Category: Marines from all over the world

China: First voyages of the third aircraft carrier

At the end of June, the South China Morning Post reported that China claimed to have the world's largest conventional aircraft carrier, the "Fujian". The privately owned (Alibaba), but in China recognised for its narrow degree of freedom to publish factually, referred in particular to the electromagnetic catapult: something had been achieved with this technology on a conventionally powered ship that was not considered feasible. The US Navy can also demonstrably achieve this with the Ford class, but its energy systems are known to be nuclear-powered and can therefore generate sufficient electricity. The "Fujian" is China's third aircraft carrier and the first to be built after...

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China's strategic submarines in the Taiwan Strait

An event with rarity value: It is now five years since a strategic submarine of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) was last sighted in the open sea. Shortly before a Taiwanese military manoeuvre towards the end of June, one of the Type 094 submarines appeared travelling northwards on the Chinese side of the international fairway between the island and the mainland (median line). The nuclear submarines of the Jin class (137 metres, 10,000 tonnes submerged, 12 launch containers for JL-2s, each with around 1 MT of nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs)) are still a big unknown - their number is now said to have grown to five. The boat was presumably on the...

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Chile: A small flotilla for the Antarctic

At the beginning of July, the handover and commissioning ceremony for the first icebreaker designed and built in South America, the "Almirante Viel" (111 metres, 13,000 tonnes), took place in Talcahuano/Concepcion, halfway along Chile's almost 6,500-kilometre coastline. Together with the patrol vessel "Fuentealba" (OPV80 - Fassmer design) and the tugboat "Lientur", which arrived in the last decade, the newbuild forms the Chilean triumvirate for the nation's stronger commitment to the opposite coast of the 7th continent, the...

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New minesweepers for Belgium

Still smart from the front, but like a cockchafer from the side! The first mine defence platform of the Belgian-Dutch joint project rMCM, the Belgian "Oostende", was sighted in open sea for the first time in mid-July. The sea trials off Concarneau in southern Brittany initially focussed on the propulsion and navigation systems. The bilateral rMCM programme as a cooperation between Belgium Naval & Robotics (Naval Group and Exail) and Kership (Piriou and Naval Group) - with the latter as general contractor - is actually a trilateral project, as France has already expressed its interest. No surprise, since all the plans are available in Paris. For the first time, this mine defence platform will be able to fly, float and dive...

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Argentina closes capability gaps

On 3 September, the first of the four Norwegian Orion P-3C maritime patrol aircraft finally arrived in South America after being refurbished in the USA. Two weeks later, on 19 September, the maritime patrol aircraft with the new registration 6-P-57 was handed over to the Argentine Navy in Buenos Aires. As there is currently no long-range capable aircraft type available there, this capability - especially in conjunction with the Raytheon AN/APS-137 Synthetic Aperture Radar (contour recognition through multiple surveying of the target) - is eagerly awaited in order to maintain surveillance of Argentina's immense economic zone in the South Atlantic. The Orions will be sensibly stationed at the Almirante Zar naval air base in Trelew, halfway between...

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