INFOGRAPHICS #53: Characteristics of the corvette candidates for the Hellenic Navy's corvette program

By Lysimachos Samasitis

An Egyptian Gowind 2500 corvette and a Greek Hydra
class frigate in an exercise. Photo by Nick Thodos

This post is about the characteristics of the corvette candidates for the Hellenic Navy's corvette program. The Navy’s program amounts to €5 billion, and includes the construction of a combination of frigates and corvettes that will replace the nine old Elli (Kortenaer)-class frigates, the upgrade of some of the four Hydra-class (MEKO-200HN) frigates and the acquisition (if possible) of interim solution ships (at least two major surface combatants). The frigate program has been awarded to the French shipbuilder Naval Group which is already in advanced negotiations with Greece to supply up to four FDI frigates. It is expected that the winner of the corvette program will build four vessels. The following table is the result of an effort to capture the basic characteristics of the proposed corvettes for the Greek naval program by Lysimachos Samasitis.

INFOGRAPHICS #52: Royal Navy battleships, battlecruisers and HMS Warrior

The following images are created by Steve Freeman (sfreeman421 for deviantart) and depict all the classes of battleships and battlecruisers that served with the Royal Navy as well as the famous HMS Warrior, the first ocean-going armour-plated, iron-hulled warship, which is now a museum ship. Enjoy this great artwork! 

Royal Navy battleships. Original artwork and illustration: Steve Freeman.

INFOGRAPHICS #51: Αmphibious Ready Group (ARG)

The Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) is underway
in formation in the Atlantic Ocean, 2009. The 22nd Marine
Expeditionary Unit, deployed aboard the ships of the
Bataan ARG, is serving as the theater reserve force
for U.S. European Command. U.S. Marine Corps photo

An amphibious ready group (ARG) of the United States Navy consists of a naval element—a group of warships known as an Amphibious Task Force (ATF)—and a landing force (LF) of U.S. Marines (and, occasionally U.S. Army soldiers), totaling about 5,000 people. Together, these elements and supporting units are trained, organized, and equipped to perform amphibious operations.The resulting forces may range from a single Amphibious Ready Group/Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) [ARG/MEU (SOC)], to a larger organization capable of employing a Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) or even a Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF). Normally two to three ARGs are forward deployed: one in the Mediterranean Sea/Persian Gulf–Indian Ocean area, and one or two in the western Pacific Ocean area. The other ships of the ARG are either working up to deploy, in transit, or in overhaul. One ARG/MEU, known as Task Force 76/Expeditionary Strike Group 7, is forward based in Sasebo and Okinawa, Japan. In most cases, the ATF will be deployed under the protective umbrella of a Carrier Strike Group (CSG), which provides cover for the ATF and combat support to operations ashore. Ships of the ATF are capable of embarking and supporting other forces when the mission requires, including the United States Army, Special Operations Forces (SOF), or other joint and combined forces.

Damen submits proposal for Greek Navy corvette programme

Dutch shipbuilder Damen has submitted a proposal based on its proven SIGMA 10514 design to the General Directorate for Defense Investments and Armaments (GDDIA) for the Hellenic Navy's (HN) corvette programme, industry sources have confirmed to Janes. My story for Janes here.

Greece signs LOI with the Netherlands for second-hand frigates and minehunters

Greece has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with the Netherlands for the possible transfer of two modernised Karel Doorman (M)-class frigates and six Alkmaar (Tripartite)-class mine-countermeasures (MCM) vessels to the Hellenic Navy. The LOI was signed between the Hellenic defence procurement agency GDDIA and the Dutch Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) on 27 October. My story for Janes here.

FLEETS #29: THE HELLENIC NAVY FLEET TODAY - Ο ΣΤΟΛΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΠΟΛΕΜΙΚΟΥ ΝΑΥΤΙΚΟΥ ΣΗΜΕΡΑ (2021)

By D-Mitch

The following Fleet graph (that took me significant amount of time to make it!) depicts all the vessels of the Hellenic Navy in 2023 (UPDATED) excluding tugboats, passenger transfer ships, RIB, LCVP, floating cranes, SOC smaller than 16m in length and other minor vessels. All the figures are completely new! I tried my best to illustrate each different type. It is in Greek. An older version of the Greek Fleet in English you can find it here. Please respect my work and do not modify or alter my graph. Enjoy!

Το ακόλουθο γράφημα Στόλου (το οποίο μου πήρε αρκετό χρόνο να το δημιουργήσω!) απεικονίζει όλα τα σκάφη του Πολεμικού Ναυτικού το 2023 (ΑΝΑΝΕΩΜΕΝΟ) με εξαίρεση ρυμουλκά, πλοία μεταφοράς προσωπικού, βοηθητικά βάσης, πλωτούς γερανούς, φουσκωτά σκάφη, ακάτους, ΣΑΠ μικρότερα των 16μ σε μήκος και άλλα δευτερεύοντα σκάφη. Όλες οι φιγούρες είναι εντελώς νέες! Προσπάθησα να απεικονίσω τον κάθε τύπο ελληνικού πολεμικού όσο πλησιέστερα με την πραγματική του μορφή. Παρακαλώ σεβαστείτε τον κόπο μου και μην αλλοιώσετε ή τροποποιήσετε το γράφημα! 

HELLENIC NAVY FLEET TODAY - Ο ΣΤΟΛΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΠΟΛΕΜΙΚΟΥ ΝΑΥΤΙΚΟΥ ΣΗΜΕΡΑ (2023)

INFOGRAPHICS #50: Hellenic Navy - Present and future inventory

By Aylont1

The following graph depicts the present inventory of the Hellenic Navy in vessels analytically and an estimation of the future composition of the Fleet. Where MLU This excellent graphs was created for Naval Analyses by Aylont1, a Twitter account worth following!

Hellenic Navy, present and future inventory, by Aylont1.
High resolution image here.

Hellenic Navy set to receive new special operations vessel

Hellenic Shipyards is preparing to hand over the first domestically designed and built special operations craft (SOC) to the Hellenic Navy in the coming weeks, the shipbuilder has told Janes. The new vessel, named Agenor, was built with funding provided by the Hellenic Navy. It was launched on 30 July and is currently completing sea trials. My story for Janes here.

Vippon’s SOFTMOUNT: Increasing the lethality of Hellenic Navy and Hellenic Coast Guard vessels easily and with very low cost

Written by D-Mitch

Firing an MG3 installed on a Softmount

One of the exhibits at DEFEA 2021 that unfortunately did not receive the proper attention from the Greek Press, was the SOFTMOUNT lightweight mounts for machine guns of the Danish Rubtec AS. The SOFTMOUNT was presented in Greece in collaboration with the Greek company Vippon SA. Vippon is internationally known as a supplier of rubberized track parts and track systems for main battle tanks and tracked vehicles, while in recent years it has expanded its activities by participating in various systems development and manufacturing clusters as a supplier of various components and spareparts. In relation to the mounts, Vippon has undertaken their presentation to the Armed Forces of Greece and Cyprus, as well as the domestic production of their components, their final assembly-installation as well as their subsequent support in terms of spare parts and maintenance.

BOOK REVIEW #9: Life on board Greek submarines of World War II (in Greek) / Η Ζωή στα Ελληνικά Υποβρύχια του Β' Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου

Welcome to my ninth book review, Life on board Greek submarines of World War II (in Greek) by Christy Emilio Ioannidou / Η Ζωή στα Ελληνικά Υποβρύχια του Β' Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου, της Κρίστυ Εμίλιο Ιωαννίδου. The book is published in Greek, therefore the review is written for Greek-speaking readers.

Η Ζωή στα Ελληνικά Υποβρύχια
του Β' Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου

Το βιβλίο που παρουσιάζεται στη σελίδα μας ξεκινά με μια στιχομυθία μεταξύ ενός Δοκίμου και του Καθηγητή Ιστορίας Κασσιμάτη που λαμβάνει χώρα στη Σχολή Ναυτικών Δοκίμων το 1926. Ο καθηγητής ερωτάται με τι μέσα θα πολεμήσουν έναν υπέρτερο και καλύτερα εξοπλισμένο εχθρό. Ο καθηγητής τότε δείχνει από το παράθυρο την παμπάλαια άκατο της φρεγάτας ΕΛΛΑΣ και απαντάει λακωνικά και με περηφάνια «Με την άκατον!». Η ερώτηση του απλό Δόκιμου και η απάντηση του σεβαστού Καθηγητή σε ένα ερώτημα εξαιρετικά επίκαιρο, που ταλανίζει την Ελλάδα ανά τους αιώνες η οποία συναντά στο διάβα της ισχυρούς εχθρούς εχθροί που επιβουλεύονται την ακεραιότητα της χώρας μας, προϊδεάζει για το που εστιάζει το βιβλίο. Το εξαιρετικό αυτό βιβλίο αυτό δεν μιλά για τις σελίδες δόξας που κατέγραψε στο ναυτικό αγώνα η Ελλάδα και που έχουν παρουσιαστεί σε πλειάδα βιβλίων και μέσων αλλά για την κατάσταση του υποβρύχιου Στόλου πριν και κατά τη διάρκεια του Β’ ΠΠ, και στις δυσκολίες που αντιμετώπισαν τα πληρώματα τους με αυτοθυσία και αυταπάρνηση. Εδώ δεν θα διαβάσετε για τον θρυλικό ΠΑΠΑΝΙΚΟΛΗ και το ηρωικό τέλος των ΚΑΤΣΩΝΗ, ΠΡΩΤΕΑ και ΤΡΙΤΩΝΑ αλλά για το πώς έζησαν μέσα σε αυτά τα 50 μέλη του πληρώματος τους, τι έτρωγαν, πως κοιμόνταν, πως περνούσαν τον ελεύθερο χρόνο τους, τις πατέντες που σκαρφίζονταν για να επιλύσουν την έλλειψη ανταλλακτικών, τα παιχνίδα της μοίρας, τις προσπάθειές τους, τα αστεία τους, τις αγωνίες τους και τις χαρές τους, μέσα από τις μαρτυρίες αυτών που τα στελέχωσαν.

Kewatec Patrol 1850, a candidate design for the Hellenic Coast Guard new patrol boat program

Kewatec Patrol 1850 fast patrol boat

On July 29th, the Hellenic Coast Guard (HCG) announced officially that the contractor firms for the supply of fifteen (15) 16-19.5-meter Fast Patrol Boats (FPB) worth 33.78 million euros to the HCG, the Italian shipyard FB Design SRL and the Italian company Elettronica Marittima SRL, were declared in default of the contract. That means the HCG rejects the Fabio Buzzi 56SF patrol vessel (see here about the design), the winning design of the competition, as it does not meet its requirements. Therefore the contract was terminated for default and the deliveries will not materialize. After the contract cancellation, the Service is about to announce a new tender for the supply of nineteen (19) Fast Patrol Boats worth 49.4 million euros (!), with a length over 18 meters and speed over 50 knots. The contract will require the delivery of up to five (5) vessels until the end of 2022, and up to fourteen (14) vessels until the end of 2023. 

Barracuda unveils 747MM USV

Athens-based commercial and military rigid inflatable boat (RIB) manufacturer Barracuda has showcased its indigenously developed Barracuda 747 Multi-Mission (747MM) unmanned surface vehicle (USV) in public for the first time at the DEFEA 2021 exhibition in mid-July. My story for Janes here.

INFOGRAPHICS #49: Mid-Life Upgrades of Brandenburg class and Barbaros class

This post provides information about the mid-life upgrade (MLU) programs of the German Navy Brandenburg class frigates and the Turkish Navy Barbaros class frigates.

 

• Brandenburg-class (F123) MLU

Frigate Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Kiel. Photo: D-Mitch

On July 30, 2021, Saab signed a contract with the German Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw), and has received an order to deliver and integrate new naval radars and fire control directors for and in the German Navy’s Frigates of the Brandenburg-Class (F123). The contract includes a new combat management system in order to completely overhaul the system currently in use on the F123, allowing a low risk integration of the new naval radars and fire control capabilities. The order value is approximately 4,6 billion SEK. Deliveries and other services will take place between 2021 and 2030. Saab will be the prime contractor and will contract the German shipyard Abeking & Rasmussen for the shipbuilding work while the German company ESG will carry out logistical support.

PHOTO GALLERY #39: Mk V Special Operations Craft of the Hellenic Navy

Hellenic Navy Mk V SOC in the Inspection of the Fleet by
the President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina
Sakellaropoulou on June 10, 2021.

This is a collection of photos that includes some photos I took about a year ago of the Mark (Mk) V special operations craft (SOC) when they were delivered prior their modernization and commissioning in the Hellenic Navy Fleet, and photos of the vessels in service today from the Hellenic Navy and Hellenic National Defence General Staff websites. The Mk V SOC (Special Operations Craft) is a marine security, patrol, and special forces insertion boat used by the United States Navy and manufactured by VT Halter Marine Inc (Gulfport, Mississippi). Its length is 25 meters, weighs 57 tons in operational configuration and achieves a speed greater than 50 knots (cruising speed about 30 knots). There are four mounts on board that can receive a variety of weapons including general purpose machine guns, mini-guns, heavy machine guns and automatic grenade launchers, providing 360 degrees of firing coverage. Stinger MANPADS, mini UAV and small military inflatable boats are carried also. 

PHOTO GALLERY #38: Erfurt, corvette of the German Navy

Erfurt (F262), corvette of the German Navy

This is another photo gallery from my visit to Kiel in 2019, on the first weekend of the 137th Kiel Week. The Kiel Week (German: Kieler Woche) or Kiel Regatta is an annual sailing event in Kiel, the capital of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The first weekend of the Kiel Week, the famous Naval Base of Kiel, opens its gates for just four hours per day, for thousands of tourists who are eager to visit the German Navy warships and dozens of foreign warships which visit the city of Kiel, to honor the Kiel Week. Among the German ships moored at the Base, was the third vessel of the Braunschweig-class (K130) corvettes, Erfurt (F262), a ship that was commissioned in 2013. Her sisters are Braunschweig, Magdeburg, Oldenburg, Ludwigshafen am Rhein while five more vessels of an improved batch are under construction, the Köln, Emden, Karlsruhe, Augsburg and Lübeck. Her length is about 89.1m, the beam 13.28m, while the displacement reaches the 2,000t. She features reduced radar and infrared signatures and are equipped with UMS Skeldar V-200 helicopter UAVs for remote sensing. The hangar is too small for standard helicopters, but the flight deck is large enough for Sea Kings, Lynx, or NH-90s, the helicopters of the German Navy. The ship is armed with one Leonardo 76mm dual purpose gun, two (2) Rheinmetall MLG 27 remote weapon 27mm gun systems, two (2) RAM Block II launchers, four (4) RBS-15 Mk 3 (Mk 4 in the near future) anti-ship missiles, Stinger MANPADS, a variety of machine guns and naval mines. The crew is about 65 people. Enjoy more than 90 photos of the warship!

INFOGRAPHICS #48: Characteristics of the frigate candidates for the Hellenic Navy's new frigate program and the interim solutions

By Lysimachos Samasitis

Photo: Nick Thodos

This post is about the characteristics of the frigate candidates for the Hellenic Navy's new frigate program and the interim solutions by country. The Navy’s frigate program amounts to €5 billion, and includes the construction of four new frigates, the upgrade of the existing four Hydra-class (MEKO-200HN) frigates and the provision of interim solution ships (at least two major surface combatants: new light frigates or second-hand frigates). The following tables are the result of an exceptional and difficult effort to capture the basic characteristics of the candidate frigates, both for main program (Table 1) and interim solution (Table 2) for the Greek naval program by Lysimachos Samasitis! The tables will be updated regularly based on the latest developments and updates from the manufacturers in order to be a valuable source for those who wish to compare the different proposals. Εnjoy!

INFOGRAPHICS #47: Naval Group's SYLVER (SYstème de Lancement VERtical) vertical launching system

By Aylont1

 

The following graphs are about the Sylver (SYstème de Lancement VERtical), a vertical launching system (VLS) designed by the French naval shipbuilding company Naval Group (formerly known as Direction des Constructions Navales or DCNS), and the missiles it can hold and fire. These excellent graphs were created for Naval Analyses by Aylont1, a Twitter account worth following!

 

INFOGRAPHICS #46: The frigate candidates for the Hellenic Navy's new frigate program

Written by D-Mitch

Photo: Nick Thodos

This post includes the graphs of the frigate candidates for the Hellenic Navy's new frigate program based on publicly available information. For those who are aware of the Greek program, the Hellenic Navy’s frigate program amounts to €5 billion, and includes the construction of four (4) new frigates, the upgrade of the existing four MEKO-200HN (Hydra-class) frigates, the provision of interim solution ships (at least two major surface combatants) and provides for co-production projects in order to strengthen local shipyards (source). Where OPTION indicates extra equipment which is under discussion between the provider, the shipbuilder, and the Hellenic Navy (HN). Some of the options are already included in the offer to the Navy but in order to be fair, they have been highlighted as well. Some sources also vary in their reports about offered equipment. So, think of them as.. extras to the basic configuration. Note, that some of them maybe not be depicted in the image of the ship as these images are the official illustrations from the manufacturers. The graphs will be uploaded gradually.

PHOTO GALLERY #37: Absalon and Iver Huidfeldt, frigates of the Royal Danish Navy

Absalon and Iver Huidfeldt, frigates of the Royal Danish Navy

This is another photo gallery from my visit to Kiel in 2019, on the first weekend of the 137th Kiel Week. The Kiel Week (German: Kieler Woche) or Kiel Regatta is an annual sailing event in Kiel, the capital of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The first weekend of the Kiel Week, the famous Naval Base of Kiel, opens its gates for just four hours per day, for thousands of tourists who are eager to visit the German Navy warships and dozens of foreign warships which visit the city of Kiel, to honor the Kiel Week. Among the visiting ships, were two Royal Danish Navy frigates, the lead ship of the Absalon class ASW frigates HDMS Absalon (L16, now F341) and the lead ship of the Iver Huitfeldt class AAW frigates HDMS Iver Huidfeldt (F361)! This was a quite rare moment to see both lead ships of the current Danish frigate classes together.

SuperTermoli (ST) 60 MMI - The successor of Hellenic Navy UDC's ST60 fast interceptor

Written by D-Mitch

 

SuperTermoli (ST) 60 MMI

In a previous post we described the ST60 interceptor, the only real interceptor craft in the SOC fleet, designed by the manufacturer SuperTermoli and built in Greece. SuperTermoli is a high-speed vessel manufacturing company based in Kallithea, Attica. The construction of the boats takes place in a shipyard in the area of Schimatari, Boeotia. The technologies and expertise of SuperTermoli have given rise to a vessel comparable to a supercar: tremendously fast, but also able to navigate safely at cruising speeds substantially above the upper limits of many other boats! This line of models is high-speed powerboats made of fiberglass specifically designed for special operations. Depending on the engines installed, they can reach a top speed of more than 70 knots even in rough waters and can carry maximum 20 people for special missions. SuperTermoli powerboats are made οf Italian technology and represent the state of the art of shipbuilding and mechanical engineering for boating in order to offer reliability and endurance under extreme situations that long-range operations demand, maintaining speeds of 60 knots. In this article we will reveal more information about the successor design, the ST60 Multi-Mission Interceptor (MMI), a more advanced craft with increased capabilities than the initial ST60.