilities of modern AAW defence missiles systems. Its dedicated helicopter and short-range capabilities also make this radar the ideal sensor for helicopter-carrying amphibious ships, LPDs or small aircraft carriers.
SMART-S Mk2 has been designed for minimal support and easy installation. Maintenance-free mission capability is ensured by the use of solid-state transmitter technology and parallel processes. This, and more, make SMART-S Mk2 the 3D naval radar system of choice for littoral operations.
About CAPTAS-2
Thanks to substantial investments into the development of the CAPTAS family, CAPTAS-2 has benefitted from the on-going evolution of Thales’s sea proven technologies, ranging from acoustic components to the most state-of-the-art software processing,.
KUALA LUMPUR: Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein told the Armed Forces today that he will do whatever it take to get the necessary funds to re-capitalise the services.
He said 35 years ago his father – who was then the Defence Minister – had initially ordered only 5 Nuri helicopters as they had only enough funds for the five. However, Hishammuddin said after listening to the arguments of the leaders of the Armed Forces then, his father Tun Hussein made sure that enough funds were allocated to buy another 35 Nuris.
Hishammuddin, speaking at the launch of the pictorial book, Malaysian Armed Forces : The Nation’s Shield 80th Anniversary, at the ministry’s auditorium pledged that he will do his utmost to ensure that the service will get the funds for the assets and capabilities they had asked for in their plans. He did not specify the assets or capabilities.
The pictorial book – the second update of the series – will be made available at local bookstores soon.
Later in a press conference, on Singaapore’s decision to ban an Indonesian naval ship named after two marines who were executing for a bombing incident on the island’s republic on March 10, 1965, Hishammuddin said it was a bilateral issue between both countries and Malaysia will not interfere in the issue. Any decision on the matter will be decided by Wisma Putera, according.
The bombing incident was part of Indonesia’s Ganyang Malaysia campaign and occurred four months before Singapore’s independence.
On the Nuri, Hishammuddin revealed that the Nuris were undergoing an upgrade programme which allow them to be in service for the foreseeable future. The upgrade programme will be done in conjunction with the Hercules SLEP and involved all of the aircraft in service (25 Nuris and 15 Hercules)
Both Hishammuddin and Armed Forces chief Tan Sri Jen Zukifeli Mohd Zin did not identify the company which is handling the project. It is an open secret that it is Airod of course.
Anyhow at the end of the PC, Zulkifeli said the RMN is expected to conduct the first bilateral exercise – CPX – with PLAN in May after the PM visit to Beijing to commemorate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between both countries. The CPX will focus on either Humanitarian Assitance Disaster Recovery (HADR) or Counter-terrorism.
Zulkifeli rather exasperatedly acknowledged that a PLAN task force did sailed through James Shoal last month before transiting through Sunda Straits into the Indian Ocean. He said the PLAN ships was conducting a passage through the Malaysian EEZ and it was a normal one as just when the ships passed through the Malacca Straits. He blamed the media for sensationalising the issue as relations of between Malaysia and China was cordial and friendly.
On the procurement side, the X-band transponder for the Armed Forces use is expected to be ready by 2015, according to Zulkifeli.
For more on the PC see the video link below.
Anyhow does Hishammuddin pledge meant that they will buy the Cobra Zulu, Typhoon and Saab 2000 AEW tomorrow? Actually, Hishammuddin already bought the Typhoons – the Streit Typhoon MRAP – for PDRM already (six of them) but what about the MRCA then?
Since there is no allocation for the Cobra Zulu, Typhoon and Saab AEW in the 10th Malaysian Plan, the best thing he can do is to make sure that the funds are allocated in the 11th Malaysian Plan which will come on line from the middle of 2015. That was how we got our Nuris in the first place.