Deylaman formally entered service on 27 November. (Islamic Republic News Agency)

The Northern Fleet of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN) officially received its new frigate on 27 November, nearly six years after its previous one sank in an accident.

IRINS Deylaman (78) was formally inducted into service in Bandar-e Anzali on the Caspian, with photographs showing the event took place at one of the port's grain terminals, not at the IRIN base where it was built.

Deylaman replaces Damavand (77), the second of Iran's locally built Jamaran-class frigates, which sank after hitting the breakwater around Bandar-e Anzali during a storm in January 2018.

Satellite imagery shows the first section of the hull for a replacement had appeared in the dry dock at the base by October 2018. Until recently, IRIN officers referred to the new ship as Damavand, and it had the number 77 painted on top of its bridge and helicopter flight deck until October, when this was changed to 78, indicating it was recently renamed after a town close to Bandar-e Anzali.

Deylaman

Firing of the Brahmos-ER. (Ministry of Defence, India)

India has carried out another test fire of its extended-range (ER) BrahMos PJ-10 supersonic cruise missile from a Kolkata/Visakhapatnam (Project 15A/15B)-class guided destroyer, the country's Ministry of Defence (MoD) disclosed on 27 November.

The missile was fired from the programme's sixth hull, which will be in service as INS Imphal once it is commissioned. It was fired as part of the vessel's pre-commissioning trials, the ministry added.

India's BrahMos PJ-10 is based on the Yakhont (3M-55E) supersonic cruise missile, which is the export version of Russia's domestic P-800 (3M-55) Oniks.

The weapon has been in service with the Indian Navy for more than a decade, and the ER variant of the BrahMos PJ-10 is believed to have a maximum range of in excess of 500 km, which is an improvement over the older variant's estimated range of about 300 km.

Besides the Project 15A/15B vessels, the BrahMos PJ-10 is also deployed from the service's Rajput-class destroyers and Talwar (Krivak III)-class Batch II frigates.

Meanwhile, Imphal

Graphic depiction of the French Navy's new offshore patrol vessel. (Naval Group)

The French defence procurement agency, Directorate General of Armament (DGA), has ordered seven new multi-purpose offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) for the French Navy.

Announcing the milestone on 23 November the DGA said the acquisition covered three contracts totalling EUR900 million (USD985.03 million), which were signed on 17 November.

Under the contract awards, the ships will be built by a temporary shipbuilding consortium comprising Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie (CMN), Piriou, and Socarenam; Naval Group will be responsible for project management and the development and supply of the combat management system; and Thales will supply and integrate the maritime surveillance sensor suite.

Under current planning, the first new OPV is planned to be delivered in 2026.

“The first stage of the offshore patrol vessel programme, based on the acquisition of seven vessels, will fill a gap in the second-tier vessel segment, taking into account the decommissioning of offshore patrol vessels that have already taken place, and will initiate the ramp-up of these vessels on each of the three metropolitan coasts – Brest, Toulon, and Cherbourg,” the DGA said.