But Helmoed-Römer Heitman, the Southern African correspondent for Jane's Defence Weekly and author of a similar study, South African Armed Forces (1990), said Engelbrecht had failed to take into account the significant upgrades planned for the naval weapons systems, the choices for which would become clear only as the new navy's role developed.

Rear Admiral Kevin Watson, the navy's project director for the acquisition of the vessels, confirmed that the bulk of the expenditure on the frigates (65 percent) had been on the ships, not their weapons systems. This, he admitted, was at odds with the international norm of a 70 percent ship/30 percent weapons split.

As a result, according to Engelbrecht, while the ships were top notch, there were significant weaknesses in the weapons, and the counter-measures the ships were able to deploy against enemy attack.

The frigates will be armed with eight Exocet missiles, 16 Umkhonto missiles, a single turreted Denel 76mm gun, Oerlikon 20mm cannons and a South African Denel/Reutech 35mm cannon.

According to Engelbrecht, the frigate's "current armament [was] suited only for limited, short-duration self-defence". Its "land-attack capability [was] limited to guns too light for the task" and it had "no land attack missiles". This inability to add muscle to incursions ashore is underlined by Engelbrecht's argument that "the [Valour] class deliberately lacks a land- attack cruise missile capability for political reasons: such weapons are seen by some as 'too aggressive' and out of keeping with the Valour-class's 'defencive posture'.

"However, like its peers, the SAN recognises the growing importance of fighting in the littoral battle-space and supporting land forces ... As a result, a missile land-attack capability is likely to be added as funds become available and sensitivities are assuaged."

Heitman said that budgeting, not political shyness, had delayed the development of the navy's land-attack capacity. Still, in Engelbrecht's estimation, the frigates' existing weapons were not up to scratch:

• The French anti-ship "Exocet missile was too slow to penetrate modern air defences and too short-ranged to allow the mothership adequate stand-off to evade detection and response … Some commentators have criticised the choice of the Exocet ... because of its lack of land-attack ability ... Others have hammered the system for its age (developed in 1967), its low relative speed and small warhead, compared with some more modern systems such as the Indo-Russian BrahMos," which was touted to the SAN at last year's Africa Aerospace and Defence show in Cape Town. Heitman suspected the SAN had bought one Exocet and leased the rest, but would upgrade to the latest, longer-range (173km) model, which had land-attack capabilities. The SAN was also interested in the supersonic 300km-range BrahMos cruise missile.
• The South African Denel Umkhonto-IR is a short-range (12km) anti-aircraft missile, which is still in its development stage, having been "tested only to a limited extent", while "several navies and air forces already have supersonic anti-ship missiles. How the Umkhonto will deal with these is not known." The frigates can have their capacity doubled to 32 Umkhontos, but will probably carry only eight missiles and so "can easily be swamped by saturation attack". Also, after a missile has been fired, empty launch canisters have to be removed from their silos, but: "As far as can be determined, this cannot be done by the Valour-class at sea, [so] reloading will have to be done alongside [in port] or require a replenishment vessel, as a depot ship, in calm seas". Heitman admitted the missiles might have difficulty intercepting supersonic assaults, but said the Finns' recent acquisition of the Umkhonto and Sweden's interest showed the missile was taken seriously. He added that no navy was able to reload its vertically launched anti-aircraft missiles at sea.
• The Italian OTOBreda 76mm cannons were acquired for the Warrior-class strike-craft in 1977 and four reconditioned ones were fitted to the frigates as "an interim cost-saving measure. Senior naval officers are well aware the gun is too small to effectively support forces ashore." Heitman agreed, but also echoed Engelbrecht in saying the SAN was looking to replace the 76 with a navalised 155mm gun, which could use Denel's world-class G5 and G6 ammunition. Such a long-rage gun, rather than missiles, would be able to bombard enemy air bases, gun emplacements and ports. But this, Heitman argued, would be relevant only once the SAN had acquired multi-role ships capable of landing troops to secure beachheads softened by such bombardment.

In addition, the frigates were not fitted with torpedoes (as they were capable of), and its anti-submarine warfare ability was very basic, Watson admitted. Heitman said "there's absolutely f* all [the frigates] can do to a submarine except ram it".

But the frigates would all go through "a massive upgrade" of their weapons, counter-measure and weapons-control systems in the coming years, he said.

Watson said the frigates' helicopters would initially be used in a surveillance role because they increased the ships' line of sight from 37km to 555km.

Source: Independent Online

Previously, the Navy used ships with "hand me down" designs suited for other navies in the world, Rear Admiral Kamerman said yesterday at the Navy's Simonstown base.

The Navy, he said, was "over the moon" with the ship, which had its platforms built in Germany while 75% of its combat systems were designed and built by over 20 South African companies, much to the pride of the Navy and the National Defence Force.

That combat system - described by a Royal Navy team as "the best frigate combat system afloat today" - was further enhanced by design that Project SITRON went "to great lengths" to make as stealthy as possible, said Rear Admiral Kamerman.

The SAS Amatola, the first of four frigates bought by government as part of the Strategic Defence Package sealed several years ago, was received by the SANDF at a signing ceremony at Simonstown attended by a number of military top brass, political principals and representatives of the European-South African Corvette Consortium.

These included the chief of the SA Navy, Vice-Admiral Johannes Mudimu, the chief of the National Defence Force, General Godfrey Ngwenya, Defence Secretary, January Masilela, representatives of Armscor as well as the Minister of Public Enterprises, Alec Erwin, the Minister of Defence, Mosiuoa Lekota and First Lady Zanele Mbeki.

It was Mrs Mbeki who named the first of the MEKO A200-class frigates the SAS Amatola, in 2002 in Germany when the ship's platform (not it combat suite) was completed, and she was the first dignitary to board the ship and sign its visitor's book yesterday, as the "godmother" of the most modern warship in the world today.

Amatola is taken from a famous battle in 1852 in the Eastern Cape led by Chief Maqoma, where "valour was shown on both sides", according to the ship's commander, Captain Jamieson, adding that it was this that inspired the ship's insignia, an axe and a feather.

The other three Valour-Class Patrol Corvettes, already delivered but due to have combat systems completed later this year, are named the SAS Isandlwana, SAS Spioenkop and SAS Mendi.

With enough power on board to light up the city of East London, the 121-m SAS Amatola can travel at a speed of 30 knots on the high seas, stop at a distance only three times its length - quicker than a vessel eight times smaller - and can carry around 500 refugees in a humanitarian operation.

At the same time, the ship is also designed for electronic warfare such as radar jamming, and has electro-optic missile and gun systems that include surface-to-surface missiles, uMkhonto surface-to-air missiles, a 76 mm gun weapon and two 20mm cannon, along with another 35mm dual purpose gun and decoy rocket launchers for defensive tactics.

It carries up to 120 crew and is designed to accommodate several different helicopters, including two maritime Lynx day-and-night helicopters at one time, or one Lynx helicopter with two drone UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) or one Oryx, or a Rooivalk. It's designed for punishment as well, according to the Navy, including air and sea strikes as well as biological and chemical defence protection.

Ultimately, it's designed for effective surveillance patrol, crisis response, anti-piracy and peace support operations capabilities, in particular "stability projection operations", with capacity, said Kamerman, to stay at sea for up to three months on "both sides of the equator".

It will also be used for effective monitoring and protection of South Africa's marine resources and environment in its huge eexclusive economic zone, and is effective too for disaster relief and humanitarian aid operations.

Lekota said yesterday that the Corvettes would be critical in ensuring that "for many years to come the Navy will be able to provide the requisite levels of operations and support to ensure stability, peace and security of the both the Indian and Atlantic ocean coastlines of South Africa, Southern Africa and further afield".

In keeping with the principles of Nepad (the New Partnership for Africa's Development) and the "African Agenda", South Africa must be "fully prepared for any threats to the critical economic activity of the international sea routes around us".

The SAS Amatola will also be added to the arsenal at the disposal of the South African Development Community regional Standby Force, one of the African Union's five regional brigades for peacekeeping and rapid reaction in Africa.

The recent establishment of the SADC brigade along with a continental Regional Early Warning System all pointed Africa in a direction of hope and progress, said Lekota.

"We are now collectively capable of pre-emptive and rapid response to situations both military and where humanitarian disaster may occur," the defence minister said.

Source: BuaNews (thanks to Wilhelm van Zyl)

As a result, the class designation came to be seen as an attempt to make the purchase more popular with a sceptic public. A naval spokesman told DSD the class classification of "FSG" (Frigate, Small, Guided Missile) for the patrol corvettes led to some confusion. It was therefore decided to quietly phase in the new designation.

Source: defence THINK!/SAAF Mailing List