speed ferries that have been in service with Stena Line the Royal Norwegian Navy’s level of operational
News
in the challenging waters of the North Sea and Irish activities from 2008 would be reduced.
Sea for over 10 years.
The semi-SWATH design combines the high- Refit
speed capabilities of a catamaran and the sea-keeping
capabilities of a SWATH vessel. Maersk Line Ltd
Spain to upgrade
said independent analysis of both monohull and
frigates
catamaran designs have shown the semi-SWATH
design to have significantly better sea-keeping and Spain is to spend €52.3 million (US$76.5 million)
passenger comfort. upgrading two more Santa Maria class frigates.
‘The combined characteristics of the semi-SWATH Two frigates, SPS Victoria and Numancia, received
design are critical for moving personnel and equipment improvements to habitability, their hulls, sensors, and
at high speeds over long distances, while ensuring displays in 2007. Now, money allocated by the Council
that those personnel maintain optimal operational of Ministers will permit similar improvements to SPS
readiness,’ said the company, noting that JHSV is Santa Maria and Reina Sofia.
intended to be an ‘intra-theatre’ sealift connector for Naval Spyglass said the work on the 20-year-old
personnel and equipment, designed and constructed ships will be performed by Navantia and will help to
based on commercial classification standards. The extend the ships’ lives and reduce fuel consumption.
non-combatant vessel will play a central role in the The council also authorised €55.5 million ($81.25
future of seabasing and expeditionary warfare. million) to acquire or upgrade diesel engines on
The Joint High Speed Vessel programme is a US Spanish combatants. The money will be used to
Navy-led acquisition of a platform intended to support extend the lives of the Descubierta class patrol vessels
users in the Department of the Navy and Department and other offshore patrol vessels.
of the Army. The programme is a cooperative effort
for a high-speed, shallow draught vessel intended for Contract
rapid intra-theatre transport of medium-sized cargo
payloads.
Portuguese subs
JHSV will reach speeds of 35knots-45knots
named
and allow for the rapid transit and deployment of
conventional or special forces, as well as equipment The Portuguese Navy has named its two Type 209PN
and supplies. submarines on order from Howaldtswerke Deutsche
The US Navy plans to award Phase One preliminary Weft. They will be NRP Tridente (Trident) and Arpão
design contracts in early 2008, and a detail design and (Harpoon).
construction contract in the fourth quarter of FY08. The first submarine will be delivered in February
2010 and the second seven months later. The €770
Budget million contract was signed in September 2004
Skjold class FACs
and the boats will have the Atlas ISUS 90 combat
management and CSU 90 sonar systems.
facing the axe
Their weapons fit will be Black Shark torpedoes,
UGM-84 Sub-Harpoon missiles, and Murena NM102
Although Norway’s Norwegian Defence Policy mines but Lisbon is also considering the IDAS self-
Commission has recommended a minimum increase defence system.
equivalent to US$185 million in the country’s
defence budget, it is also reportedly recommending Contract
abandoning the Skjold class fast attack craft
programme (see elsewhere in this issue).
Israeli LCS
Five surface-effect-ships are due to be delivered
contract awarded
between 2008 and 2009 in a programme equivalent
to US$750 million. A sixth pre-production vessel was The US Navy recently awarded Lockheed Martin a
produced in the late 1990s and tested extensively. US$2.3 million foreign military sales contract to
However, changing defence requirements and continue concept and preliminary design work on the
declining defence budgets led the chief of defence, proposed Israeli Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS),
General Sverre Diesen, to recommend cancelling known as LCS-I. Under the latest contract, Lockheed
the programme. Even if the defence budget was Martin will work with the US and Israeli navies to
increased, the Skjold flotilla could not be operated, develop a technical specification and acquisition cost
say reports. However, with the programme so far package for the LCS-I combat system.
advanced, cancellation is unlikely to produce more During the nine-month combat system
than a nominal saving. configuration phase, Lockheed Martin will examine
In proposing the 2008 defence budget, defence the combat system performance of LCS-I using two
minister Ms Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen admitted different radar options: the advanced radar under
Warship Technology January 2008 
WT Jan - p4+5+6+7+8+9+10.indd 5 08/01/2008 15:36:22
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