The long-rumored transfer and lease of the Russian Akula-class attack submarine Nerpa to India reportedly was completed on 30 December 2011. The submarine, renamed the Chakra for Indian service, had begun construction in the Soviet Union in 1986 and was still incomplete when word of a potential lease deal with India began to surface in the early 2000s. In November 2008, tragedy struck on board the submarine as she was preparing for transfer. A fire-extinguishing system on the vessel malfunctioned, killing 20 Russian crew members and injuring many others. The incident delayed the deal with India until sea trials were successfully completed in December 2011. Acquisition of this nuclear submarine will help alleviate India’s pressing requirement for new underwater capabilities, which have been exacerbated by delays acquiring new Scorpène-class attack boats and the 2010 retirement of India’s last aging Foxtrot-class sub. The new Chakra is not only a powerful addition to the fleet, but also will help Indian submariners train as the nation builds its own nuclear-submarine construction capability. Lease of the Chakra is expected to run through 2021.
Brazil has decided to purchase three offshore patrol boats originally built for Trinidad and Tobago but rejected by that country because of manufacturing delays. Since the contract to build the ships was called off in 2010, they have been afloat off Portsmouth, England, up for sale by BAE Systems. The three vessels had been ordered in 2007 for £150 million, but reportedly have been sold to Brazil for the discounted price of £133 million, including crew-training and support services. As part of the deal, Brazil also has agreed to construct five or more of the vessels domestically, under license from the British shipbuilder. The patrol vessels can be crewed by 60 personnel and have a top speed of more than 25 knots. Measuring 90.5 meters overall, the class has an endurance of 5,500 nautical miles at 12 knots, or roughly 35 days on patrol. Fitted for 25-mm, 30-mm, and 12.7-mm guns, the three ships, previously named the San Fernando, Scarborough, and Port of Spain (pictured here), are expected to enter Brazilian service between 2012 and 2013.
Colombia will be receiving a new naval corvette this year.The ship, formerly named the Kunsan, is a retired South Korean Pohang-class vessel and is a sister ship of the ill-fated Cheonan, which is suspected to have been sunk by a North Korean submarine in March 2010. The Kunsan was decommissioned from South Korean service on 29 September 2011 and will be formally donated to Colombia by mid-2012. While in South Korean service, the ship was armed with two Exocet antiship missiles, a 76-mm gun, two twin 30-mm guns, two triple-antisubmarine torpedo tubes, and depth-charge racks. The ship was built by Hanjin Industrial shipbuilding of Masan, Republic of Korea, and first entered service in 1984.