just for general note, I’m planning to draw Baku (and Kiev as well) for the shipbucket in near future so thanks for the Kiev drawing from my part…and don’t dare to go and draw it before me:mad: 😡 ….:p 😀 😉

hehehe be my guest, I, for myself, don’t want to get my eyes melted while working on all those nasty details pixel by pixel (hats off to MConrads!). See, that’s why I love stealth design features in modern warships 😀 Smooth, clean, unobstructed lines, everything is hidden beneath doors and windows… “Shipbucket-friendly-ships” I may say 🙂

I found these two after a quick look to my archieve:

Disappointing. By the first batch, do you mean up to Stoiky?

AFAIK, the first batch consists of five ships, which are: Steregushchy, Soobrazitelniy, Boykiy, Stoikiy and Sovershennyy (sure there are some typo’s, though). These ships are planned to be equipped with the Uran.

Speaking of Neustrashimy, if Stereguschy is equipped with Uran, does that mean they may have finally gotten round to fitting Neustrashimy with the Urans it was supposed to have from the start?

Could be, but by looking from budgetary and logistics perspectives, I think that VMF’s priority for the Uran is the most modern ships, i.e the ones which have been recently commissioned or being built.

Currently Steregushchy doesn’t carry SS-N-26. It has a total of 8 3M42 Uran (SS-N-25 “Switchblade”) in two quad KT-184 launchers. New generation of SSM’s will be installed “when they are ready”, AFAIK.

Additionally, although it is on the design, Steregushchy doesn’t have SA-N-9 SAM’s.

By the way, is it me or the Kahstan on the above photo does not have SA-N-8’s installed on the either side of the turret?

TCG S-360 Birinci Inonu, the last of 4 Gur class (Type 209/1400+) submarines has been formally commissioned.

Turkish Navy submarine fleet consists of 6 Ay class (Type 209/1200), 4 Preveze class (Type 209/1400) and 4 Gur class (Type 209/1400+) submarines.

South Korean KT-1 has been declared as the winner of Turkish Air Force primary trainer project covering 36+19 aircraft after today’s Defense Industry Executive Committee meeting.

F-101 Alvaro de Bazàn has paid a visit to Australia. As far as I know, during this visit, meetings of civilian and military officials from both countries took place.

I think that hull design of Alvaro de Bazàn is nothing more than a scaled up FFG-7, which both Australia (Adelaide) and Spain (F-80) has a lot building, operating and modernizing experience.

As a fast-developing regional power, Australia has to possess a powerful navy, and has to have it quick. A proven design would be the best way to go in this case, I think.

Additionally, Australia has been conducting several procurement programmes which led a strong cooperation with European defense companies, such as Tiger and the possible selection of Mistral LPD.

That’s why, I saw the latest news regarding the Mk41 VLS as a signal of the selection of F-100 as AWD.

Australia is to buy three Spanish-designed warships and two large Spanish landing ships, Prime Minister John Howard has confirmed

Spanish armada for warship contracts

Most warship classifications now mean very little at all, as virtually all capabilitys have trickled down the scale.

Indeed. One of the best examples for this is South Africa’s MEKO A200SAN’s which are definedas “corvette” but weigh more than some “ordinary” frigates.

On the other hand there is requirements issue. If you take a corvette as a moderately or lightly armed warship designed for patrol, anti-smuggling, fishery-protection, ASuW + ASW with enough self sufficiency (accomodation, fuel, etc) to conduct assigned missions for a reasonable time (e.g 10 days or more), then we can conclude that even a 6,000t ship could be a corvette.

Canada is neighbor to two oceans + arctic cap with pretty harsh conditions. Surely not a heaven for mariners. A patrol ship with reasonable armament, supplies, accomodation facilities and stability & strength to overcome the cruel sea conditions surely requires displacement much higher than most corvette designs.

Warship classification has become a puzzling object lately. It is something of a combination of armament, disp., mission and imagination 😉 Or who wants to explain how “through-deck cruisers” can suddenly become “aircraft carriers” or how “helicopter carriers” are indeed “helicopter carrying anti-submarine cruisers”, or “landing platform docks” disguise us under the name of “helicopter carrying destroyers”? 🙂