Baynunah class
 The Al Dhafra on the NAVDEX
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The Baynunah- class is a project of the Navy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the construction of ocean-going combat ships with a variable range of uses. The procurement of six units is planned to form the backbone of the new UAE Navy. Their main tasks are in maritime surveillance, mine warfare and surface warfare within the waters of the Emirates.
project phase
When, with the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq, the most urgent threat to the United Arab Emirates no longer existed, it soon became apparent that the six outdated patrol boats of the Ardhana class (175 t) operated by the UAE Navy no longer met the requirements of the 21st century warfare could be enough. As early as 1996, the Navy therefore started a study under the name LEWA-1 to build a suitable replacement. In the course of the efforts of the fleet, the construction of six units under the official class designation " Baynunah " (after a region near Abu Dhabi) was finally announced in 2001 as part of the International Defense Exhibition . The option of keel laying of a second, equally large series was kept open. The ADSB ( Abu Dhabi Ship Building) shipyard in Mussafah was awarded the contract .
It soon became apparent that the lack of capacities in the local shipbuilding industry meant that foreign assistance could not be avoided. At the Euronaval 2002 an agreement between the ADSB and the French Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie (CMN) in Cherbourg was announced. The contract, which was concluded in December 2003, initially provided for the construction of four units based on the French Combattante BR-70 system with a value of 540 million US dollars. A technology transfer was also agreed between the two companies: The French company provided personal and technical assistance as well as support in training Arab specialists. In addition, the CMN subsidiary CMN Divisions Systems was to be responsible for the installation of the weapon system.
The type ship was built by CMN in Cherbourg, while the other ships were to be delivered by ADSB. Construction began in May 2005. In July 2005 the optional two units were confirmed. The delivery of the first unit was planned for 2008 and then another unit should be delivered every six months. However, in August 2008 it became known that the program was over a year behind schedule.
The type ship was not delivered until 2011. In 2010, the second unit of the class was launched in Mussafah and in February 2014 the sixth. The fourth ship was handed over to the UAE Navy on May 10, 2015.
Conception
The requirements for the design provided for a small combat ship that could operate both on the high seas and in the exclusive economic zone of the Emirates (good maneuverability up to sea state 5) and should have such a shallow draft to be fully capable of fighting in coastal waters. The spectrum of tasks ranges from combating surface , air and land targets to surveillance and reconnaissance. There is no place for underground hunting in the sensor / effectors concept. Stealth features should also be part of the equipment . The ship's design is known as a corvette due to its displacement and range of uses .
General ship data
With a length of 70 m, a width of 11 m, a draft of 2.8 m and a displacement of around 770 t, the ship is larger than conventional missile speedboats of the Um Almaradim class (Combattante I) and can be characterized as a corvette. The steel hull, with its V-shaped construction and smooth, low-structure aluminum superstructures, has stealth capabilities. The reduction of the crew to 37 people achieved through the high level of automation of the ship's systems (accommodation is available for a further seven) guarantees a sea endurance of two weeks in terms of water reserves, supplies and fuel.
The entire equipment is modular and allows upgrading with additional technologies such as installations for deploying mines or for their defense: rails for suspending mines can be attached to the helicopter landing pad, and a special collision sonar and an ROV can be retrofitted.
drive
Due to the need for fighting ability in shallow waters, a decision was made when choosing the propulsion system for a combination of three water jet propulsion of the type KaMeWa 112SII, which give the ship a high degree of maneuverability. The associated machinery consists of four MTU 16V 595 TE90 diesel engines of 4.3 MW each. The installed system provides for the so-called CODAD principle (Combined Diesel and Diesel), whereby the two outer waterjet drives are each driven by one, the inner engine by two machines. This means that the entire machine system is connected in series in two sections and its individual components can be operated independently of one another. This system gives the ship a speed of 32 knots and a range of over 2400 nautical miles when cruising at 15 knots.
Sensors and ship systems
The two systems for target acquisition and targeting are the 3D G-band phased array marine surveillance radar Ericsson Sea Giraffe AMB (Agile Multi Beam) and the fire control radar (NA25X) Selex Orion RTN 25 X from Selex Sistemi Integrati (formerly Alenia Marconi Systems / AMS). Orientation at sea is carried out with a Terma I-band navigation radar. The sensors feed or are controlled by the IPN-S command and control system (FüWES), which enables processing of up to 200 tracks simultaneously within a radius of 200 km regardless of the weather conditions. For extended target acquisition, the ship has a Sagem-Vigy-EOMS-Optronic system, which also enables the observation of the effects of one's own weapons on the enemy.
Combat management is conducted from an on-board operations center, in which the situation report can be set up on six consoles and a large screen. The information image created by the ship systems themselves is supplemented by external sources such as command centers on land, reconnaissance units and other ships. Communication with these support staff takes place via Link 11 and Link Y MK2. A platform management system from MTU and an integrated bridge system from CAE for monitoring all ship systems complete the equipment. Finally, the combat management system has the option of a retrofittable software system for a minefield.
Weapon systems
The primary armament of the ship consists of various guided missiles to combat sea and air targets. The boats carry eight (2 × 4) of the MBDA MM40 Block 3 " Exocet " missiles that have already been launched in the UAE Navy for anti-naval targeting . The Exocet MM40 carries a 165 kg warhead, has a range of up to 180 km and can fight sea and land targets. For more extensive air defense against missiles and aircraft, two 2-cell Mk.56 starters are installed in the hangar area , which contain a total of eight (4 × 2) ESSM missiles in a DP48 double pack. The ship not only has the ability to protect itself, but is also able to protect itself to a limited extent. In addition, the Baynunah class has a 21-cell starter for RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile in the hangar for self-defense at close range against approaching missiles and helicopters.
As a barrel weapon, the Baynunah class has the Oto Melara Super Rapido rapid-fire gun (rate of 120 rounds / min) as standard , which is suitable for use against sea, air and land targets. Lighter targets can be fought with the MLG 27 mm light naval gun set up behind the bridge with a rate of fire of 1,700 rounds per minute. Originally, 30 mm guns from Oto Melara were intended for this purpose . In the course of development, however, the UAE Navy came to the conclusion that the Rheinmetall guns better suited their requirements.
Self-protection by missiles and guns is supplemented by the fully pivoting MASS decoy launcher (Multi Ammunition Softkill System) from Rheinmetall, which uses 32 omnispectral projectiles of various types against weapons with seeker heads with ultraviolet, optical, laser-assisted, infrared or radar-assisted detection and from distract from their goal. Electronic countermeasures can be taken using an NLWS310 laser warning receiver from Saab Avitronics of South Africa, an Elettronica SLR-736E Electronic Support Measures System (ESM) and a Thales Altesse Communications ESM.
Finally, it is possible to embark a 4.5-ton helicopter in an on-board hangar at the stern of the ship, which can be used for liaison missions, combating surface targets, boarding or sea rescue. The Eurocopter AS 565 Panther , which is already in use in the Navy, may be stationed on the future corvettes. The use of the Camcopter S-100 helicopter drones introduced in the UAE is also conceivable.
units
- Baynunah (P171) - in service
- Al Hesen (P172) - in service
- Al Dhafra (P173) - in service
- Mezyad (P174) - in service
- Al Jahili (P175) - under construction
- Al Hili (P176) - under construction
Web links
- Baynunah class at GlobalDefence.net (German)
- Baynunah class at naval-technology.com (English)
- Baynunah class at marinelog.com (English)
- Baynunah class at www.navyrecognition.com (English)
See also
- Braunschweig- class (Germany)
- La Fayette class (France)
- Sa'ar 5 class (Israel)
- Visby class (Sweden)
- Abu Dhabi class (United Arab Emirates)
- Falaj-2 class (United Arab Emirates)