DETAILS EMERGE OF PAKISTAN’S AGOSTA 90B UPGRADE PROGRAM

[Cabatli_TR]

IHS Jane’s had secured initial details regarding the intended upgrade program for the Pakistan Navy’s three DCNS Agosta 90B air-independent propulsion (AIP)-powered submarines.

As per IHS Jane’s Richard Scott, the Agosta 90Bs will have their search and attack periscopes upgraded to the Airbus Defence and Space (DS) Optronics SERO 250 periscope and OMS 200optronic mast.

The Airbus DS Optronics SERO 250 is a night-vision capable periscope. Its integration requires “little or no structural modifications” in legacy submarines, making it ideally suited as an upgrade unit. The OMS 200 is an electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) unit with the capability to acquire and track targets.

Notes & Comments:

In June, Pakistan awarded the Turkish naval vendor Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik A.Ş. (STM) with a contract to upgrade the Pakistan Navy’s three Agosta 90B AIP-powered submarines. STM won because of its “technically and commercially superior” offering. In September, the Turkish Minister of Defence Fikri Işık reportedly informed Defence Turkey that the Agosta 90B upgrade program was valued at $350 million.

As the prime contractor, STM will be responsible for securing its proposed set of subsystem upgrades. It is now evident that STM will be drawing on non-Turkish vendors, such as Airbus DS, to fulfill the Pakistan Navy contract. The upgrade will be carried out in Pakistan with STM’s guidance.

Given the value of the upgrade program, it is certain that additional subsystems will be sought. Although DCNS was not selected as the prime contractor, it is still possible that Thales’ solutions could be sought. Turkish subsystems, such as Aselsan’s subsurface countermeasure solutions, may be procured as well.

The first upgraded submarine is expected to be delivered to the Pakistan Navy in four to five months of the integration work commencing at Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works Ltd. (KSEW). The remaining submarines will be upgraded within one year of one another.

Details emerge of Pakistan’s Agosta 90B upgrade program

Initial details have emerged of the upgrades intended for the Pakistan Navy Agosta 90B submarines, which will be undertaken by the Turkish contractor STM.

quwa.org

 

[Cabatli_TR]

Pakistan to become 2nd country to purchase Turkey’s domestic anti-torpedo system

Turkish defense giant ASELSAN will meet the Pakistani Naval Forces' countermeasure system needs against torpedo missiles with its domestically developed system, making Pakistan the second country to import it.

The Zargana Anti-Torpedo Countermeasure System for submarines was developed by the defense company for foreign purchasers as a different version of the domestic system. The system Pakistan is set to buy will also be adapted to the country's Agoste 90B class submarines.

With the purchase, Pakistan becomes the second country after Indonesia to use the Zargana, which is the first and only system developed in Turkey and superior than its counterparts worldwide.

The countermeasure tactics of the system include evasive maneuvering, different deployment patterns and acoustic jammers/decoys.

After detecting and classifying the threat, the system determines the most appropriate avoidance tactic against torpedoes targeting submarines while taking into account environmental conditions with real-time data provided by the submarine.

Acoustic jammers deployed by the system prevent the torpedo from detecting the submarine's location, while acoustic decoys imitate the submarine and deceive the torpedo.

The Zargana provides the highest level of defense against torpedoes with its autonomous operation and quick reaction time and can be integrated into operator-controlled inputs or submarine systems that provide real-time data.

The missile and launcher system has up to 24 different launcher cells, single or salvo firing with high reliability and fireproofing properties.

In recent years, Turkey has taken a noticeable leap forward with innovative engineering moves in the defense industry and domestically-developed military equipment and combat vehicles in almost all fields of warfare.

According to the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM) data, the export performance of the sector in 2018 increased by 17 percent compared to 2017. The industry broke its own record of $1.7 billion in November and moved the record up to $2.03 billion by the end of the year. The defense and aerospace industry, whose export performance has been hovering between $1.5 billion and $2 billion, exceeded the threshold of $2 billion for the first time.

The U.S. was the top destination for Turkish defense exports, and the sector's sales to the country soared by 41 percent, reaching $64.2 million. The U.S. was followed by Oman with $49.4 million and Germany came in third place with $18.4 million. Defense exports to Germany rose by 25 percent in January.

Turkey has also exported defense products to new destinations, including Guatemala, India, Guiana, Tanzania, Trinidad, and Tobago.

Pakistan to become 2nd country to purchase Turkey’s domestic anti-torpedo system

Turkish defense giant ASELSAN will meet the Pakistani Naval Forces' countermeasure system needs against torpedo missiles with its domestically developed...

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