Great pics mate, just one question, who’s C-130 is that behind the BAE 111 there? Ghana doesn’t have any in service so who owns it?

The stearn ramp does indeed (upon a second look) seem to have a boat in it, here I was thinking it was a new VDS. But a VDS on a ship this size, what was I thinking :rolleyes:

The crane on the Stbd side is of a bigger tear weight thus it’s use is not for deployment of RHIB’s but something else, ammo does make sence but i can’t help thinking that there is another reason for it, i can also see that it’s in a handy position to helpo with the helo engine changes, so that’s handy, but again the crane is of a higher weight rating and thus has another purpose.

As for the fleetwide standardisation of guns, I thought they had settled on the Goal Keeper since the dutch help produce it, is there something I have missed?

Well getting back to the Dutch OPV, not sure that I like this design at all, there is a really limited view aft from the bridge due to the side mounted funnels.

I would raise the brigde one level thus giving me a better view aft.

Don’t like where the SAM launcher is, means you can’t have flight ops at the same time as firing SAM’s (Or is that the secondary gun (CIWS)?

The crane is in a really bad position on the starboard side there, what’s the go with that?

VDS on a ship this size would indicate that it would have an ASW role as well but then if it does that would bump it up to a Frigate not a Corvette, the 3D Air Search Radar would also belie a Frigate as opposed to a Corvette but one could then argue that the Singaporean Navy’s Victory class is a frigate as well except that these do lack the SAM’s.

My underastanding is that a frigate has these where as the Corvette has either, not both (ASW roles- ASuW roles or Anti Air roles, not all three in one frame).

The crew comfort level looks high, the bow thruster would help with that especially in the choppy North Sea. Can’t tell if they are varrible pitch props or not, I hope they are.

Kinda looks like Austral has had a hand in this design, especially considering the Armidale class Patrol boats in RAN service now and the Bay Class patrol vessels of our Customs service. A final comparrison would be to look at the new Patrol boats of the Yemeni Navy which were also built by Austral.

On the whole, I give this design a pass, wouldn’t want to serve on one but should be ok to do the job. I expect them to have a 15 year life in service before they become to cramped in their role.

I would like to know what happened to the AT-29 that was to have an FLIR turret in the belly and a MAD in the tail abd be used as a maritime patrol plane.

Here’s an old one for you: