Venezuela to Sign Deal for Kilo Subs
By AMI INTERNATIONAL INC.
The Venezuelan Navy plans to
sign a construction contract for
three Russian Kilo-class submarines
in April. The signing is expected to
take place when Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez visits Russia.
Originally, Venezuela had
planned to buy the state-of-the-art
Amur-class submarines (built to
supersede the Kilo), but opted to
buy the older Kilo design, as the
Amur class has yet to be fully tested or exported. Two of the Kilo-class subs will be built at the
Admiralty Shipyard in St. Petersburg and the third in a shipyard in
the Russian Far East, possibly
Komsomolsk, which built Kilo
submarines for export to China.
Venezuela reportedly had options to buy the French-Spanish
Scorpene and the German Type-
212 or -214 boats.
The acquisition comes after Venezuela recently began to explore its
options for expanding the country’s
submarine force. The two 30-year-
old Sabalo-class (German Type-209)
submarines in Venezuela’s inventory
are undergoing modernization in
Porto Cabello. The Venezuelan Navy
would use the Kilo-class submarines
to protect its interests in its exclusive
economic zones.
The submarines are designed for
anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare, as well as reconnaissance and patrol missions. The
boats are able to launch torpedoes
and mines as well as Klub anti-ship
missiles.
AMI INTERNATIONAL INC. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
The Royal Moroccan Navy is buying three Sigma-class frigates from Schelde
Naval Shipbuilding. The ships are expected to be delivered by 2012.
Moroccan Navy Orders
Three Sigma Frigates
The Royal Moroccan Navy has
signed an agreement with the
Netherlands’ Schelde Naval Shipbuilding for three Sigma-class
frigates. The Navy will buy two
Sigma 9813 97-meter, 2,100-ton
frigates and a single Sigma 10513
105-meter, 2,300-ton frigate. The
vessels are similar to the Sigma
corvettes built for Indonesia, with
the addition of one or two hull
modules.
Although the contract price
was not disclosed, sources believe
the three-ship deal is worth about
$1.2 billion. All three of the vessels will be designed with a flight
deck and hangar for the storage
and operation of a medium-sized
helicopter.
All three of the frigates are scheduled to be delivered to the Moroccan
Navy by the close of 2012.
First Zumwalt-Class
Contracts Are Signed
The U.S. Navy has awarded General
Dynamics’ Bath Iron Works and
Northrop Grumman Ship Systems
each a $1.4 billion cost-plus con-
tract for the construction of the two
lead ships for the Zumwalt-class
destroyer program, DDG 1000 and
DDG 1001. Northrop Grumman
Ingalls not only will be responsible
for the construction of DDG 1001,
but for the deckhouses of the entire
class as well.
