01 February 2023
by Ridzwan Rahmat
The Peruvian Navy Pohang-class corvette BAP Guise (CC-28). The vessel was previously in service with the Republic of Korea Navy. Indonesia is hoping to receive similar vessels from South Korea and has proposed to take on foreign loans to fund the possible acquisition. (US Coast Guard)
In an apparent about-turn, the Indonesian Ministry of Finance (MoF) has approved a previously rejected proposal for the country to purchase ex-Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN) Pohang-class corvettes with foreign-sourced loans.
The approval was confirmed in a notice issued by the MoF to the Indonesian Ministry of Defense (MoD) on 7 December. A copy of the notice was provided to Janes by a source close to the matter in late January 2023.
Janes first reported in October 2022 that the MoD had requested to procure at least one ex-RoKN Pohang-class corvette as a stopgap measure for the Indonesian Navy. The ministry had also proposed that the procurement be financed with funds from a foreign lender. This proposal was rejected by the MoF then, but no reasons were given.
23 April 2024
by Kate Tringham
Cayor , the third and final OPV 58S, was formally handed over to Senegal during a ceremony in Concarneau on 16 April. (Senegalese Navy)
French shipbuilder Piriou has delivered the final missile-armed Walo (OPV 58 S)-class offshore patrol ship to Senegal, completing the three-ship programme.
The last vessel in the class, named Cayor, was formally handed over during a ceremony held in Concarneau, France, on 16 April, the shipbuilder confirmed the same day.
According to Piriou, the shipbuilding programme was completed on time and “mobilised hundreds of employees for four years and represented more than 600,000 hours of work”.
Piriou built and delivered the three OPV 58 S ships under a contract signed with the Ministry of the Armed Forces of Senegal in November 2019. The construction programme was carried out with the support of Kership, the joint venture founded by Piriou and Naval Group in 2013.
23 April 2024
by Ridzwan Rahmat
Pilots from the French Navy surveillance frigate Vendémiaire (F734) practice landing aboard the amphibious command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) during an interoperability exercise. Blue Ridge is the flagship for Commander, US 7th Fleet. (US Navy)
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the US military have begun the most complex iteration of Exercise ‘Balikatan', which is seeing the first-time participation of a French Navy warship and vessels from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
A ceremony to mark the start of the exercise was held on 22 April at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Philippines. Drills under the annual bilateral exercise will be held at various locations across the Philippines till 10 May.
“With over 16,000 service members participating across Luzon from today until 10 May, ‘Balikatan' 2024 is designed to address the ever-evolving security landscape in the region and is poised to be the most complex and comprehensive iteration to date,” reads a statement issued by the AFP on 22 April.
23 April 2024
by Kate Tringham
MdCN is launched from the FREMM frigate Aquitaine on 18 April. (French Navy)
The French Navy has successfully conducted its first simultaneous test launch of the Missile de Croisière Navale (MdCN)naval cruise missile from a frigate and a submarine.
The test-firing was carried out by the service's lead multimission (FREMM) frigate Aquitaine, positioned off the coast of Brittany, and one of its Suffren (Barracuda)-class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs), located off the coast of Biscarrosse, on 18 April, the Ministry of Armed Forces of France confirmed the same day.
During the test the two vessels launched a co-ordinated strike against a ground target located at the DGA's Biscarrosse missile test centre at Landes in southwestern France – with both missiles engaging their target “in perfect synchronisation”, the Ministry of Armed Forces of France said.
In a statement issued the same day the French Navy said the test was carried out in operational conditions to strengthen the operational know-how and combat skills of the service.
In an apparent about-turn, the Indonesian Ministry of Finance (MoF) has approved a previously reject...
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