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Kenya and Egypt are calling for action against Somali pirates operating in the Gulf of Aden while the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reports that 77 incidents involving sea robbers have been reported since January in that sea way.

The most recent were three last week on Tuesday and one on Wednesday.

On Wednesday last week pirates armed with automatic weapons aboard two speedboats opened fire on a bulk carrier underway. “The pirates boarded and hijacked the vessel and took the 20 crew as hostage. They then sailed the vessel to an undisclosed location in Somalia. The vessel was carrying a cargo of iron ore pellets from Pointe Noire, Canada to Rizhao, China when it was hijacked,” the IMB web site says of the incident.

Pirates fired on ships with small arms in all three incidents reported on Tuesday. In the first incident, at 8am, pirates on speedboats fired at a tanker and attempted to board. The ship took evasive action, transmitted mayday messages and sounded the foghorn. The pirates moved off after 10 minutes.

Read more at: DefenceWeb

A Brazilian report has stated that South Africa's State-owned defence industrial group Denel is proposing that the Brazilian Navy cooperate with it in the development of the radar-guided version of Denel Dynamics' Umkhonto naval surface-to-air missile (SAM), designated Umkhonto-R. If so, this would parallel the current cooperation between Denel Dynamics and the Brazilian Air Force in the development of the A-Darter air-to-air missile. It is known that Denel is seeking to widen its cooperation with Brazil, with Unmanned Air Vehicles likely to be the next area of partnership. The Brazilian and South African Navies will start high-level staff talks late next month (November) and it is believed that this would provide the ideal opportunity for the South African Navy to lobby the Brazilians to join the Umkhonto-R programme. The original, infrared-homing, version of the Umkhonto, designated Umkhonto-IR, is now in service with the South African and Finnish Navies and is being seriously considered by the Swedish Navy. Radar homing would give the missile greater range. While the slant (as distinct from vertical, or horizontal) range of the Umkhonto-IR is believed to be 14 km, that for the Umkhonto-R would, reportedly, be 20 km. (The Denel Dynamics public brochure for the Umkhonto-IR states "Range: 12 000 m", and gives a ceiling of 8 000 m.)

The South African Department of Defence is, it seems, providing funding for the Umkhonto-R project, but this is not likely to be enough to allow a purely national development of the programme within a reasonable time. (If a weapon system takes too long to develop, it becomes obsolete before it even enters service.) Hence Denel's, and South Africa's, reported desire for a partner.

The engagement sequence for the Umkhonto-IR is as follows: the warship detects a target on its acquisition radar and launches the missile against it; the SAM uses its on-board inertial navigation subsystem to fly itself to a "lock-on point" - the location at which its IR seeker can acquire the target and lock on to it - and then guide itself to interception. However, for the Umkhonto-R, it is reported that, after target detection and missile launch, the SAM would be steered towards the target by commands from the warship, activating its radar seeker when within range, locking on to, and then intercepting, the target.

Unlike the South African navy, the Brazilian Navy already operates radar-guided SAMs, namely the Italian Aspide, with a published range of greater than 15 km. Although the Brazilians rate this as a very good missile, they are, however, merely users of it - they have no mastery of radar-homing technology. Cooperation with South Africa in the Umkhonto-R programme would provide an opportunity for the Brazilians to gain this expertise.

However, there is a potential problem. The Umkhonto (both -IR and -R versions) is designed to use vertical launch systems (VLS) and not traditional trainable launchers.

In a VLS each missile is accomodated in its own silo, and this arrangement has many advantages over traditonal systems, with the result that VLS is being adopted nearly universally for new-build warships. But almost all of a VLS is accomodated below deck, not above deck as with traditional launchers. This requires that the ship have significant internal volume to accomodate the VLS. And Brazil's existing frigates and corvettes do not have the necessary internal volume to host VLS, meaning they cannot carry the Umkhonto. On the other hand, the Umkhonto-R could be fitted to Brazil's bigger ships - the aircraft carrier and four or five amphibious ships - which have plenty of internal volume available. So this is not an automatic deal-wrecker.

The Brazilian Navy has its own research and development agency, the Naval Research Institute (IPqM are its initials in Portuguese). The IPqM is based in Rio de Janeiro and is subordinated to the Navy Science, Technology, and Innovation Secretariat. The Institute has successfully developed weapons and electronic systems that are now in service with the Brazilian Navy, including electronic support measures (ESM), a tactical control system for warships, a monitoring and conmtrol system for ships' engines, a chaff launching system, and sea mines. Projects it is currently working on include an electronic countermeasures (ECM) system, radar absorbing materials, ceramic armour, and an inertial navigation system. The IPqM has close ties with Brazilian industry and would presumably be the lead Brazilian institution in a joint Umkhonto-R programme.

Source: Engineering News

The SA Navy has the attention of the shipyards of the Western world – and India – for its future requirements.

The seaward service currently has a range of registered requirements to complete the rejuvenation of the fleet started by the 1999 Strategic Defence Package.

Project Sitron saw the Navy receive four German-built Meko A200SAN Valour-class frigates at a cost of R9.65 billion (2007 Treasury figure) and three Type 209 1400 MOD Heroine-class diesel-electric submarines were acquired under Project Wills for R5.354 billion.

Sitron replaced the British-built Type 12 President-class antisubmarine frigates, the last of which was pensioned off in 1985 and Wills the Daphne class submersibles finally retired in 2003.

Known current requirements include

· Project Biro: A new class of multipurpose offshore patrol vessels (OPV) to replace three types of obsolescent ships currently in use for minesweeping, minehunting and offshore patrolling;

· Project Hotel: A new survey ship to replace the 36-year-old SAS Protea;

· Project Millennium: One or two “strategic support ships”, a completely new capability for the SA Navy, to support national foreign policy, peacekeeping and humanitarian intervention; and

· Project Xena: A new class of 15 10.3m inshore patrol vessels and a command & control system for the Operational Boat Squadron of the Maritime Reaction Force (MRF), the Navy’s budding amphibious capability.

Read more at: DefenceWeb

German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) is hoping to capitalise on its previous success with the SA Navy to gain the advantage in bidding for the sea service’s upcoming requirement for a strategic support ship and a new class of offshore patrol vessels (MM OPV).

TKMS have in the last decade supplied SA with four state-of-the-art MEKO A200SAN frigates and three sophisticated Type 209 littoral submarines. Bernd Wölfer, the company’s vice president for sales says the commonality between the frigates and their offering for the strategic support ship (Project Millennium) and the MM OPV (Project Biro) could be persuasive.

Read more at: DefenceWeb

Damen Shipyards have an established track record delivering patrol craft to SA. It built the 82.9m environmental offshore patrol vessel (OPV) Sarah Baartman for the Department of the Environment and Tourism (DEAT) at its Romanian yard in 2003 and supervised the construction of three smaller, 46m, inshore patrol vessels for the same department at Farocean Marine in Cape Town.

That yard is now Damen Shipyards Cape Town and the Dutch group is hopeful that is sufficient pedigree to win the bid to build a new class of multi purpose OPVs for the SA Navy. Reports suggest an order of between six and 12 vessels (likely ten) next year under the project name “Biro.” Exports to other regional navies are also suggested.

Read more at: DefenceWeb

For the first time over the centuries' old history, a warship from the South African Republic has arrived on a friendly visit to China. According to the local press reports on Friday, Shanghai port met the South African vessel.

The visit is timed to the 10th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Last year, delegations of the two states' Defence Ministries discussed the possibility of such contacts.

Local media reported that Chinese ships have only twice in history reached the South African coast. First time - during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and second - in 2000. However, South African ships have never before visited China.

According to a report of the China Daily newspaper, the first warship from the African continent to visit China docked at Huangpu River port Thursday, ending 600 years of one-way visits.

The SAS Spioenkop with "all religions and races in the new South Africa on board, symbolizes a new transformation in South Africa," Rear Admiral Rusty Higgs said at a welcoming ceremony in Shanghai, according to the report.

"I can feel the excitement of the ship's company. They' ve gone through a long trip and some quite rough weather. I know they are happy to be here," he said. The visit is part of the yearlong celebrations to mark the 10th anniversary of China-South Africa diplomatic relations.

A Chinese frigate escorted the Spioenkop into the port. Wu Weihua, chief of staff of the Shanghai Naval Base of the East China Sea Fleet, headed a delegation of military and local officials, and diplomats, to welcome the ship, according to China Daily.

"You've travelled a long distance to bring the friendly greetings of the South African people. We really appreciate it," Wu said.

South African Ambassador to China Ndumiso Ntshinga was also there to welcome the ship.

"A plan to send a South African warship to China was discussed more than a year ago as a way to consolidate relations with China. We also realized that there was a gap in bilateral naval visits," Ntshinga said, the newspaper reported.

"In history, the Chinese twice made voyages to South Africa, one during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the other in 2000, but we never reciprocated the visits," he said.

Source: SAAF Mailing List (17.10.2008)

A restricted report which threatens to show up former defence minister Mosiuoa Lekota in a bad light has been rubbished by his former department as having been "doctored".

Nearly two years after Lekota vehemently denied the reported multimillion-rand theft and loss of defence force equipment, vehicles and supplies from its bases in Burundi, a restricted SA National Defence Force legal services staff paper has described the non-prosecution of those responsible as "stupefying".

But the defence department on Wednesday insisted that the report obtained by The Star - which was originally commissioned by the chief of the SANDF's legal services - had been altered by unknown people with access to restricted documentation.

As a result of the "doctoring" of the report, the department's spokesperson Sam Mkhwanazi refused to clarify or comment on the report's criticism of "the non-prosecution of any (Burundi-based battalion) commanders for negligent losses of state equipment and property, and failure to account for the theft from SANDF stores in Burundi".

The document's author, Captain DK Gillespie, said last night: "I did not write that."

Read more at: Independent Online

The secret is out: Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota cancelled the purchase of a military spy satellite from Russia, putting relations between the two countries under strain and potentially creating a R1-billion liability for South Africa.

Protracted shuttle diplomacy has failed to resolve the dispute, which Russia is said to be taking to the international arbitration court in The Hague.

In retaliation the Russian military has also delayed launching a separate homegrown satellite that is the flagship of South Africa's incipient civilian space programme.

The top-secret and costly attempt to enable the SANDF to snoop from space was driven by defence intelligence chief Moreti "Mojo" Motau.

It is unclear why Lekota cancelled the contract. NPO Mashinostroyenia, the Russian state company from which Motau ordered the spy satellite, referred all queries to Lekota's ministry.

Lekota would not answer Mail & Guardian questions, including whether Motau had the authority to contract in the first place -- and if not, whether disciplinary action had been taken. His spokesperson said he did not want to prejudice "ongoing negotiations" with the Russians.

South Africa's Denel Dynamics' Bateleur medium-altitude long-endurance(MALE) Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) project looks set to be developed as a joint programme with Brazil. And, in a purely national programme, the company is also developing a new version of its Seeker tactical UAV. Negotiations with Brazil regarding the Bateleur project are already under way, confirms Brazilian Air Force Colonel Nelson Silveira. Colonel Silveira is the Brazilian project officer on the joint South African/Brazilian A-Darter programme - the A-Darter is a fifth generation infrared homing air-to-air missile. He reveals that a memorandum of understanding on cooperation on UAVs was signed between the two countries a year ago.

An initial South African proposal regarding the Bateleur was made to the commander of the Brazilian Air Force in mid-May. The Brazilians are expecting to receive a full proposal, including timeframes and cost estimates, from South Africa in the near future.

This joint UAV project would be modelled on the current joint A-Darter project, which is proving highly successful. Should the project go ahead, as both sides hope, the Bateleur would be acquired by the Brazilian Air Force. It is not yet clear what arm or arms of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) would buy the Bateleur. The South African Air Force has a plan to acquire MALE UAVs, perhaps starting in 2010. Furthermore, the South African Navy is known to be interested in the Bateleur.

The Bateleur concept was developed by Denel four years ago, with a mock-up first displayed in public at the Africa Aerospace and Defence exhibition in Pretoria in 2004.

Then, the company hoped that the UAV would make its first flight in the first half of 2006, but development stalled as a result of a lack of funding. Despite its promise, there was and is simply not the budget to develop the Bateleur as an exclusively South African programme. Finding a foreign partner willing to invest in the development of the aircraft became essential to get the project going again. Hence the importance of the talks with Brazil.

The original conception for the Bateleur included use of existing and proven systems and subsystems from Denel's Seeker II tactical UAV and Skua high-speed target drone, as well as commercial off-the-shelf equipment, in order to keep development costs down. For example, the idea was that the Bateleur would use the same ground control station as the Seeker II. The original specification of the Bateleur included an endurance of 18 to 24 hours, an operational radius of up to 750 km, a maximum altitude above 8 000 m, a maximum cruise speed of 250 km/h, a minimum loiter speed of 120 km/h and a payload mass of 1 t. The UAV would be equipped with a satellite communications system, and would take-off and land on paved runways like a conventional aircraft, but automatically, and would be equipped with a retractable undercarriage. It was conceived to be of modular, composite, construction, and it would have (in its initial version) a wingspan of 15 m. The idea was that a Bateleur could be fitted into a 6 m ISO container.

It is not known how many of these original ideas are, or will remain, valid - for example, a retractable undercarriage adds weight, expense, and complexity, although it should reduce the UAV's radar signature; but is that gain worth the cost? Currently, the world's biggest operational users of UAVs - the Americans, British, and Israelis - are perfectly happy with MALE UAVs with fixed undercarriages; retractable undercarriages are generally confined to high altitude, and to stealth, UAV projects.

Regarding the Seeker tactical UAV, the new model is designated the Seeker 400, and its capabilities will be a considerable advance over those of the current production model, the Seeker II. A foreign country has already expressed its interest in acquiring a the Seeker 400.

To minimise the development risk of the programme, the Seeker 400 uses the same avionics and ground station as the Seeker II. However, while the Seeker II has an endurance of ten hours, the Seeker 400 increases this by six hours to a total of 16 hours. The new model of the Seeker also has the ability to carry more than one payload at the same time, while the Seeker II can carry only one at a time. The Seeker 400 will also be equipped with an aviation-certified engine, with reduced noise levels, that would be manufactured in South Africa. In fact, a key concept underlying the entire programme is that nearly all the components and systems be built in South Africa.

There is currently no indication that the Seeker 400 will be acquired by the SANDF, but like its predecessor, the Seeker II, it will probably be produced for export markets. The Seeker II has proved most successful in the service of overseas clients.

Source: Engineering News