NOPV INS SUNAYNA COMMISSIONED
INS Sunayna, the second of the naval offshore patrol vessel (NOPV) class of ship was commissioned at Kochi on October 15 by Vice Admiral Satish Soni, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command. INS Sunayna, to be based under Southern Naval Command is built at the Goa Shipyard Limited, and will meet the increasing ocean surveillance and patrolling requirements of the Indian Navy. Two KOEL/Pielstick diesel engines enable INS Sunayna to achieve speeds in excess of 25 knots. The ship also has an automatic power management system installed by Larsen and Toubro. She is fitted with the latest navigation, communication and electronic support systems. The armament fit include one 76mm gun with an electrooptic fire control system, close in weapon AgustaWestland and Thales are under contract to supply Compact Flash Sonics dipping sonars for the Republic of Korea Navy’s new AW159 maritime operations helicopters. The Compact Flash sonar is the latest member of Thales’s Flash range of dipping sonars. This low-frequency, longrange sonar system is lighter and designed for smaller helicopters. It features an optimised, lightweight architecture as well as a fully-electric reeling machine. The Compact Flash delivers outstanding performance. The Sonics version also includes a complete sonobuoy processing system, with a VHF receiver, picking up sonobuoy data and processing it in real time on board the helicopter. By simultaneously processing data from the dipping sonar and from active and passive sonobuoys, the compact flash provides the new intermediate class helicopters with an unparalleled anti-submarine warfare capability.
FROST & SULLIVAN’S AND SIS MARKET MILITARY NAVAL VESSELS FORECAST
Consulting firm Frost & Sullivan’s Global Military Naval Vessels and SIS Market Assessment has forecast that North America will remain the largest market, while Asia-Pacific—the second biggest warship market—will grow significantly owing to the regional arms race caused by the tension among China and its neighbours and the unstable situation in the Korean Peninsula.
Military naval vessels market earned revenues of $32 billion in 2013 and estimates this to reach $39.99 billion in 2022. Revenues of the SIS market touched $15.29 billion in 2013 and are expected to rocket The Missile Defense Agency (MDA), US Navy and Lockheed Martin team had successfully intercepted a threat representative, mediumrange, separating ballistic missile target using the second generation Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) weapon system and SM-3 Block IB guided missile. Building on the success of last month’s test (FTM-21), FTM22 marked the eleventh time the USS Lake Erie and crew have successfully performed in Navy and MDA at-sea test events against cruise and ballistic missile targets using the second-generation Aegis BMD System. The Aegis BMD 4.0.X configuration enables the Navy to quickly defeat sophisticated ballistic missile threats by integrating sensors from space, land and sea for persistent and reliable detection.
UCAS’ CENTENNIAL FLIGHT
The X-47B (AV-2) has conducted the 100th flight for the Navy’s unmanned combat air system demonstration (UCAS-D) programme. The Navy UCAS programme successfully completed all objectives for the carrier demonstration phase with the X-47B in -uly. During three flights at-sea over eight months, the X-47B conducted a total of 16 precision approaches to the carrier flight deck, including five planned tests of X-47B wave-off functions, nine touchand-go landings, two arrested landings and three catapult launches. The programme is currently planning for continued carrier integration demonstrations and has also begun surrogate Learjet testing of the autonomous aerial refuelling capability, which promises to significantly increase the endurance and range of carrier-based unmanned aircraft.