The Navy Vol_70_No_2 Apr 2008 - Navy League of Australia

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given the political dynamic associated with
the Russian military and ours and our
various administrations will remain to be
seen,” Willard said, “but they showed up at
the mid-planning conference (in
November) with an expectation to actually
participate this year. That is great
progress.”
RIMPAC is a biennial, multinational
exercise held in Hawaiian waters. Russia
was invited to observe the 2004 and 2006
RIMPAC exercises but did not send
observers.
“Russia is a member of the Western
Pacific Naval Symposium, and Russian
participation in RIMPAC would further
US Maritime Strategy objectives of
developing collaborative partnerships and
strengthening collective security,” Pacific
Fleet spokesman Mark Matsunaga said.
“Working together with partners in the
Pacific builds confidence and trust to
allow the partners to focus on common
threats, combat transnational crime,
strengthen maritime security and achieve
mutual interests,” Matsunaga said.
China has not been invited to
participate or observe RIMPAC 08. The
US National Defense Authorization Act of
2000 precludes direct military-to-military
contacts with China, except for searchand-rescue
and humanitarian assistance
operations.
A small Chinese contingent did
observe RIMPAC in 1998, before that law
was passed.
In 2006, a waiver to the restrictions
allowed a Chinese team to observe a
portion of the Valiant Shield exercise off
Guam. However, there are no plans to
invite China as a participant or observer for
RIMPAC 2008.
Russia delays Indian
submarine refit
The delivery of an IN (Indian Navy)
Kilo class diesel-electric (SSK) submarine
which recently underwent a two-year refit
at a Russian Barents Sea shipyard will be
delayed by at least six months.
The IN has refused to take delivery of
the SINDHUVIJAY, a Project 877 EKM
diesel submarine, whose overhaul began at
the Zvyozdochka shipyard in
Severodvinsk in late 2005, saying its Club-
S cruise missile system had not met
specifications.
“The submarine has passed all its sea
trials and was ready in November 2007,
but the delivery had to be delayed due to
problems with the Club-S system,” a
Zvyozdochka spokesman said.
The IN claimed that the anti-ship
cruise missiles failed to find their targets in
six consecutive test firings in September-
November last year.
The Zvyozdochka official said the
submarine would remain at the shipyard
awaiting further missile firing tests at a
White Sea testing site in July-August of
this year.
The much-touted Club-S submarine
launched cruise missile family includes the
3M-54E1 anti-ship missile and the 3M-
14E land-attack versions, with a range of
275km (about 170 miles). The precision
standoff missile can be launched from
standard torpedo tubes from a depth of 35
to 40 metres (130 feet).
In a contract signed in 2001, India had
sent 10 Kilo class submarines to Russia for
refitting to make them capable of firing the
Club-class cruise missiles.
The SINDHUVIJAY is the fourth IN
submarine that has been overhauled at the
Zvezdochka
Contract awarded for
Harpoon Block III
The US company Boeing has been
awarded a USD$73.7 million USN
contract to design and develop the
Harpoon Block III missile, a nextgeneration
weapon system that will
enhance naval surface warfare capabilities.
The system design and development
(SDD) contract will result in a kit upgrade
programme for existing Navy weapons
that will return 800 enhanced surface- and
air-launch Harpoon missiles and 50 shiplaunch
systems to the USN's inventory.
“The start of SDD is a big milestone
for the Harpoon programme and is the first
major development for the US Navy on
Harpoon for many years,” said Jim Young,
Jr., Boeing Harpoon Block III programme
manager. “Harpoon Block III will provide
the warfighter with a capable, near-term
solution to over-the-horizon, surface
warfare threats.”
Equipped with a new data-link system,
Harpoon Block III will offer warfighters
more control after the weapon is released,
resulting in improved accuracy for littoral
and open-ocean warfare. The Block III
upgrade also positions the missile for
future spiral developments, including
extended range and vertical launch
capabilities.
Harpoon Block III adds in-flight target
updates, positive terminal control and
connectivity with future network
architectures to a proven missile that
already provides autonomous, all-weather,
over-the-horizon capability.
The surface-launch version of
Harpoon Block III will achieve initial
operational capability (IOC) in early 2011
with IOC of the air-launch version
scheduled for later that year. The next
major programme milestones will be the
Systems Requirements and Preliminary
Design Reviews, both scheduled for 2008.
Corvette
BRAUNSCHWEIG
delivered
BRAUNSCHWEIG, the first of a
series of five K130 corvettes for the
German Navy, has been handed over on
Tuesday, January 29, to the German Office
for Defense Technology and Procurement
(BWB) at the naval base Warnemunde.
In a small ceremony on board the
corvette the acceptance certificate was
signed in the presence of representatives of
the German Office for Defense
Technology and Procurement and the
German Navy.
The German corvette BRAUNSCHWEIG seen here on sea trials.
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