Category Archives: OPV

Coast Guard Submarine?

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Covert Shores reports the Rubin Design Bureau, which has designed most of Russia and the Soviet Union’s submarines, has proposed a submarine for the Russian Coast Guard.

“The BOSS (Border and Offshore Submersible Sentry) submarine is a concept which has been around for a few years. It is unlikely that Russia will ever build it, but it is all the same an interesting possibility.”

Apparently, the Russian Coast Guard did not ask for a submarine, but the design bureau thinks, even if they don’t want it, it might be exportable.

It’s small, about the size of a World War II vintage German Type VII U-boat, “…60 – 70 meters (197 – 230 feet) long depending on customer configuration, and displaces around 1,000 tons.” Being submersible it could submerge to wait out rough weather.

I do kind of like the way it’s equipped, boat for boarding, VTOL UAS for search, gun for firing warning shots, 10 km range small surface to surface missiles for engaging small fast highly maneuverable targets, and torpedoes capable of forcibly stopping any size vessel.

“India orders six next-gen offshore patrol vessels from Mazagon Dockyard” –Naval Today

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105 meter, Off Shore Patrol Vessel (OPV) ICGS Samarth, 10 November 2015, lead ship of a class of 11, photo Indian Coast Guard

Naval Today reports, “The Indian Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with Mazagon Dockyard Shipbuilders (MDL) for the construction of six next-generation offshore patrol vessels (OPVs).”

The six new ships are to be 115 meters (377′) in length, about the size of the Hamilton class cutters. I have not been able to find any additional information on their characteristics, but historically, Indian CG OPVs evolve from preceding designs, so I expect they will share many characteristics with the preceding 105 meter class pictured above and the 97 meter Vikram class; e.g. speed 23 to 26 knots; powered by two diesel engines; armed with a 30mm gun; hangar and flight deck for at least a five ton helicopter.

As for what they change, “Along with several high-tech advanced features and equipment, these 115m OPVS would be equipped with multipurpose drones, AI capability, and wirelessly controlled remote water rescue craft lifebuoy.”

The six ships are to be designed and delivered in 66 months. From contract to completion of six ships in five and a half years may sound like a tight schedule considering the US Coast Guard’s recent experience. Looking back on the previous class of eleven ships, procured in two batches, it looks possible. A $400M contract to build six vessels was awarded to GSL on 9 May 2012. All six were commissioned by 21 December 2017, less than 68 months after contract award. A follow-on contract for five ships was awarded in August 2016. The fifth ship was commissioned 16 March 2022, about 67 months from award to completion of five ships.

India benefits from the near continuous construction of Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs). Over the last ten years, 22 Indian built OPVs were commissioned, 18 for the Indian Coast Guard, two for the Indian Navy, and two for export.

In addition to these six OPVs, the Indian Navy is also building eleven similarly named but different 105 to 110 meter “Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels.“

“Analysis: Royal Navy deploys seven ships on underwater infrastructure patrols” –Navy Lookout

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Joint Expeditionary Force nations.

Ever since the Nord Stream pipelines were damaged, in September 2022, there has been a lot of talk about the need to protect Critical Undersea Infrastructure (UCI) including concern about the possibility of damaging or surreptitiously tapping into undersea cables.

Some US agency is likely to get this job. Frankly I don’t see this as a job for the Coast Guard since we have very little underwater surveillance capability, but I may be wrong. The Coast Guard would probably at least be asked to report suspicious activity that might be recognized by Maritime Domain Awareness systems and if there is damage to a pipeline, the Coast Guard would certainly be called in to deal with the pollution.

Still, it may be interesting to see what the Europeans are doing. Navy Lookout reports,

“On 28th November Defence Ministers from the Joint Expeditionary (JEF) nations agreed to activate a ‘Response Option’. This will take the form of a Royal Navy-led effort to bolster the security of undersea infrastructure and deter hybrid threats. Since the destruction of the NordStream pipeline in September 2022 and the attack on the Baltic Connector pipeline in October 2023, there has been increasing concern about underwater Russian activity. The Defence Secretary described this as “This historic and unprecedented agreement”. It has certainly been a long time since the UK conducted multi-lateral military activity in the European area that was not done under the auspices of NATO.”

Interestingly, the effort will include two Royal Navy River class Batch One Offshore Patrol Vessels, HMS Severn and HMS Tyne, that are the British equivalent of US Coast Guard Medium Endurance Cutters, except that they do not include flight decks. There was no mention of whether they might be equipped with Unmanned Undersea Vehicles.

Thanks to Lee for bringing this to my attention. 

“France’s DGA Orders 7 New OPV For The French Navy” –Naval News

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Artist impression of the Patrouilleur Hauturier OPV underway. Naval Group image.

Naval News reports,

The French defense procurement agency (DGA) ordered on 17 November 2023 seven new offshore patrol vessels (OPV) as part of the “Patrouilleurs Hauturiers” program for the French Navy (Marine Nationale).

These “second rank” ships will have missions similar to USCG cutters. We heard about the requirement for these ships and the vessels they would replace three years ago. At that time ten ships were expected. Since then, the requirement was reduced to six and now seven. France has been building several different classes of large patrol vessels (here, here, and here).

This new class of Patrouilleurs Hauturiers (offshore patrol vessels) are expected to displace 2400 tons full load, have a range of 6,000 miles, and have accommodations for up to 84 personnel (passengers and crew). They are expected to mount the new 40mm gun.

“Singapore orders four offshore patrol vessels from Fassmer” –Naval Today

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Photo credit: German Federal Police

Naval Today reports,

Singapore’s Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) has signed a contract with German company Fassmer to acquire four new offshore patrol vessels (OPVs)…The ships are based on an OPV design operated by the German Bundespolizei (Federal Police). Furthermore, they are designed with high maneuverability to operate in Singapore’s congested waters.

In a comment, a reader, Katoult, who I see provided the photo above, pointed me to an even better article on the topic at Naval News, thanks.

I have a lot of respect for Singapore’s decision makers. They are very tech savvy and, like the US, cannot depend on cheap labor in large numbers. I am a bit surprised they did not use a version of their Littoral Missions Vessel design for this mission. This is the fourth nation to choose a Fassmer OPV design. It does appear to be a bit more seaworthy and incorporates a hangar that the Littoral Missions Vessel does not include. I think we will see unmanned systems operating from these ships.

VARD’s “Vigilance” 75 meter OPV Design

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Naval News provides a bit more information on VARD’s proposal of a 75 meter OPV using the CUBE system of replaceable modules for the Canadian Navy. The discussion of the OPV begins in the video at time 3:26.

If these are to replace the 12 ship Kingston class, now 24 to 27 years old, this could be a significant program.

We talked about this proposal earlier. Canada apparently intends to deploy these well beyond the Canadian EEZ. The flight deck appears to be small and perhaps capable of operating only UAS. I still think the design generally is a little too tight, that it should be 5 to 15 meters longer and have a flight deck capable of operating a helicopter. I would also like to see a gun larger than 30mm.

Nevertheless, the CUBE system looks promising, possibly permitting an OPV to be quickly converted to meet emerging needs.

There is no indication Canada has accepted this design, but I have seen no information about competing designs.

Thanks to Lee for bringing this to my attention. 

“China’s Massive New Maritime Patrol Ship Looks Like A Cruise Ship Inside” –The Drive

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China Maritime Safety Administration’s Haixun-09

This came out in 2021. I missed it at the time, but it is still interesting. Have not heard any reports of the utilization of this massive ship since it was completed.

There is plenty of speculation within the post as to how the ship will be used. Note this is not China Coast Guard. The China Maritime Safety Administration was the only one of China’s five agencies with Coast Guard like missions that was not consolidated into the China Coast Guard.

“INSIDE LOOK aboard HMCS Harry DeWolf” –Video

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Just a short video, made at least a couple of years ago, but particularly wanted to feature the “cable deck,” time 1:27 to 1:45, where you see mooring and anchoring gear conspicuously missing from the foc’sle. Keeping this gear inside the ship is critical to keeping it operational in the Arctic environment.

A total of eight ships of the class are planned, six for the Canadian Navy and two for their Coast Guard. Navy or Coast Guard, these “Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships” (AOPS) essentially perform what we view as Coast Guard missions. They are 6,615 ton ships, 340 feet (103.6 meters) in length. Four diesel generators provide power to two electric motors that provide 12,000 HP for a 17 knot max speed. Range is 6,800 nautical miles at 14 knots. The crew is 65 with accommodations for 87. The gun seen in the video is a weatherized version of the 25mm Mk38. They are Polar Class 5.

“As Arctic ice melts, NATO plots northern defense tactics” –Video

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Wanted to pass along the video above, if for no other reason, for the scenes of the Danish Patrol Frigate HDMS Triton operating in the ice. Notice her ground tackle (equipment used to anchor the ship) is not exposed on the foc’sle, where it would be quickly encrusted with ice. It is well below the main deck.

Triton’s routine peacetime missions and those of her Thetis class sister ships are much the same as US Coast Guard cutters. They do SAR, fisheries, marine environmental protection, and support scientific research. They are ice strengthened and can reportedly operate in 31 inches (80 cm) of ice. They use the STANFLEX modular weapon system, with one slot forward and two slots aft, allowing rapid addition or change out of weapon systems. They have a hull mounted sonar, torpedo tubes, and can support a MH-60R ASW helicopter. They are 3,500 tons full load and 112.3 m (368 ft 5 in) in length with a speed of 22 knots and a range of 8,700 nautical miles at 15 knots and a 60 day endurance. My Combat Fleets of the world reported that they had seven crews to operate the four ships. Perhaps surprisingly, they have only a single shaft, but it is probably well out of the way of ice. The ships of the class are all over 30 years old and the Danes have probably started thinking about replacement.

The Royal Danish Navy (RDN) Thetis-class patrol ship HDMS Triton is pictured operating a Seahawk helicopter during Canada’s Operation ‘Nanook’ exercise in the Arctic in 2022. One element of RDN Arctic capability development is to improve tactical datalinks between the Seahawks and their host frigates and patrol ships. (Canadian Armed Forces)

First of Ten Turkish Hisar-class OPV is ready to launch

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A rendering showing the design of the Hisar-class OPV (ASFAT image)

Naval News reports,

The Turkish Navy’s first-ever offshore patrol vessel (OPV), the Hisar-class project’s lead ship was spotted at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard. The future TCG Akhisar (P-1220) is ready for launch.

The Hisar-class OPV is being built using the “fitted for but not with” concept, which allows for the integration of newly developed indigenous weapon and sensor systems. The OPV, which can accommodate a total of 104 people, will have a range of 4500 nautical miles with its CODELOD (COmbined Diesel-eLectric Or Diesel) main propulsion system.

Specifications:

  • Overall length: 99,56 meters
  • Beam: 14,42 meters
  • Draft: 3,77 meters
  • Maximum speed: 24 knots
  • Displacement: 2300 tons

Türkiye has begun to be a significant arms exporter including the export of warships. These are likely to be well received when offered for export.

Depending on how it is equipped, these could also fill the role of a corvette or light frigate.

Developed as a variant of the MİLGEM-class corvettes, the Hisar class OPV has been redesigned with a different main propulsion system and a different structural and general layout concept, allowing it to be built in a shorter time and at a lower cost.

I have come to see ships of about 2500 tons, 100 meter (328′) in length, and 25 knots as something of an ideal modern OPV. This is very close to that. Personnel accommodations allow a reasonable crew size and range is adequate. Its CODELOD (COmbined Diesel-eLectric Or Diesel) main propulsion system sounds like current best practices. It has a helicopter deck and hangar. What is not clear, is how good the accommodations for boat launch and recovery are–critical because boats are a primary tool for OPV missions, and if it can also accommodate a UAS system in addition to the helicopter. This is rapidly becoming a highly desirable capability.