Category: Marines from all over the world

Iranian navy presents its "drone carrier"

As is well known, Iran does not have long-range large combat ships, but it knows how to help itself in one way or another. It demonstrated this to high-ranking military leaders in mid-July and reported on it in the state media. This coincided with the American warning that Russia wanted to stock up on drones in Iran for the war against Ukraine. Naval solution - robust and simple The Iranian navy has now presented its solution to the operational problem: The amply dimensioned landing platform on one of the four aged, small helicopter landing ships (LSLH) of the Hengam class (1974/1985, 2,600 tonnes) has been covered over its entire width and length with...

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Albania: On offer - a harbour for NATO

Albania has been a member of NATO since 2009 and is endeavouring to meet the associated obligations and standards in armed forces matters. Albania is also on the waiting list for EU membership and is not making any real progress. The defence budget is stagnating at 1.5% (by no means a reproach!), the country was the focus of the major NATO Defender exercise with Ukraine in 2021 and it supports NATO's position in the Ukraine war. So far - so good. Pasha Liman Albania still has a naval base of fairly modest dimensions from the days of the country's own communism and friendship with the Soviet Union: Pasha Liman at the southern end of the Bay of Vlore, 100 kilometres south of Tirana. In...

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Black Sea Fleet: lost units and positions

Another ship loss At the beginning of July, the Russian navy lost "D-106", one of the five small Ondatra-class landing craft (project 1176, 150 tonnes) stationed in the Black Sea. The boat ran aground off Mariupol on one of the mines laid by the Russian navy itself. Snake Island (Smijinyi) Just a few days later - at the other end of the Black Sea - the Russian armed forces abandoned the much-contested "Snake Island" after fierce fighting and handed it over to the Ukrainian forces "as a gesture of goodwill" now that it had "fulfilled its task". The somewhat different narrative From the Ukrainian side, this story reads somewhat differently, as the Frankfurt...

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Royal Navy: Saving for the big chunks

Update from 12/07/2022 At the beginning of July, Whitehall in London confirmed that RFA Argus is to remain in Royal Navy service until after 2030 after all. Contrary to what was initially planned for financial reasons (and repeatedly brought up for discussion in difficult budget situations), RFA Argus is not yet to take down and hand over her Blue Ensign in 2024. It will continue to serve as the first reception centre for the injured and wounded during Royal Navy operations. But the mind games continue. At present, the new Multi-Role Support Ships (MRSS) of the ELLIDA project - three of which are currently under discussion for procurement in early 2030 - are...

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Russian Navy puts world's largest submarine into service

On Friday, 8 July 2022, the "Belgorod" (project 09852) was handed over to the Russian Navy. The ceremonial signing of the acceptance protocol and the handover, during which the St Andrew's flag is hoisted in accordance with Russian procedure, took place at the Sevmash shipyard (Severodvinsk/Arkhangelsk). According to a press release from the shipyard, the ceremony was attended by the leadership of the Ministry of Defence, the Navy, the administrations of the Arkhangelsk and Severodvinsk oblasts and representatives of the shipbuilding industry. Launched in 1992 as one of the Oscar II type boats (project 949B), it took twenty years before delivery. In 2000, after the disaster with the predecessor boat K-141 "Kursk"...

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