On 16 September 2006, two 90-meter Dutch-built corvettes were launched for the Indonesian Navy. The corvettes, Diponegoro (shown here) and Hasanuddin, will each have a full-load displacement of 1,700 tons, and once operational, will reach top speeds of about 28 knots. Expected to enter service in 2007, the ships have a helicopter landing deck aft, but no hangar. The armament fit for the two ships will likely consist of four Exocet antiship missiles, a single 76-mm OTO Melara cannon, and a variant of the Mistral surface-to-air missile system. Though Schelde Shipbuilding in Vlissingen, The Netherlands, is constructing the first two ships, two additional ships are planned for construction in Indonesia. Intended primarily for patrol duties in and around Indonesian waters and the Malaccan Strait, other missions will include anti-piracy, counter-smuggling, and fisheries patrol operations. Once in commission, the ship's crew is expected to total around 80 officers and enlisted.
Amid fanfare and some apprehension, the German Navy—led naval task group of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon left Wilhelmshaven naval base on 21 September 2006. In an historic move, the German cabinet approved the contingent's deployment to the region to help enforce United Nations Resolution 1701, following Israeli-Hezbollah hostilities this past summer. The force's duties include patrolling the Lebanese coastline, conducting maritime-interdiction operations, assisting with security, and helping to ensure the disarmament of Hezbollah guerillas. The task group consists of the German frigates Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (serving as flagship) and Karlsruhe, the guided-missile patrol craft Dachs, Nerz, Ozelot, and Hyäne as well as the support ships Frankfurt/Main and Elbe. Joining the German warships are the Danish Navy's Peter Tordenskiold, Ravnen, and Glenten, Swedish guided-missile patrol craft Gävle, and additional foreign warships heading to the region.
In January, the U.S. Navy will transfer the Austin-class amphibious transport dock USS Trenton (LPD-14) to the Indian Navy following that ship's planned 17 January 2007 decommissioning from active service. Built by the Lockheed Shipbuilding Company of Seattle, Washington, the ship was laid down on 8 August 1966, launched in August 1968, and commissioned on 6 March 1971. By the time Trenton is retired, the 17,000-ton warship will have served more than 35 years with the U.S. Navy. Capable of carrying a contingent of about 900 troops in addition to a naval crew of 420, the warship has 1,379 square-meters of vehicle parking space and 1,540 cubic-meters of ammunition stowage. In U.S. service she could carry 224,500 gallons of aviation fuel and 119,000 gallons of vehicle fuel. Though the armament fit in Indian service remains unknown, the class currently carries two 20-mm Mk 15 Phalanx gatling guns, two 25-mm/75-caliber Mk 38 Bushmaster low-angle guns, and eight .50-caliber M2 machine guns. Four LCM-8 landing craft will also be transferred to India for use with the Trenton.