Free Republic

China's People's Liberation Army - Navy ship "Longushan" is reportedly ablaze just off the coast of China tonight. The vessel is reported to be "China's most advanced warship." No OFFICIAL word on what caused the fire. I am not sure if China has acknowledged the fire yet ... All mention of this is being rapidly scrubbed from China social media networks, and no official information is coming out of Beijing. The vessel bears Hull Number 980 and is described as a Type 071 landing ship. China's fifth Type 071 amphibious transport dock (LPD) Longhushan; with hull number 980) was commissioned...

Qatar confirmed today its order for seven vessels from Italian shipbulder Fincantieri following the signing of a preliminary contract in June 2016. The deal consists in four air defence corvettes of over 100 meters in length, one amphibious vessel (LPD - Landing Platform Dock acting as mobile radar station for the corvettes), and two patrol vessels (OPV - Offshore Patrol Vessel) Fincantieri air defence corvette QatarDesign of the air defence corvettes allegedly contracted by Qatar in the amount of four units. Picture: Fincantieri. "We have signed a contract on behalf of the Qatari navy to acquire seven warships from Italy...

Qatar confirmed today its order for seven vessels from Italian shipbulder Fincantieri following the signing of a preliminary contract in June 2016. The deal consists in four air defence corvettes of over 100 meters in length, one amphibious vessel (LPD - Landing Platform Dock acting as mobile radar station for the corvettes), and two patrol vessels (OPV - Offshore Patrol Vessel) Fincantieri air defence corvette QatarDesign of the air defence corvettes allegedly contracted by Qatar in the amount of four units. Picture: Fincantieri. "We have signed a contract on behalf of the Qatari navy to acquire seven warships from Italy...

India is on its way to indigenously build four warships, which will be the biggest-ever made in the country other than the under-construction 40,000 tonne sea-borne aircraft carrier the INS Vikrant. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) had re-issued a request for proposal (RFP) to Indian private sector shipyards in September to build four amphibious assault ships, also called the Landing Platform Docks (LPD) in naval parlance. Each of these will approximately cost Rs 6,000 crore and are expected to deliver over the next 10 years. Each of these ships will be anything between 35,000 and 40,000 tonnes. The Indian shipyards...

The September decision by France to withhold delivery of two Mistral-class Landing Platforms Helicopter (LPH) building for Russia is an opportunity for NATO, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and for the French shipbuilding industry and economy. France should not suffer economically for taking a stand against Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine. Rather, NATO, France and Canada can benefit if a little mutually beneficial creativity is applied. While France desperately wants to complete the two amphibious warships — and get paid for them — NATO and Canada need the capabilities these ships can provide. For Canada, an LPH would help buttress logistic...

As US Navy shrinks, China launches more, better war ships HONG KONG — As looming budget cuts force the Pentagon to plan for a smaller US navy, China is accelerating the launch of new, increasingly capable warships as part of a sustained drive to become a major maritime power. Shanghai's Hudong Zhonghua Shipbuilding Company late last month launched the fourth of China's new 071 amphibious landing ships according to reports carried by Chinese military web sites and the state-controlled media. While most attention has been drawn to the ongoing sea trials of China's first aircraft carrier, military analysts say the...

Russia, France sign warship agreement (Update 3) Mistral-class helicopter carrier © RIA Novosti. Aleksei Danichev Moscow and Paris on Tuesday signed an agreement to jointly build Mistral-class helicopter carriers for the Russian Navy. The agreement was signed by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin and French Defense Minister Allain Juppe in the presence of French President Nicolas Sarkozy. In all, four warships are to be built, Sechin said. Russia's input to the construction of the first Mistral-class warship will be 20% and 40% in the second, he said. The third and fourth ships are to be built in Russia, whose...

UPDATE 1-Northrop warship gets failing combat grade from U.S. LPD-17 assessed as not "not effective, not suitable" * Blow to Northrop as it looks to sell shipbuilding unit * Reasons for assessment are classified By Jim Wolf WASHINGTON, Oct 29 (Reuters) - A $1 billion-plus warship developed by Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC.N) is ineffective and unsuitable for combat, according to the Pentagon, dealing a blow to the company as it looks to sell its shipbuilding unit. Michael Gilmore, the Pentagon's top weapons tester, assessed the LPD-17 amphibious warfare ship as being "not effective, not suitable, and not survivable in a...

India to buy modern warships, maritime planes at $4.5 billion English.news.cn MUMBAI, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Indian Navy will acquire four modern amphibious ships and four P-8I long range maritime patrol planes totally worth about 4.5 billion U.S. dollars, local media reported on Wednesday. The acquisitions of the warships and planes were approved by the Defense Acquisition Council headed by Defense Minister A.K. Antony on Tuesday evening, reported the Press Trust of India, citing an official of the Defense Ministry. The four amphibious warships will be made in India through license from a foreign country according to a technological...

Russian Defense Ministry lukewarm on South Korean warship deal The Russian Defense Ministry has effectively dismissed the idea of buying a South Korean warship in place of a French Mistral-class amphibious assault ship, a Russian business daily reported on Thursday. According to Kommersant, the United Shipbuilding Corporation proposed the purchase of a $650 million Dokdo helicopter carrier from South Korea. In a letter to Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, USC CEO Roman Trotsenko said his corporation could buy a license to build a Dokdo-class ship at a Russian shipyard within three years. The Defense Ministry is skeptical about the ability of...

Landing docks on Navy’s periscope Friday September 14 2007 11:13 IST ENS EXPRESSNEWS SERVICE VISAKHAPATNAM: The Indian Navy has plans to build three Landing Platform Docks (LPD) on its own after 10 years. Till then, INS Jalashwa (formerly ‘USS Trenton’) would bridge the ‘capability gap’ in ship-to-shore movement of stores. INS Jalashwa was purchased from the US for a throwaway price of Rs 200 crore whereas a new ship of the same category will cost not less than Rs 2,000 crore, said Eastern Naval Command Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Vice-Admiral RP Suthan. Addressing a press conference onboard INS Jalashwa here today,...

Indian Navy Seeks Second Troop Carrier From US Saturday 14th of July 2007 The Indian Navy has sought a second troop carrier from the US to build on its newly acquired capabilities but Washington would have to clear the sale of the ship before a deal was negotiated, a senior US military officer said Saturday. 'The Indian Navy has expressed interest in the USS Nashville. Congress has not yet approved the ship for transfer (sale). That is likely to happen next year and we can then begin negotiations,' Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kohler, director of the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency,...

Upgrade launches forces on a $52bn shopping splurge By Frank Walker January 15, 2006 AUSTRALIA'S Defence Force is about to embark on its biggest weapons buying spree since World War II, spending $52 billion on new planes, ships and tanks. The massive expenditure will make Australia's navy, army and air force the most powerful and high-tech military in the region well into the 21st century. The spending splurge comes not to combat the war on terror, but because much of the Defence Force's most costly equipment is 30 years old and has to be replaced. Pressure from international arms firms...