In April, Indonesia commissioned into service Raden Eddy Martadinata, the first of two planned SIGMA 10514 frigates. The new 345-foot ship was fitted together by PT PAL shipyard in Indonesia, which built four of the vessel’s six modules, while Damen Schelde in the Netherlands constructed the remaining two. The ship displaces 2,365 tons with a 46-foot beam. Work on the frigate began in January 2014. Sea trials took place in September 2016 and the ship was delivered in January 2017. With a top speed of 30 knots and a cruising range of 4,000 nautical miles at 18 knots, the new frigate was designed to undertake a wide range of missions in and around the waters of Indonesia. The SIGMA 10514 has been outfitted to accommodate VL MICA surface-to-air missiles, Exocet antiship missiles, ASW torpedo tubes, and a three-inch gun. A second ship of the class is expected to enter service later this year.
A new 210-foot landing craft has recently entered service with Kuwait’s naval forces. Built under a 2013 contract, the vessel is named the Safar, numbered L 6401, and was built by Abu Dhabi Shipbuilding in the United Arab Emirates. Similar landing craft, also built at Abu Dhabi, serve with the maritime forces of the U.A.E. Kuwait’s small amphibious fleet has been growing modestly in recent years. The last of five 52-foot fast landing craft, ordered under the same 2013 contract, has entered service and a 138-foot landing vessel named the Sabhan was delivered earlier this year. In addition to landing craft, Kuwait has ordered 29 47-foot fast coastal interceptor craft from the United States, with deliveries to be completed by the end of 2017. Plans to upgrade all eight 225-ton P37-class guided-missile patrol boats are on the books as well, with work to be completed in France during the near future.
This past spring, Norway signed a contract to purchase five P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft from the United States. Plans to acquire the P-8 were first announced by Norway late in 2016, but the deal was not finalized until March. The new aircraft, which are due to begin entering service in 2021, will replace the P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft and DA-20 Jet Falcons now serving with the Norwegian Air Force. Based on a modified Boeing 737 commercial airliner design, the P-8A Poseidon has a length of 130 feet, height of 42-feet, and a 124-foot wingspan. With a maximum gross takeoff weight of 188,200 pounds, the jet is powered by two 27,300-pound turbo-fan engines providing a 1,200-mile mission radius with four hours on-station and an air speed of 490 knots. Nine crew members operate the Poseidon including its radar, optic/infrared, and acoustic sensors, ESM, and armament which can include missiles, torpedoes, and mines.
Mr. Wertheim, a defense consultant in the Washington, D.C., area, is the author of the 16th edition of The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World, available from the Naval Institue Press (see www.usni.org).