With a 1700 kilometer coastline and 11,100 kilometers of navigable inland waterways, Myanmar has an obvious requirement for a substantial naval force.
However for many years the Myanmar Navy, hampered by diplomatic isolation and shortage of funds, languished in the backwaters of Asian naval capabilities. It relied upon a motley fleet that included ageing ex-British and US corvettes and wooden river-patrol boats.
This all changed in the early 90s when the Myanmar Navy began commissioning more modern warships from China, such as the Hainan patrol craft and the Houxin missile craft. In return, Yangon, the former Myanmar capital, allowed Beijing access to Great Coco Island in the Andaman Sea. Reports that the Chinese operate an electronic eavesdropping station on the island remain unconfirmed.
In tandem with the acquisition of Chinese ships, Myanmar embarked upon an incremental indigenous construction programme. This programme commenced with small gunboats and then progressed to surface-to-surface missile (SSM) armed fast-attack craft. Next in the program were three missile-equipped corvettes (built on Chinese-supplied hulls), followed by the 2,590 tonne frigate 'Aung Zya', based on a Chinese design, and armed with four Chinese C-602 SSMs and a 76mm gun, the latter weapon most probably a Chinese or North Korean reverse-engineered derivative of a ubiquitous Oto Melara-built design.
Now, China has just supplied the Myanmar Navy with the ex-PLA Navy Jianghu II frigates, the 'Anshan' and 'Jishou'. These frigates have been renamed 'Mahar Bandoola', and 'Mahar Thiha Thura'. The 1970s-designed, 2,000 tonne Jianghu class is obsolete and is being progressively withdrawn from PLA Navy service. Some have had their armament drastically reduced and are then relegated to the paramilitary China Coast Guard.
Despite their antiquated status, these ships remain rugged and well-proven vessels. Mounting a main armament of four HY-2 SSMs and four 100mm guns, they represent a significant boost for the Myanmar Navy's offshore capabilities.
The prime catalyst for the expansion of the Myanmar Navy – currently led by Rear Admiral Nyan Tun – has been Myanmar's rivalry with Bangladesh over large offshore reserves of hydrocarbons. Both Myanmar and Bangladesh claim 150,000 square kilometres of the Bay of Bengal. Since 2008, there have been reports of periodic confrontations between the navies of the two claimant nations. The Bangladesh Navy, incidentally, is another fast-growing, partially Chinese-equipped Asian naval force, with an inventory that also includes a Jianghu frigate.
It remains to be seen whether a recent United Nations Tribunal ruling on the dispute, a ruling found to be in favour of Bangladesh, has permanently defused the situation.
It is believed that China may have supplied the Jianghus to try to reinvigorate its declining influence over Myanmar, as relations between Beijing and Yangon have cooled markedly in recent years. Myanmar has complained of mass illegal emigration from China, and some Chinese-led infrastructure projects within Myanmar have been halted by Yangon, which is now looking increasingly to India for strategic alliance whilst simultaneously mending its fences with the West. Upon delivery of the Chinese-built vessels, Myanmar immediately deployed their latest warship acquisitions on a visit to Vietnam. Hanoi is a highly vociferous opponent of Chinese maritime expansion, and has in recent years pursued a high-profile policy of forging naval links with numerous nations.
Trevor Hollingsbee
