Indonesia launches second Dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo-class hospital ship

 

The KRI Dr. Radjiman Wedyodiningrat (992) during launch on 15 August 2022. Photo c/o Kompas.

Indonesian state-owned shipbuilder PT PAL (Persero) has named and launched the second Dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo-class hospital ship for the Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL).

The ship, to be named as KRI Dr. Radjiman Wedyodiningrat (992) once commissioned with the Indonesian Navy, was launched on 15 August 2022 at PT PAL’s commercial shipbuilding facility in Semarang.

The launching of the ship was made as part of celebrating Indonesia’s 77th Independence Day on 17 August 2022, with the ship’s name taken from Indonesian physician Dr. Rajiman Wediodiningrat, considered as a national hero and one of the founding figures of the Indonesian Republic.

The ceremony was attended by the Chief of Naval Staff of the Indonesian Navy, Admiral Yudo Margono, together with officials from the TNI-AL and PT PAL.

The Dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo-class hospital ship actually uses a landing platform dock design and were derived from the Makassar-class landing platform dock also built by PT PAL based on a design from South Korean shipbuilder Daesun Shipbuilding.

It shares a common design with the Tarlac-class landing platform dock built by PT PAL for the Philippine Navy  and the KRI Semarang (594) converted hospital ship of the Indonesian Navy, but was purposely built as a hospital ship from the start, and was designed  to accommodate additional power generation capacity to support the ship’s medical facilities which includes a radiology room, operating / surgical rooms, and a post-operative room.

The hospital ship is also equipped with a baby room and delivery room, examination room, emergency room with a capacity for 12 people, a laboratory, and a morgue.

It has a total length of around 124 meters, a displacement of around 7,300 tonnes, and a maximum speed of around 18 knots. 

It has a crew of 163 officers and sailors, plus an embedded crew of 18 personnel for its aviation group, and facilities for up to 66 medical staff, 158 patients and 280 other volunteers.

The ship retains its well decks taken from its landing platform dock heritage and has two ambulance boats, two landing crafts and an RHIB.

It also has a helicopter landing deck for 2 helicopters plus a hangar for 1 helicopter.

[1] PT PAL Indonesia

[2] Navy Recognition

[3] Kompas

Philippines eyes CH-47 Chinook as alternative to cancelled Mi-17 Hip helicopter deal

The CH-47F Chinook, this example with the US Army. Photo c/o Boeing.

The Philippines’ Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez has confirmed on 15 August 2022  that the Philippine Government is considering the Boeing CH-47 Chinook for the heavy lift helicopter requirements of the Philippine Air Force (PAF).

This was after a contract with Russia to deliver 16 Mil Mi-17 Hip helicopters was cancelled by Manila due to exposures to sanctions related to the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) for procuring weapons from sanctioned countries like Russia.

The CH-47 Chinook was competing against the Mil Mi-17 Hip for the PAF’s Heavy Lift Helicopter Acquisition Project, but the Russian helicopter was selected due to its lower cost, allowing the PAF to procure more helicopters for its budget of around PHP12.7 billion (US$245 million).

The Philippines signed a contract with Russia’s Sovtechnoexport agency in November 2021 for the supply of the Mil Mi-17 helicopters, and the initial payment worth PHP1.92 billion was already made as of January 2022. 

The Philippine Government is now in discussion with Russia regarding the cancellation of the contract, and on getting the initial payment back including using it as payment for other Russian-supplied goods.

According to Filipino defense page MaxDefense Philippines, the CH-47 Chinook is much more expensive per unit compared to the Mil Mi-17, and the PAF may only get around 4 to 5 Chinooks for the same price as 16 Mi-17 Hip helicopters.

But Ambassador Romuladez said that the United States may offer the Chinook helicopters at a special price to the Philippines, which is considered one its most important major non-NATO ally in the Pacific region.

Boeing currently produces the CH-47F Chinook, the latest variant of the venerable Chinook family of heavy lift helicopters, although the US also have a large stockpile of older CH-47D variants that it may offer up to friendly countries as Excess Defense Articles (EDA).

[1] Philippine News Agency

[2] MaxDefense Philippines

[3] Philippine Defense Resource

Indonesia commissions ninth Teluk Bintuni-class landing ship tank

 

The KRI Teluk Calang (524). Photo c/o PT Daya Radar Utama. 

The Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL) has formally commissioned its ninth Teluk Bintuni-class landing ship tank (LST) during ceremonies on 08 August 2022.

The ship, named KRI Teluk Calang (524), was inaugurated by the Chief of Naval Staff TNI-AL Admiral Yudo Margono at the Jakarta International Container Terminal 2 pier, with the ceremonies attended by officials from the Indonesian Ministry of Defence, Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) and shipbuilder PT Daya Radar Utama.

The ship was named after Teluk Calang (Calang Bay) located in Aceh Jaya, with TNI-AL Lieutenant Colonel Bagus Waluya assigned as the ship’s first commanding officer.

The commissioning of the ship was declared by Admiral Margono as a manifestation of the commitment by the TNI to support and succeed in the Indonesian Government’s program of an independent domestic defense industry.

The ship is part of a third batch of ships contracted by the MOD to PT Daya Radar Utama, based on a 120-meter long variant with hangar design.

It has a displacement of around 4,500 tonnes, a cruising speed of 14.8 knots and a maximum speed of 16 knots, has a crew of 120 officers and sailors, and can accommodate a total of 361 fully equipped soldiers and other heavy equipment including up to 10 Leopard 2 main battle tanks of the Indonesian Army (TNI-AD).

It can also accommodate two helicopters in its helicopter deck and hangar.

The ship is armed with two 40mm Bofors L70 gun, and two 12.7mm heavy machine guns.

The MOD has not awarded any additional contracts as of yet for the construction of additional ships of the class although there is an existing plan by the TNI-AL to have a total of 12 ships of the class.

[1] Kompas

[2] Sindonews

[3] Navy Recognition

Australia receives second Evolved Cape-class patrol boat

 

The second Evolved Cape-class patrol boat ADV Cape Peron (315). Photo c/o Austal.

The Royal Australia Navy (RAN) has formally received the second of eight Evolved Cape-class patrol boat from Australian shipbuilder Austal Ltd.

The ship, named ADV Cape Peron (315), was launched on 04 March 2022, and underwent a series of testing before handing over to the RAN.

The delivery highlights the critical importance of the vessel to improve the overall capabilities of the RAN, as well as Australia’s national naval shipbuilding enterprise.

The Evolved Cape-class patrol boats are 58 meters long and can accommodate up to 32 personnel, with improved quality of life systems and advanced sustainment intelligence systems compared to previous designs.

The class, together with the larger Arufara-class offshore patrol vessel, will be replacing the RAN’s fleet of Armidale-class patrol boats and will be used for border and fisheries protection, maritime law enforcement, and maritime defense missions.

The first of class, the ADV Cape Otway, was delivered to RAN last March 2022 after 18 months of construction.

Six more ships are in different stages of production, with all expected to be delivered by 2024.

[1] Austal

[2] Australia Defence Magazine

[3] The Defense Post

Malaysia plans to operate medium altitude long endurance UAVs by 2026

 

The Anka-S UAV from Turkish Aerospace Industries. Photo c/o Army Recognition.

The Malaysian Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) has announced plans to acquire 3 new medium altitude, long endurance unmanned aerial systems (MALE UAS) by 2025 and make them operational by 2026.

This was announced on 02 August 2022 by Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz during a query from the People’s Assembly. The deputy minister also mentioned that the ministry already completed the tender evaluation process for the project.

An unmanned aerial system may include at least 3 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and support equipment.

The MINDEF’s procurement board already certified the selected tenderers and submitted them to the Malaysian Ministry of Finance on 07 July 2022. A decision on the winning tenderer is expected to be announced within August 2022.

The new MALE UAS would be operated by the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) and would strengthen the country’s capabilities in its air domain.

This would include conducting intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions which would provide information near real time to the Malaysian Armed Forces. The RMAF plans to deploy these UAS from Labuan Air Base in Sabah, Eastern Malaysia which is close to the South China Sea and borders with the Philippines and Brunei.

There are plans to procure weaponry for the UAS, which suggests that the model the RMAF is interested at are unmanned combat aerial systems (UCAS).

Procurement for the UAV’s weapon systems and electronic warfare equipment would be made separately, and are planned under the second and third procurement phases within the 13th and 16th Malaysia Plan covering years 2026-2030 and 2041-2045, respectively.

Previous reports indicate that Malaysia have shown strong interest in Turkey’s Anka-S MALE UCAV made by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), which has a cooperation agreement with Malaysia’s DRB-HICOM Defence Technologies (DefTech) for sales and support for the Malaysian market.

Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob visited TAI’s facility in Ankara as part of his recent visit to Turkey.

[1]  Bernama

[2] Defence Security Asia

Malaysia plans to arm Kedah-class offshore patrol vessels with Naval Strike Missile

 

The Kedah-class OPV KD Pahang (172) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Photo c/o Wikimedia Commons.

Plans have been made for the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) to allocate budget worth around MYR214 million (US$48 million) to arm at least two Kedah-class offshore patrol vessels with the Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile (NSM) anti-ship missiles.

According to defense media outlet Janes, the RMN has proposed a three-part procurement project under its “Rolling Plan 4” funding under 2024 budget, covered as part of the 12th Malaysia Plan from years 2021 to 2025. 

The Kedah-class OPVs are based on the MEKO 100RMN design from German shipbuilder Blohm+Voss and built in Malaysia by Penang Shipbuilding Corporation (now Boustead Naval Shipyard) under a technology transfer agreement between Germany and Malaysia.

These ships were commissioned in service with the RMN from June 2006 and December 2010, and are currently armed with an Oto Melara 76mm naval gun, a Breda-Mauser 30mm secondary gun, and manually operated 12.7mm heavy machine guns.

The Kedah-class were originally planned to be equipped with four anti-ship missile launchers and a RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) launcher short-range close-in weapon system (CIWS), but these plans did not push through although the ship’s design allowed for these equipment to be “fitted for but not with”.

All six ships of the class are currently assigned with the RMN’s Eastern Fleet based at the Sepanggar Naval Base in Sabah, and are used to conduct surveillance and maritime patrols in Eastern Malaysia waters and exclusive economic zone, including the highly-contested waters of the South China Sea.

The selection of the Naval Strike Missile is probably related to the RMN’s decision for its use as the primary anti-ship weapon of its future Maharaja Lela-class littoral combat ships / frigates.

[1] Janes

[2] The Vibes

South Korea launches first new KDX III Batch II AEGIS guided missile destroyer

The new destroyer Jeongjo the Great (DDG-995) during launch. Photo c/o Choson.com.

South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has launched the first KDX III Batch II AEGIS-equipped guided missile destroyer on 28 July 2022.

The ship, to be named ROKS Jeongjo the Great (DDG-995) once in service with the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN), was named after the 22nd king of Joseon, King Jeongjo, who reined from 1776 to 1800.

The ship was ordered back in October 2019 under a US$565 million contract between the South Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and Hyundai Heavy Industries.

The ship will be the 4th AEGIS-equipped guided missile destroyer of the ROKN, and will be the largest in service with an empty displacement at 8,200 tons, compared to the current Sejong the Great-class destroyers which has an empty displacement of around 7,600 tons.

Two more ships are to be constructed, with HHI expected to deliver all three 170-meter long ships by November 2024.

The new KDX III Batch II are closely based on the KDX III Batch I Sejong the Great-class destroyers, with several improvements including an improved combat, detection and tracking system, as well as an anti-ballistic missile capability using the Raytheon SM-3 Block IB interceptor missiles.

It will also be armed with the SM-2 Block IIIB missile, and could potentially also adapt the SM-6 missile.

According to defense media outlet Naval News, the new KDX III Batch II destroyers will have a total 88 vertical launch systems (VLS) consisting of Mk. 41 VLS with 48 cells, K-VLS with 16 cells, and K-VLS II with 24 cells.

The Mk. 41 VLS will be used for American-made missiles, while the K-VLS will deploy the K-SAAM air defense missile, the K-ASROC anti-submarine rocket, and the Haeryong tactical surface launch missile (TSLM) land attack cruise missile.

Meanwhile, the K-VLS II will allow the deployment of the future long range surface-to-air missile being developed by South Korea called the Cheongung 3 L-SAM, as well as future supersonic anti-ship missile.

The ship will also have the Lockheed Martin AN/SPY-1D(V) and the AEGIS Baseline 9.C2 combat system.

[1] Naval News

[2] Korea Herald

[3] Navy Recognition