"Ghannatha" patrol vessels

Mortars, guns and missiles to arm UAE patrol boats
The United Arab Emirates navy has released more details on the weapons fit of 24 fast patrol boats being supplied by Abu Dhabi Ship Building under a AED 935 million ($255million) ordered announced earlier this week Abu Dhabi Shipbuilding along with partner SwedeShip Marine are to build 12 new 26.5m fast patrol boats and upgrade 12 existing Ghannatha-class high-speed troop-carrying craft into the same configuration.

The 24 vessels will be produced in three weapon configurations officials revealed here today at the IDEX defense show. The main armament of half the 24 boats will be the MBDA-supplied Marte anti-ship missile. Four missiles will be carried in two launchers on the rear of the Ghannatha class vessels. The UAE is the first customer for the ship-launched version of what is normally a helicopter weapon.

Six of the boats are to be fitted with the Patria developed NEMO 120mm mortar system.
The remainder will be equipped as gunships equipped with a 27mm cannon supplied by Rheinmetall. The gunships will also retain a troop transport capability. Weapons integration is to be undertaken by Abu Dhabi Systems Integration the ADSB / Selex Sistemi Integrati joint venture.

Officials said the first boat would be ready within 18 months of contract award. In a separate move earlier this week ADSB secured a AED416 deal to build 34 high speed interceptor vessels for the UAE’s Critical National Infrastructure Authority. Capable of 50knots the MRTP16 design come’s from Turkish Shipbuilder Yonca Onuk. The first 12 of the lightly armed vessels will be built in the Turkish company’s yard in Istanbul.

I wonder if they’re going to forward mount the weapons or not. There doesn’t seem to be much room forward of the wheelhouse to mount one (especially with 120mm ammuntion). Maybe that’s what the hull stretch is for on the later ones? If they used much of the free space up front then that would eliminate the ramp up front (or at least access to it). That would make it more difficult for embarked troops to get out quickly.

Logan Hartke

I suspect the mortar will be aft mounted like the Amos installed on a Combat Boat 90.

I wonder if they’re going to forward mount the weapons or not. There doesn’t seem to be much room forward of the wheelhouse to mount one (especially with 120mm ammuntion). Maybe that’s what the hull stretch is for on the later ones? If they used much of the free space up front then that would eliminate the ramp up front (or at least access to it). That would make it more difficult for embarked troops to get out quickly.

Logan Hartke

The 27mm is indeed the MLG27, to the best of my knowledge it is an either or thing, so the boats getting the Nemo will not get the cannon. As I understand it the hull stretch will not be retroactive. My source was the Jane’s reporting from Idex. I am not aware of any pictures of the new boats being about. What I am really interested in is whether there will be any modifications (RCS related perhaps?) to the wheelhouse/superstructure.

Like you I find the UAE navy fascinating, as I try to point out on here frequently all navies are different and formed by the circumstances around them and the UAE is one of the more extreme cases of this around today. They have moved beyond the standard procurement of FAC’s usually associated with fleets of their size and are acquiring a highly specialised force based around their exact circumstances.

Answered some of my own questions:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/idex2009/inside1.asp?xfile=/data/idexnews/2009/February/idexnews_February26.xml&section=idexnews

http://defensenews.com/blogs/idex/2009/02/25/mortars-guns-and-missiles-to-arm-uae-patrol-boats/

Logan Hartke

Thanks, sealord. Do you have any sources for this? I’d just like to read up a bit more on them. I noticed the hull stretch in sources and didn’t know if it was just a typo or not (the original ships are listed as 24.3m and the new ones as 26m). Will that stretch be retroactive or just on the new ships?

Also, do you happen to know if the ships getting NEMO will be getting any automatic weapons in addition to it or not? I take it the 27mm gun is the MLG 27. I’d only read 30mm before this.

It sure seems to be a good hull, and the UAE makes pretty smart purchasing decisions in general. I’m eager to learn more about these.

Logan Hartke

They are going to use Nemo, not AMOS. Furthermore the units getting the mortar will be reconstructed existing hulls. Those hulls not getting the mortar will get a 27mm cannon.

The patrol vessels, as yet there is no image and beyond the missiles all we know is that they will get a hull stretch and more powerful engines. I suspect that they are intended as close escort for the older units rather than as patrol vessels in the coastguard sense.

All in all the UAE is developing a very powerful littoral force, assuming its sailors are well conditioned and trained.

In short the UAE will have 6 transport boats with 27mm cannon, six with single barrelled 120mm mortars and twelve fitted out as fast attack craft and one assumes also with transport capability, this in addition to the six corvettes they are acquiring and one assumes the rentention of at least some of the FAC force.

Nobody has any update on this? Any futher IDEX coverage on the program or an ADSB display model for the patrol version or anything?

Logan Hartke