Pakistan's newest submarine has arrived in home waters while the Philippine Navy has formally welcomed a patrol ship into service. An Australian-designed landing craft will soon commence operations in support of the US military as construction continues on a new destroyer for the Royal Canadian Navy. Lastly, a Russian designer has introduced a class of minesweepers optimised for the export market.
Irving Shipbuilding has laid the keel of the lead ship of a new class of destroyers slated for the Royal Canadian Navy.
HMCS Fraser will belong to the River-class destroyers, which are being built as variants of BAE Systems' Type 26 warship. Variants of the ships are also being constructed as frigates for the UK Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy, under which they will be officially known as the City-class and the Hunter-class, respectively.
The official NATO ship designator for the Royal Canadian Navy's River-class warships will be DDGH – a destroyer (DD), guided (G) missile, helicopter (H) capable.
Russia's state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation, through its Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau, has unveiled a new class of mine countermeasures (MCM) vessels that will be marketed exclusively to export customers.
The Project 12701 MCM vessels will be variants of the existing Project 12700 ships, otherwise known as the Alexandrit-class. Each Project 12701 vessel will have a hull made from vacuum-infused FRP, which is being proposed by Almaz as lighter yet just as durable as steel.
In addition to improving each vessel's resistance to corrosion, FRP produces no magnetic field, making the vessels safe for operation in waters containing magnetic mines.
The Pakistan Navy's newest submarine has arrived in home waters at the end of her delivery voyage from China.
PNS Hangor was commissioned into service in April of this year. The submarine arrived in Karachi on Thursday, June 11, and was formally welcomed during a reception ceremony that same day.
Hangor is the lead vessel of an eight-strong class of diesel-electric submarines based on the Type 039A or Yuan-class boats being operated by the People's Liberation Army Navy of China.
A new stern landing vessel (SLV) designed by Australian naval architecture firm Seatransport has completed undergoing contractor and end user sea trials.
The 73-metre Matilda 1 is now en route to Darwin and will undergo final preparations prior to being operated under a three-year lease with the US Marine Corps, primarily within the Asia-Pacific.
Built by Karimun Anugrah Sejati of Batam, Indonesia, the SLV will be able to transport up to 550 tonnes of cargo over 4,000 nautical miles. Seatransport CEO Dr Stuart Ballantyne said she can achieve 85 per cent of her designed speed in head sea state five and predominant waves in standard tradewind areas.
The Philippine Navy commissioned its newest offshore patrol vessel (OPV) during a ceremony at the navy's headquarters in Manila on Tuesday, June 9.
BRP Rajah Lakandula is the second of a planned class of six 94--metre OPVs being built for the Philippine Navy by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in fulfilment of PHP30 billion (US$500 million) contract awarded by the Philippine Department of National Defense in 2022.
Class lead ship BRP Rajah Sulayman was commissioned in February of this year. Lakandula's commissioning meanwhile coincided with the 128th anniversary of the founding of the Philippine Navy, with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr as guest of honour.