DTN News: Royal Navy's Best To Get World Class Support

DTN News: Royal Navy's Best To Get World Class Support

• £309m in-service support contract for Type 45 destroyers

• Delivering high levels of availability for world’s most advanced warships

• Improving equipment reliability while providing best value for Defence

*Source: DTN News / BAE Systems (NSI News Source Info) LONDON, UK - September 17, 2009: The Royal Navy’s newest warships, the Type 45 destroyers, will receive the very best service and support to ensure that they meet the UK’s operational requirements, thanks to a deal announced today.

The Type 45 class will be the largest and most powerful air defence destroyers ever operated by the Royal Navy and the largest general purpose surface warships (excluding aircraft carriers and amphibious ships) to join the fleet since World War Two cruisers. The projected deep load displacement of the Type 45, at around 7,200 tonnes, will also exceed that of any other general purpose surface combatant, again excluding aircraft carriers and amphibious ships, built for the Royal Navy since the Tiger class cruisers of the 1941 programme. When the Type 45 enters service later this decade it will provide the fleet with an air defence capability that is several orders of magnitude greater than that provided by the existing force of Type 42 destroyers. The £309m, seven year Type 45 Support Contract between the Ministry of Defence and BVT Surface Fleet, the maritime Joint Venture between BAE Systems and VT Group, will deliver In-Service Support to the six Daring class Type 45 anti-air warfare destroyers being delivered to the Royal Navy. Commenting on the support contract, Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, Quentin Davies, said “As builders of the Type 45s, BVT bring the in-depth knowledge of these Destroyers that will assure the high quality support that is so essential to the continued delivery of this world class capability. The contract is expected to sustain around 120 quality jobs, primarily in Portsmouth, and many more with key supply chain partners across the country, helping to retain the essential skills we need in this industry.“Type 45 is setting the standard for the modern Royal Navy, providing a multi-role asset combining state of the art power and propulsion systems, a world class weapons system and modern accommodation for its crew.” BVT Surface Fleet Chief Executive, Alan Johnston said “This contract demonstrates an entirely new and genuinely innovative approach to providing the support that the ships and sailors of the Royal Navy need and deserve. The key requirement for T45 Support is not only to ensure the ships are available when required by the Royal Navy but to reduce the costs of supporting them through life. “Working more closely in partnership with both our customer and our major partners will ensure that the Royal Navy is better able to deliver its operational commitments around the world”. DE&S Director Ships Rear Admiral Bob Love said, “The Type 45 support solution is an innovative contract which sees the prime contractor for the build of the ships providing in-service support, ensuring high quality support at best value of money for defence. “The contract incentivises BVT to minimise the cost of support by improving equipment reliability and is the first time this arrangement has been used for a major warship.” Under Type 45 In-Service Support, BVT will act as the Class Output Manager (COM) and will co-ordinate all aspects of support delivery to the ship including maintenance, supply chain and design management, as well as planning and optimising support to the ships. Acting as this single point of contact simplifies the provision of support for the customer by removing the need for the ship to contact multiple agencies. BVT is proving the benefits of this approach in supporting the first of class, HMS Daring. Recognising the key importance of supply chain in delivering support to the Type 45s, BVT has developed innovative contracting arrangements with key equipment partners: Thales, BAE Systems Insyte, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine, Ultra and Converteam. These new arrangements are focused on providing availability of the ships’ major systems. This new approach better aligns all parties to meet the ships operational requirements and strengthens the partnering approach which has proved successful during the build and support of the ships. Under this new approach, BVT will continuously review and optimise the maintenance regime, aiming to reduce cost and the ships staff maintenance burden. Working with its partners, BVT has developed innovative support arrangements providing greater incentives to both maintain equipment effectively and to improve the reliability of the equipment in line with operational requirements. Built-in contract flexibility will accommodate variations in the operational profile that don’t require any contract changes. This is a first for a complex warship such as Daring and, by working more closely with the MOD, it aims to deliver more effective management of support budgets. The support contract requires BVT to manage obsolescence issues for the ships and incorporate changes where required to maintain and enhance the support service About BVT Surface Fleet BVT Surface Fleet, a Joint Venture between BAE Systems and VT Group, is a leader in the design, manufacture, integration and support of naval ships, delivering complex engineering, integration and through-life support across the lifecycle of a vessel. With operations in Glasgow, Portsmouth and Filton near Bristol, it employs over 7,000 people and has the facilities, skills and partnerships to set the global standard in excellence as a trusted and innovative through-life surface warship partner in both the UK and export markets.

Russia Plans To Rotate Warships Off Somali Coast - Navy

Russia Plans To Rotate Warships Off Somali Coast - Navy

(NSI News Source Info) VLADIVISTOK - March 2, 2009: The Admiral Panteleyev destroyer will replace the Admiral Vinogradov destroyer on an anti-piracy mission off the Somali coast, a spokesman for Russia's Pacific Fleet said on Monday. "The Admiral Panteleyev will leave its main base in Vladivostok in April and head for the Somali coast to take part in the international operation to fight piracy in the region," the spokesman said. Russia's Admiral Vinogradov destroyer has been involved in the anti-piracy mission around the Horn of Africa since the beginning of January and will leave the area in the near future, he added. Both warships are Udaloy class missile destroyers, armed with anti-ship missiles, 30-mm and 100-mm guns, and Ka-27 Helix helicopters. According to the UN, Somali pirates carried out at least 120 attacks on ships in 2008, resulting in combined ransom payouts of around $150 million. Around 20 warships from the navies of at least a dozen countries, including Russia, India, the United States, China and Arab states are involved in anti-piracy operations off Somalia, which has been ravaged by years of civil war. Somalia's new unity government plans to tackle the problem of piracy by creating a maritime corridor through the country's territorial waters with international assistance.

£650 Million Royal Navy Warship Arrives In Portsmouth

£650 Million Royal Navy Warship Arrives In Portsmouth

(NSI News Source Info) January 29, 2009: The Royal Navy's newest warship, built at a cost of £650 million, sailed into its home port for the first time today. HMS Daring, the world's most advanced destroyer, was officially handed over to the navy last month after work was completed at the BVT Surface Fleet's Scotstoun shipyard on the Clyde, Scotland. The 7,350-tonne ship will be the first of the Royal Navy's series of six Type 45 destroyers. Daring was met at Portsmouth Naval Base, Hampshire, by a 15-gun salute as well as by families and friends of the ship's company. Hundreds of members of public also lined the harbour walls to welcome the ship. The ship features the latest propulsion, anti-aircraft weapon and stealth technology. The Type 45 destroyers have nearly twice the range - about 7,000 miles - and are 45% more fuel-efficient than the Type 42 destroyers they are replacing in the £6 billion project. It is capable of sailing 3,000 nautical miles, operating for three days and returning home without the need to refuel.

Daring, the first of the Royal Navy's new Type 45 destroyers, entered and berthed in her home port of Portsmouth today for the first time, witnessed by hundreds of well-wishers.

The ships are to be armed with a new hi-tech missile system renamed today as the "Sea Viper", formerly known as the Principal Anti-Air Missile System (Paams). The Sea Viper system, in conjunction with the ship's Sampson Radar system, is capable of tracking hundreds of targets as far as 250 miles away and engaging up to 10 of them simultaneously. Daring can operate various helicopters, including the Chinook, embark 60 Royal Marines and is able to accommodate up to 700 people as part of an emergency evacuation. It has a crew of 191 and generates enough electricity from its gas and diesel engines to power a city the size of Leicester. The ship has been fitted with improved accommodation for ratings include larger bed spaces and less beds per room than previous destroyers. Daring was launched from BVT's facility in Scotstoun by the Countess of Wessex in January 2006. Since then it has undergone three sets of contractor sea trials. It will now undertake an intensive sea trials programme for the rest of the year, with a formal commissioning ceremony due to take place in the summer with a target of formal acceptance into service by late 2010. A flypast by Royal Navy and RAF aircraft took place as Daring entered Portsmouth Harbour. Quentin Davies, minister for defence equipment and support said: "HMS Daring is one of the most advanced ships ever built and along with the five other Type 45s will be one of the essential pillars of the Royal Navy in the 21st century. "Today is a special day for the Royal Navy, the city of Portsmouth and her dockyard, the crew of HMS Daring and all those involved in building her, as one of the most powerful warships in the world enters her home port for the first time. "It is with great pride that I have been able to witness the first arrival of HMS Daring into Portsmouth today." Defending placing such a large investment into a single warship, Mr Davies added: "This is a very flexible warship and I can see her as being of immense use to the defence of the nation in a variety of scenarios. "She is not a one-trick pony, she is the opposite of that." Speaking of the missile system, Mr Davies said: "The newly named Sea Viper, a world-leading missile system will allow the ship to detect her prey, target it and issue a deadly strike." Daring's commanding officer Captain Paul Bennett added: "Daring is a good-looking, large capability platform. She is an illustration of the talent and capability of British shipbuilding. "Today provides a fitting opportunity to mark the first entry into Portsmouth of a new class of destroyer for over 30 years. "It's been a fantastic event to mark the passage of this great warship into her home port and we look forward to a successful year of sea trials before embarking on operations."