In October, naval experts were left scratching their heads when media reports resurfaced that India was preparing to lease an Akula II-class nuclear-powered attack submarine from Russia. As they had in the past, the reports said the decade-long lease agreement had been confirmed and that the nearly completed submarine Nerpa was preparing for transfer to India. The Russian Defense Ministry, however, immediately denied any discussions or agreements on the subject. That same month, 2,000 sailors from the U.S. Navy and Indian Navy took part in naval exercises dubbed Malabar ’04 off the southwest coast of India. This was the sixth Malabar exercise between the two nations and involved such activities as small boat transfers, group maneuvers, and nighttime underway replenishment. The U.S. Navy frigate Gary (FFG-51), submarine Alexandria (SSN-757), and cruiser Cowpens (CG-63) took part in the exercises, along with several Indian naval warships. The Indian Navy’s Dehli-class guided-missile destroyer Mysore, right, participated in opening day maneuvers on 5 October 2004. In September, the U.S. and Pakistani navies conducted similar maneuvers as part of exercise Inspired Siren 2004.
The Swedish Ministry of Defense has confirmed a deal (reported on briefly in the November 2004 Proceedings) to station a Gotland-class submarine in the United States for at least a year. In what is being billed as a unique submarine and antisubmarine aggressor program between the Swedish Navy and the U.S. Navy, the as-yet-to-be-named submarine, along with a Swedish crew, will arrive in the United States via a heavy lift transport ship and will operate from both East and West Coast bases. The program, initiated by the United States and approved by the Swedish Ministry of Defense, is a wise one for both navies. The United States, which will pay the operating costs, will have the opportunity to train against a very small (60 meters long, 1,500 tons displacement) and very quiet air-independent propulsion submarine, while the Swedes will be able to hone their skills against the full range of air, surface, and subsurface threats. The full series of yearlong exercises is expected to commence during the first half of 2005.
On 4 November 2004, the German Navy commissioned the FGS Sachsen, the first Sachsen (Type 124)-class guided-missile frigate. Built by Blohm+Voss at Hamburg, the warship will be followed by her sisters—Hamburg, to commission in December 2004, and Hessen, to follow in 2005. These three ships together will form the newly established 1st Frigate Squadron based at Wilhelmshaven Naval Base. The frigates are heavily armed, having been fitted with the Thales multifunction active phased array radar (APAR) and the SMART-L early warning radar, which reportedly provide the Sachsen-class the ability to maintain 1,000 tracks and illuminate more than 30 of them—theoretically while engaging up to 16 air, 2 surface, and 2 subsurface targets simultaneously.
Combat Fleets
By Eric Wertheim, Editor, <i>Combat Fleets of the World</i>