Free Republic

The US State Department has approved a request by Egypt to purchase 20 Harpoon Block II encapsulated missiles for submarines as well as related equipment and training, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced in a statement. In addition to the Harpoon missiles, the proposed sale, worth approximately USD 143 million, includes two encapsulated harpoon certification training vehicles, technical assistance, personnel training and logistics support provided by the US. The missiles will be used by Egypt’s new Type 209 submarines, built by the German company ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, according to military intelligence and analysis website IHS Jane’s 30. “The proposed sale...

Indonesia’s Submarine Play Indonesia's military has signed a $1.1 billion contract for three submarines. What does that mean for the region? The latest $ 1.1 billion contract for three Type-209/1400 diesel-electric submarines looks set to breathe new life into the Indonesian Navy (Tentera Nasional Indonesia – Angkatan Laut or TNI-AL). It represents the third major TNI-AL purchase after the acquisition of new corvettes and landing ships since 2000 and has also been described as a move to “maintain power balance in the region,” prompting various analysts to attribute the purchase to Jakarta’s attempt to play regional submarine “catch-up.” For more...

Navy must be all at sea over new submarine A WHOLE box of expensive new toys and not enough boys qualified to play with them. That’s the poser facing the South African Navy as it prepares to take delivery of the first new submarine bought in terms of the controversial multibillion-rand arms deal. News 24 reports that while the navy put in place a policy of training three black submariners for every white one a couple of years ago, in preparation for the imminent handover, a lack of experienced black crew members has left newly appointed navy chief Vice-Admiral Johannes...