Amid political turmoil last November, the Egyptian Navy took delivery of the S. Ezzat, the first of a new class of Ambassador Mk-III guided-missile patrol craft. The heavily armed ships, built by VT Halter Marine in Gulfport, Mississippi, were paid for largely with U.S. Foreign Military Assistance funding. Carrying Harpoon antiship missiles, RAM surface-to-air missiles, a 3-inch gun, and a Phalanx close-in weapon system, the class is intended for defense of the Suez Canal region and patrol of Egyptian coastal waterways in the Red and Mediterranean seas. Relatively small in size, the ships carry a crew of 36, measure 205 feet long, and displace 700 tons fully loaded. They are capable of speeds in excess of 40 knots, and have a range of 2,000 miles while cruising at 15 knots. Three additional sisters of the class, the F. Zekry, M. Fahmy, and A. Gad, are due to enter Egyptian service by 2015.
In an effort to boost its maritime surveillance and antisubmarine-warfare (ASW) capabilities against North Korean undersea craft, South Korea plans to acquire retired S-3 Viking aircraft from the United States. The versatile Vikings, which operated from U.S. Navy aircraft carriers between 1975 and 2009, are capable of conducting ASW, strike, surveillance, photo-reconnaissance, and aerial-refueling missions and will likely be refurbished by Lockheed Martin prior to their transfer. With a nine-hour mission endurance and a patrol radius in excess of 1,000 miles, the reliable S-3s appear to be well suited as a low-risk, land-based sub-hunting platform to supplement South Korea’s longer-ranged, more heavily armed P-3 Orions. Initially built to the S-3A configuration, most Vikings were upgraded to the S-3B standard, which featured synthetic-aperture radar, Harpoon antiship-missile launch capability, and other avionics enhancements. At least 20 refurbished S-3s are expected to begin entering South Korean service during the next five to ten years.
This past September, Germany commissioned its newest underway replenishment ship, the Bonn. The 20,000-ton (full load) ship is one of three Type 702 support vessels and can carry 7,600 tons of diesel fuel, 490 tons of aviation fuel, potable and boiler-feed water, lube oil, 100 tons of spare parts, 230 tons of provisions, and 195 tons of ammunition. Maximum container stowage is 84 20-foot container-equivalents. These ships host one replenishment station per side, one to stern, and two cargo cranes. All three are fitted with a landing deck and hangar to accommodate two medium-size helicopters. Each ship employs double-hull construction and can also embark a modular operations rescue center, which consists of 26 20-foot cargo containers equipped to provide advanced medical and dental capabilities for up to 50 patients. As the youngest of the class, the Bonn boasts an enhanced propulsion suite and improved crew accommodations over her two sisters, the Berlin and the Frankfurt/Main.