Thursday, January 17, 2008

HiTaTa 2008

Last week saw the 48th annual "Historic-Tactical Conference" of the German Navy, and this event always brings forth a wealth of information about the German Navy to the public.

I haven't gone through everything yet, but i'll do some random highlights from the three speeches i've read:
  1. OAE saw a German P-3C operating with it "for several weeks" (and 26 operational flights); it has now officially reached IOC.
  2. UNIFIL Command will be transferred from Germany to the Italian-led EUROMARFOR on March 1st. Germany will reduce its contribution (details not known yet), and FGS Hessen (a Type 124) is planned for the first rotation.
  3. OEF will see another German frigate for the next rotation, after that the "target" is to replace it with a P-3C as a "equivalent replacement" (as i expected).
  4. FOC for the Type 124 AAW FFGs is "likely pushed back to first half of 2010" due to the software problems; nevertheless, two of the three frigates will be "operational" this year, with the third being retained for software testing.
  5. EAV cruise 2008 also includes multiple PASSEX with the USN and Finnish Navy (in addition to the already known ones with India and France).
  6. Random tidbit: Good Hope III will involve 14 Kormoran II missiles fired at the EAV ships; additionally, for the first time in years, naval helicopters will live-fire Sea Skua in this exercise.
  7. Northern Coasts 2007 was received very well with all contributing nations, and all have signed back up for the 2008 version; the exercise will also replace large-scale national maneuvers for the Swedish and Finnish Navies.
  8. Apparently, there are some 30 "points of contestion" about the K130 still, which is why they haven't been commissioned yet. However, they are "hopeful that the first will be commissioned during this quarter".
  9. The DM2A4 torpedo has been officially cleared for the Navy (after exercises last year), and the first live-fire shooting in commission is planned for IV/2008.
  10. German Sea King helicopters are receiving a "tactical support capability" for Special Forces, with the basics tested during Northern Coasts.
  11. Vice-Admiral Nolting is mulling buying two new AOs to replace FGS Spessart and FGS Rhön (in addition to any new EGVs).
  12. The F125 project is getting a dedicated taskgroup at the ministry that will try to prevent the same kind of problems popping up with F124 and K130 and is supposed to "keep the initiative with the Bundeswehr".
  13. The "Military Sealift Requirement" of Basis See was apparently hammered out at "around 800 soldiers and their equipment" as a "realistic size" - in order to support a EU Battlegroup, or for evacuation operations. Note that this is the entire requirement, not for a single ship. And doesn't say anything about the type of ship (LPD/LHD/T-AKE style military RoRo)
  14. Apparently the new Concept for "Basis See" includes a requirement for TBMD in it somewhere. Urgh.


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi,

great blog you have here. My first comment though I have been a frequent visiter. Just some thoughts:

"FOC for the Type 124 AAW FFGs"

That is too bad. But as you posted yourself we don´t even have the missiles yet and if two will be on assignment this year I guess they got the self defense capability operational. A start.

"buying two new AOs to replace FGS Spessart and FGS Rhön (in addition to any new EGVs)"

I wondered when that would come up. Since being single hulled ships I think their time runs up at around 2015 anyway (even the for military unites). Besides the 704s will be 40 years old by than anyway. Personally I still like the idea of acquiring two Dutch JLOS instead of the third EGV and those two new AO.

"The F125 project is getting a dedicated taskgroup at the ministry"

That is probably one of the best news.

"The "Military Sealift Requirement" of Basis See was apparently hammered out at "around 800 soldiers and their equipment" as a "realistic size"

The transport capacity of the three Danish Ro-Ro wouldn´t by any chance match these numbers, would they?!:-)) Since getting any new ship in this league seams out of the question until 2020.

"Apparently the new Concept for "Basis See" includes a requirement for TBMD in it somewhere."

This might be the talked about detection capability upgrade to the Smart-L radar. I don´t see us getting any effectors though.

Best regards.

Kato said...

Oh, the SAMs for the F124 there by now. SM2 operational supposedly, ESSM "on trials" or something.

The AOs (or whatever they'll be buying) are termed "high-value-units" as in they can be used in NATO fleets (replacing the frigate contribution there), and they are one thing - damn cheap. Both in acquisition, and in crewing.
The current two AOs (the 704s) were originally commercial tankers taken up after some embargo (Iran?) and converted pretty cheaply. And they operate with a (very small) civilian crew. Next to nothing costwise in comparison to JLOS or EGV.

The GMSV is pretty much gonna be addressed with the "JSS" in BwPlan 2009, the way it looks like now. Which is planned for acquisition "sometime after 2020" (just like the K131 corvettes).