Artist impression of nuclear powered dual displacement icebreaker “Arktika” (project 22220)
Image: Atomflot
NavyRecognition reports that Russia claims they will have three more nuclear powered icebreakers by 2020 (when the US plans to start building it first new heavy icebreaker since 1977). They also announced plans for two more classes of nuclear icebreakers and a floating nuclear power plant.
The new icebreakers are expected to have a power of 120 MW or more than twice the power of the Polar Star.
Navy photo: The U.S. Navy Cyclone-class coastal patrol ships assigned to Patrol Coastal Squadron 1 (PCRON 1), USS Hurricane (PC-3), USS Chinook (PC-9) and USS Typhoon (PC-5), transit in formation during a divisional tactics exercise in the Persian Gulf.
We know there are not enough ships to respond to all the intelligence we have on drug trafficing in SouthCom’s area of responsibility.
These little ships are considerably smaller than those we normally send South, but they are very similar in size to the new 353 ton Webber class WPCs. We have six Webber class in Miami, six in Key West, and will soon have six in Puerto Rico. If we could rotate some of these through the Transit zones, they might make a difference.
DOD Photo. Ships of the Saudi Arabian Navy are docked at the base PORT JUBAIL
Below is a post I prepared for CIMSEC. It began at Lyle’s suggestion several months ago, to be published here, considering if perhaps some of the new Coast Guard assets, the National Security Cutter, the Offshore Patrol Cutter, or the Fast Response Cutter might serve as the basis for something the Saudis would buy. It seems clear now that will probably not be the case. The Saudi’s have a very different set of priorities than those that shaped the Coast Guard’s specifications. Distances are relatively short. The likely enemy, Iran, is close at hand, and primarily uses small vessels with limited seakeeping so even moderately good seakeeping is better than that of the apparent enemy. .
The Royal Saudi Navy is planning to replace virtually all of its Eastern Fleet. The expected price tag has been variously reported as between $11.25 and $20B. One of Saudi Arabia’s two fleets, the Eastern Fleet is based in the Persian Gulf and faces off squarely against Iran’s Navy and Revolutionary Guard Corp. The Western Fleet is based in the Red Sea and includes seven French built frigates.
The existing Eastern fleet, all American built, includes four 75 meter (246 foot), 1,038 ton corvettes and nine 58 meter (190 feet), 495 ton guided missile boats. All are nearing the end of their useful lives, having entered service in the early ’80s.
In February Defense News reported that Saudi Arabia had sent a letter of request to the US Navy that outlined the entire program. It specified:
Four 3,500-ton “frigate-like warships” capable of anti-air warfare, armed with an eight-to-16-cell vertical launch system (VLS) capable of launching Standard SM-2 missiles; fitted with an “Aegis or like” combat system using “SPY-1F or similar” radars; able to operate Sikorsky MH-60R helicopters; with a speed of 35 knots.
Six 2,500-ton warships with combat systems compatible with the frigates, able to operate MH-60R helos.
20 to 24 fast patrol vessels about 40 to 45 meters long, powered by twin diesels.
10 “maritime helicopters” with characteristics identical to the MH-60R.
Three maritime patrol aircraft for coastal surveillance.
30 to 50 UAVs, some for maritime use, some to be shore-based.
This shopping list sounds remarkably specific. This suggest that they already have a good idea what they expect to buy.
Four 3,500-ton “frigate-like warships”
Plans have firmed up for the four frigates. While they will not have the Aegis like radars they will have a, “…16-cell (Mk41) VLS installation able to launch Evolved Sea Sparrow missiles, and will carry Harpoon Block II surface-to-surface missiles in dedicated launchers, and anti-air Rolling Airframe Missiles in a SeaRAM close-in weapon system. The MMSC will also mount a 76mm gun… a Lockheed Martin COMBATSS-21 combat management system, which shares some commonality with the much larger Aegis combat system, and feature the Cassidian TRS-4D C-band radar.”
Six 2,500-ton warships with combat systems compatible with the frigates, able to operate MH-60R helos.
The design for the six smaller ships hasn’t been discussed openly, so this is a bit of speculation, but at least I think we can expect something like this. The video below, from Swiftship, recently appeared without much explanation. The similarity in design to the Freedom class is striking and it claims to be a proven hull form. If Marinette Marine is too busy to build these smaller ships in addition to the LCS and the Saudi Frigates, having Swiftships build them might be a way have having them delivered relatively quickly and it looks like it might fit the description. Note there is no mention of an ASW capability for these ships (other than the ability to embark an MH-60R). This parallels the current fleet structure where only the four largest vessels have an ASW capability and the next largest class vessels do not.
Swiftships has a record of selling vessels through “Foreign Military Sales” and the vessel in the video shares a number of systems in common with the projected Saudi frigates including a 76mm gun, RAM missiles, MH-60s, and possibly Harpoon (they show only a generic representation of an ASCM).
20 to 24 fast patrol vessels about 40 to 45 meters long, powered by twin diesels.
A likely choice for the patrol boat is this one, eight of which were sold to Pakistan. Reportedly these 43 meter, 143 foot vessels can make 34 knots and operate a ScanEagle UAS.
Another possibility is this 43.5 meter vessel that was provided to Lebanon under FMS.
Both of these PCs have the capability to stern launch an RHIB.
10 “maritime helicopters” with characteristics identical to the MH-60R.
Included in the buy of the helicopters are, “one-thousand (1,000) AN/SSQ-36/53/62 Sonobuoys; thirty-eight (38) AGM-114R Hellfire II missiles; five (5) AGM-114 M36-E9 Captive Air Training missiles; four (4) AGM-114Q Hellfire Training Missiles; three-hundred eighty (380) Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System rockets; twelve (12) M-240D crew served weapons; and twelve (12) GAU-21 crew served weapons.”
I note that the 380 Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System (APKWS) semi-active laser homing 70mm rockets is exactly the number to fill twenty 19 round launchers. These weapons are probably an ideal counter to the much vaunted Iranian “swarm.”
Three maritime patrol aircraft for coastal surveillance:
These are almost certainly P-8s.
30 to 50 UAVs, some for maritime use, some to be shore-based:
While there is no indication which system is favored. This sounds like too many systems for Firescout.
ScanEagle or one of Insitu’s slightly larger systems seems more likely, and if the Swiftships Offshore Patrol Vessel video is any indication, it includes a ScanEagle launch and recovery.
Conclusion:
This will be a major upgrade to the Saudi fleet that should allow them to maintain an advantage relative to the Iranian Fleet.
The ships and patrol boats will be three to five times larger than those they replace and far more survivable.
Fleet air defense systems which have been limited to 76mm guns and Phalanx CIWS will get a basic local area defense in the form of Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile, which will be backed up by rolling airframe missiles.
ASW capability will take a quantum leap with the addition of the three Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA), the ten MH-60R.
The Eastern fleet was relatively well equipped to target larger surface targets with a total of 68 Harpoon launch tubes on the existing ships, but they were less well equipped to deal with numerous Iranian small craft. MH-60Rs armed with Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System guided rockets should provide an effective counter to Iran’s swarm strategy.
MPA and Unmanned systems will enhance ISR capability.
The larger patrol craft should significantly improve maritime security.
According to my “Combat Fleets of the World,” the Saudi Navy has a Marine Corp of 3,000, but their only Amphibious Warfare ships are four LCUs and two LCMs. The addition of at least 30 ships with RHIBs, assuming the patrol craft have this capability, should allow the Saudi Navy to consider at least small scale raids and other forms of maritime Special Ops. If the six 2500 ton ships are configured like the ship in Swiftships video, with four RHIBs, it would seem particularly appropriate for this role. The addition of ten helicopter decks where there were none before also opens up options for these types of operations.
MarineLog reports, “DECEMBER 9, 2015 – Bollinger Shipyards will pay the United States $8.5 million and release contract claims to settle a False Claims Act action filed against it in the Eastern District of Louisiana, the Department of Justice announced today.”
The Coast Guard has recently experience a rash of laser attacks.
Dec.1, an H-65 from Port Angeles. “A Coast Guard helicopter crew was forced to cut a training mission short after they were targeted by someone with a laser near Port Angeles Monday night…The MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew was airborne when a laser was shined at them around 6:30 p.m, forcing the crew to abort the mission and return immediately to Air Station Port Angeles, where they landed safely.”
1 Dec. an H-65 from Traverse City. “On Monday at 8:30 p.m., a Coast Guard MH-65 helicopter with Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City, Michigan, was hit with a laser while flying in the vicinity of Lake Okeechobee, Florida. Crewmembers aboard the aircraft reported the laser came from land.”
3 Dec. “…a 45-foot motor lifeboat crew at Coast Guard Station Channel Islands that four of the members were struck twice with a laser while transiting near the Channel Islands Harbor entrance. Crewmembers reported that the laser came from shore and once they energized their blue law-enforcement light, the laser desisted.”
Fortunately there were apparently no injuries.
As noted in the one of the press releases, “Pointing a laser at an aircraft is a federal crime and a felony offense under Title 18, United States Code, Section 39A. If found guilty, offenders could be fined up to $250,000 and sentenced to five years in prison. ”
Don’t know what the punishment for pointing a laser at a boat crew is, but it should also be significant.
Zurich, Switzerland headquartered, ABB Group reports they “will provide the power, automation and turbocharging capabilities for the most advanced port icebreaker ever built.”
The Russian built ship’s configuration is unusual, described as “a totally new concept especially developed for heavy harbour ice conditions with extensive thick brash ice.” It has four 3 MegaWatt Azipod units with two in the stern and two at the bow.
Sounds like this configuration might permit the ship to be used as an oblique icebreaker, allowing it to clear a channel wider than the ship’s beam.
Tups, who seems to be our resident icebreaker expert, brought this to my attention. He feels this type of icebreaker may be appropriate for the Great Lakes. He notes that the new Russian icebreaker is “slightly bigger than USCGC Mackinaw…about 50 ft longer, 10 ft wider, 5 ft deeper and about twice as powerful.”
Navy Recognition reports installation of a new type of sensor on four Australian medium range search aircraft. (Looks a lot like an HU-25 doesn’t it? It is a contracted SAR resource.)
It was reportedly tested by the USCG “in 2014 and managed to detect small targets at a distance of more than 20nm.” I tried to find out a little bit more about the Coast Guard test, and apparently it was associated with the experiments with an aerostat deployed from the Healey.
Anyone know if this system has a future in the USCG?
Late Note: Unfortunately I let my frustration with the slowness of out cutter replacement and my natural snarkiness color this report, leaving the impression that the Mexican Navy was replacing its ships faster than the Coast Guard, which is not the case. Rather this ship was decommissioned because it had a damaging fire.
The German Navy blog “Marine Forum” reports,
The Mexican Navy has sunk its decommissioned patrol vessel „Uribe“ (P-121) off the Baja California coast where it will become the state’s first artificial reef (divers attraction).
I cannot help but notice this ship compared favorably to our 210s being 18 years newer, larger, faster, and better armed.
NavyRecognition reports the Navy has selected the sonar for their Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel.(ACTUV). Since this vessel is quite small at 140 tons and 132 feet long, there is a good chance the sonar would fit nicely on cutters as small as the Webber class, and certainly on the Offshore Patrol Cutter.
“MS3 (Modular Scalable Sonar System–Chuck) marks an improvement in the performance and reliability of proven sonar technologies. It performs active and passive search and tracking; incoming torpedo warning; and small-object avoidance for safer navigation.”
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 