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Bangladesh Navy

BCG has been suffering from budget crisis from the start.... yet, from manpower vs. success point of view, its the most efficient organisation in Bangladesh.... BCG isn't going to get a big patrol boat any time soon, it seems..... for now, they are more likely to get smaller HSBs and aluminium-hull HPBs.... the DEW-made boats are all aluminium-hull boats (one 15m and one 18m made already and two 18m under construction)....

Well the BCG historically has had larger Offshore Patrol Vessels (see below, all built in local yards according to BV and International class designations) but not as large as the Sentinel class. Interestingly US Sentinel class and Australian Cape class are the smallest sea-going craft in their respective Coast Guard inventories.

Part of the reason of having smaller craft for BCG has to be the short patrol missions conducted in the Bay of Bengal. I think at present BofB patrol missions may be limited to seven days in good weather. Of course the only focus at this time I think is SAR, refugee handling, fisheries patrol and most importantly piracy control.

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Well the BCG historically has had larger Offshore Patrol Vessels (see below) but not as large as the Sentinel class. Interestingly US Sentinel class and Australian Cape class are the smallest sea-going craft in their respective Coast Guard inventories. Part of the reason has to be the short patrol missions conducted in the Bay of Bengal. I think at present BofB patrol missions may be limited to seven days in good weather. Of course the only focus at this time I think is SAR, refugee handling, fisheries patrol and most importantly piracy control.

image_255_52904.jpg


Coast-Guards-Bangladesh.jpg
38.5m CGS Ruposhi Bangla (P201) was built in Malaysia in 1999 and the next 31.2m CGS Porte Grande (P102) and CGS Shet Gang (P101) were made at Ananda Shipyard in 2006.... all of these are coastal ships, not suitable for deep sea weather..... they're at most used for st Martin's patrol during good weather..... other ships of BCG are just old junks.... BCG depends totally on BN for deep sea patrol..... and more likely that it would be BN who are more likely to be equipped with deep sea patrol vessels, rather than BCG....
 
Let's look at the depth chart for Bay of Bengal as it relates to BCG patrolling area. I am not a hydrologist or marine expert. However I'm curious what size of vessel would be appropriate to patrol the seas for fishery, piracy etc. given the depth of the sea in Bangladesh jurisdiction area. If the sea is only about a 100~200m deep does that count as littoral zone (continental shelf)?


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From what I've seen OPV's for littoral areas generally measure 80m~120m LOA. Latest example a super-large size OPV is Holland class from Damen (3500 tons). For our use this may be a bit much (we should aim for about 1500~1800 tons size or USCG medium endurance cutter pr WMEC which are to be decommissioned soon and even get a few.) The WMEC are a bit smaller in size than the WHEC class of which one has been added as a frigate for the BN.

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This is what Indian Coast Guard is fielding for their naval OPV but of course their patrol area is much larger and deeper (blue water situation as opposed to our littoral sea or brown water case).

Saryu Class Naval Offshore Patrol Vessels (NOPV) - Naval Technology
 
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Here's a large Korean OPV class (1500 tons). This may be similar to the SARYU class above. This design can be easily built at Western Marine (CTG) or Ananda SY (MeghnaGhat). Weapons and Electronics integration could be possible with Korean or Chinese assistance.

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The follow-on or successor to the WMEC Medium Endurance cutter is the WMSL or Legend class cutter launched around 2012. At 120 metres LOA, this is a little larger than the WMEC class however we can easily enforce our 200 mile EEZ zone for oil exploration with a couple of these boats and leave the Navy with better things to do than EEZ patrol. Here's a Legend class cutter image showing the design with Helicopter pad/storage, RIB launch facility and recovery. Again, very easily built at local shipyards. But we can't keep giving the Navy the job of protecting EEZ.

1024px-Defense.gov_photo_essay_111031-D-0193C-002.jpg

USCG_National_Security_Cutter_BERTHOLF_%28WMSL-750%29.jpeg
 
The follow-on or successor to the WMEC Medium Endurance cutter is the WMSL or Legend class cutter launched around 2012. At 120 metres LOA, this is a little larger than the WMEC class however we can easily enforce our 200 mile EEZ zone for oil exploration with a couple of these boats and leave the Navy with better things to do than EEZ patrol. Here's a Legend class cutter image showing the design with Helicopter pad/storage, RIB launch facility and recovery. Again, very easily built at local shipyards. But we can't keep giving the Navy the job of protecting EEZ.

1024px-Defense.gov_photo_essay_111031-D-0193C-002.jpg

USCG_National_Security_Cutter_BERTHOLF_%28WMSL-750%29.jpeg

littoral warfare.....
littoral warfare has more to do with the threat environment to be expected in littoral areas..... the most significant aspect of littoral environment is that being close to the shores, you can expect smaller crafts or shore-based short-range aircraft.... this is usually not present in deep sea operations.... ASW in littoral areas is also different, and more difficult due to shallow waters and also water temperature layers (as most littoral areas of interest are in tropical and sub-tropical areas).... mines also play a much more prominent role in littoral environment due to shallow depth..... ship design for littoral waters need to consider these..... the US Navy's JHSV Spearhead-class ships are a prime example of such considerations.... the ships are designed with a draft that would allow them to enter river areas with shallow depth.... their support ships are likely to be the LCS-series vessels..... but these are considerations for navies that are obsessed with power projection far away from home.... getting involved in hostile littoral areas..... our considerations are totally different, as we're to follow our requirements....

deep-sea operations.....
deep-sea operations are more to do with sea-keeping and endurance.... OPVs are usually designed with great sea-keeping abilities..... out Island-class OPVs can maintain 12-15kt in Force 8 gale.... such weather is to be discovered by a ship if it stays in deep sea for long enough.... a coastal patrol craft will always be close to shore and come back to port quickly by the sight of any unfavourable weather..... a deep-sea vessel can't do that.... it has to weather the storm....

cost vs effectiveness....
due to budget constraints, our navy has to look towards ships with multiple roles.... especially ships that have a very prominent peacetime as well as a wartime role..... Durjoy-class ships and Type 056 corvettes are prime examples of that.... these are designed for deep-sea patrol, but are armed in a way that they can encounter hostile naval forces if required.... these ships are not extraordinary on their own, but they can form a significant part of battle groups and convoys.... these are economical ships, as they can perform a very important peace-time role, that is - deep sea patrol..... our River-class minesweepers are also very economical in the same way, as they are excellent for deep-sea patrol.... two roles in one ships.... thats the way to go....

we can't compare ourselves with the US.... their Coast Guard doesn't have to face any naval threat.... so, they don't require the USCG ships to be armed with missiles.... WMEC cutters are too small for our frigate/corvette requirement.... you can't fit either SSMs or SAMs on those.... and spending a lot on each OPV isn't an option for us.... in a heavily populated area like ours, you have to increase frequency of patrols.... to ensure that, you have to have more shorter-range ships on patrol that just a few ships with extremely long endurance.... 4-8 Durjoy-class vessels are more suitable that 2-3 larger ships that are not capable of carrying any extra weaponry for encountering hostile naval forces....

our navy is struggling to patrol the newly acquired sea territory..... our fish resources are being destroyed by our neighbours.... we need lots more ships for patrolling the Bay and more MPAs.... its a matter of our economic survival....

AKhtar Habib visited AVIC HAIG four days ago
孟加拉国海军基地司令访问哈飞

literally translated, it means this:
"On August 18, the Bangladesh Naval Base Commander major general AKhtar Habib visited AVIC hafei, toured the Assembly plant and flight testing, a detailed understanding of the Zhi-9 helicopters and Yun-12 aircraft and boarded a transport-12F- view cabin interior structures, and hafei officials had an in-depth exchange of two types of machine performance, usage,installation modifications, and soon. AKhtar said Habib, hafei produces DC-9 and Yun-12 compared with other similar models, cost-effective and meet the needs of developments of the Bangladesh Navy, and hoped that both sides will further strengthen cooperation."

this indicates that Z-9 helos are finally making some noise..... and another interesting addition is the Y-12F.....

this is what Y-12F is: "The latest development with almost everything redesigned: wider fuselage, new wings, retractable landing gear and more powerful engines. The turbine engines are more powerful PT6A-65B. Due to all the improvement, Y-12F has high cruise speed and long range, it can accommodate 19 passenger or carry cargo in 3 LD3 containers. The design started at April 2005 and maiden flight in December 2009. It has been also demonstrated during the 2012 Zhuhai International Aviation Show."

not sure what the Y-12 is for.... it can be for utility use or even maritime SAR.... the aircraft has a longer range than our Do-228NG....
 
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what is AVIC HAIG ?

This is what the Chinese post says about the visit of Rear Admiral Akhtar Habib (ND), ndc, ncc, psc, BN to Hafei (Harbin) Aviation Industries,

By the way he is Commander Chittagong Naval Area (COMCHIT)

"August 18, 2014:

Bangladesh naval base commander, Rear Admiral Akhtar Habib visited Hafei Aviation Industries, visited the assembly plant and test stations to learn further about Z-9 helicopters and transport aircraft (Y-12). He boarded a transport Y-12F aircraft, observed cabin internal structure, and had in-depth exchange of opinion with Hafei personnel about the performance, use, installation, modifications and other issues of these two types of aircraft . Akhtar Habib observed that Hafei had produced and shipped z-9 and Y-12's promptly and efficiently compared to similar models of higher cost and these are very adapted to the development needs of Bangladesh Navy. He hoped both sides will further strengthen cooperation."

The Y-12F is a heavily modernized version of the older Y-12 turboprop twin. This is what happens when you give a plain old gal a plastic surgeon's assistance, she _can_ become a supermodel. The turboprops were swapped out and a new nose, tail, wing was given. VIVE LA DIFFÉRENCE! See below.

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It is possible that this is being evaluated for either maritime patrol or SAR missions.
 
littoral warfare.....
littoral warfare has more to do with the threat environment to be expected in littoral areas..... the most significant aspect of littoral environment is that being close to the shores, you can expect smaller crafts or shore-based short-range aircraft.... this is usually not present in deep sea operations.... ASW in littoral areas is also different, and more difficult due to shallow waters and also water temperature layers (as most littoral areas of interest are in tropical and sub-tropical areas).... mines also play a much more prominent role in littoral environment due to shallow depth..... ship design for littoral waters need to consider these..... the US Navy's JHSV Spearhead-class ships are a prime example of such considerations.... the ships are designed with a draft that would allow them to enter river areas with shallow depth.... their support ships are likely to be the LCS-series vessels..... but these are considerations for navies that are obsessed with power projection far away from home.... getting involved in hostile littoral areas..... our considerations are totally different, as we're to follow our requirements....

deep-sea operations.....
deep-sea operations are more to do with sea-keeping and endurance.... OPVs are usually designed with great sea-keeping abilities..... out Island-class OPVs can maintain 12-15kt in Force 8 gale.... such weather is to be discovered by a ship if it stays in deep sea for long enough.... a coastal patrol craft will always be close to shore and come back to port quickly by the sight of any unfavourable weather..... a deep-sea vessel can't do that.... it has to weather the storm....

Thanks for your well thought-out response. Interesting you mention the US Navy JHSV Spearhead-class because I live pretty close to (100 miles North of) Camp Pendleton and the city of Oceanside. When I'm driving south to San Diego I see these things off the coast all the time in exercises together with the LCS 1's and 2's (they are home-ported in San Diego). The future of warfare is littoral - they will largely be fought in the South China Sea and continental shelf areas of the Indian Ocean. Yup Bangladesh largely has to worry about power rejection not projection :lol:

So what would be the modern OPV equivalent of the Island class? The 1500 ton Korean OPV above would be a bit small then? What about the INS SARYU class?

cost vs effectiveness....
due to budget constraints, our navy has to look towards ships with multiple roles.... especially ships that have a very prominent peacetime as well as a wartime role..... Durjoy-class ships and Type 056 corvettes are prime examples of that.... these are designed for deep-sea patrol, but are armed in a way that they can encounter hostile naval forces if required.... these ships are not extraordinary on their own, but they can form a significant part of battle groups and convoys.... these are economical ships, as they can perform a very important peace-time role, that is - deep sea patrol..... our River-class minesweepers are also very economical in the same way, as they are excellent for deep-sea patrol.... two roles in one ships.... thats the way to go....

I don't know if the Durjoy class vessels can maintain 28 knots or if that high-speed patrol quality is critical for BCG or BN. IMHO River class cannot even do 20 knots in any case. If you have a certain patrolling pattern I'd surmise you'd need Offshore, midshore and deep sea OPV craft. I'm guessing Durjoy-class ships and Type 056 corvettes can do the deep sea component but what about midshore patrol? This is why I was mentioning the Damen Stan high-speed patrol vessels (4208 and 4708 at 42 and 47 metres respectively). These modern designs can do 28 knots and have endurances of 8-14 days. The examples for the UK (Her Majesty's Customs) and Mexican Coast Guards are more or less moderately well-armed. The reason I keep bringing these designs up is because these mid-shore (medium endurance) designs in larger numbers (like you say) will supplement BN EEZ patrol coverage nicely because they can do 28 knots, they have RIB carrying and launching capability and they are easily built cheaply and locally at Western Marine or Ananda with Damen's help, just like Damen builds them in 40 other locations around the world (Vietnam is their new Asian building hub for these designs). They have been universally adopted for mid-range patrol in countries as diverse as Barbados, US (sentinel class), UK, South Africa, Vietnam as well as every country in South America). I enclose images of the Mexican+ UK Coast Guard adaptations with armament options,

Damen_stan_patrol_4207_fully_equipped_zpsa9054111.jpg

mexican-navy-damen_zps8409b6a1.jpg

In November 2013 the Mexican Navy (Secretaría de Marina) and Damen Shipyards Group (the Netherlands) signed another contract for a Damen Stan Patrol 4207. The Mexican Navy already operates two similar Patrol Vessels and has currently two ships under construction in their shipyard ‘Astillero de Marina Numero 1’ in Tampico, which is situated on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

The vessel is the fifth one of the Tenochtitlan-class and will be constructed by the Mexican Navy, while Damen will supply a partial material package and technical assistance.

The steel for the hull and part of the piping will be acquired by the Mexican Navy. Keel laying is expected to be early 2014. The vessel will be named ‘Uxmal’, after an ancient Mayan city on the Yucatan peninsula.

This project is another example of how Damen, through its ‘building on site’ programme (i.e. Damen Technical Cooperation), enables customers to build high quality vessels in their own yards, gaining experience and being able to contribute to the development of the local shipbuilding industry. This concept has proven to be successful over thirty years in five continents in different market segments.


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I don't know if you'll agree but an instantaneous RIB launch facility is important in my opinion.
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we can't compare ourselves with the US.... their Coast Guard doesn't have to face any naval threat.... so, they don't require the USCG ships to be armed with missiles.... WMEC cutters are too small for our frigate/corvette requirement.... you can't fit either SSMs or SAMs on those.... and spending a lot on each OPV isn't an option for us.... in a heavily populated area like ours, you have to increase frequency of patrols.... to ensure that, you have to have more shorter-range ships on patrol that just a few ships with extremely long endurance.... 4-8 Durjoy-class vessels are more suitable that 2-3 larger ships that are not capable of carrying any extra weaponry for encountering hostile naval forces....

our navy is struggling to patrol the newly acquired sea territory..... our fish resources are being destroyed by our neighbours.... we need lots more ships for patrolling the Bay and more MPAs.... its a matter of our economic survival....

Agreed on the deep-sea patrolling option with Durjoy class by BN. We have two but we should have several more in the pipeline for fisheries and oil exploration zone patrolling. Our neighbours will be stealing our fish blind if we don't protect our fishery areas. And a large part of those zones are IMHO closer to shore where these midshore designs are needed.

literally translated, it means this:
"On August 18, the Bangladesh Naval Base Commander major general AKhtar Habib visited AVIC hafei, toured the Assembly plant and flight testing, a detailed understanding of the Zhi-9 helicopters and Yun-12 aircraft and boarded a transport-12F- view cabin interior structures, and hafei officials had an in-depth exchange of two types of machine performance, usage,installation modifications, and soon. AKhtar said Habib, hafei produces DC-9 and Yun-12 compared with other similar models, cost-effective and meet the needs of developments of the Bangladesh Navy, and hoped that both sides will further strengthen cooperation."

Interesting why they kept the name the same with Yunshuji 12E for old and Yunshuji 12F for new. They are two totally different designs now.

this indicates that Z-9 helos are finally making some noise..... and another interesting addition is the Y-12F.....

this is what Y-12F is: "The latest development with almost everything redesigned: wider fuselage, new wings, retractable landing gear and more powerful engines. The turbine engines are more powerful PT6A-65B. Due to all the improvement, Y-12F has high cruise speed and long range, it can accommodate 19 passenger or carry cargo in 3 LD3 containers. The design started at April 2005 and maiden flight in December 2009. It has been also demonstrated during the 2012 Zhuhai International Aviation Show."

not sure what the Y-12 is for.... it can be for utility use or even maritime SAR.... the aircraft has a longer range than our Do-228NG....

Do-228NG uses five blade props but the same Garrett TPE-331 series turboprop engine. Y-12F uses PT-6 turboprops. Do-228NG costs 12 million. Don't know about Y-12F. We should also consider CN-235 as it is partially built by a friendly Muslim country, Indonesia.
 
4.5 million for civil use.

Wow quite competitive! Do you know if small ASW pod can be fitted under fuselage or is planned?

SHIP_CGC_Sentinel_Class_Cutaway_lg.gif


US Coast Guard 'Sentinel class' adaptation of Netherlands' Damen Stan Patrol 4708 design. Please note how placement of Pilothouse/Berthing/Galley/Mess areas amidships and active 'ride control' flaps (lower diagram area) improves sea-keeping in rough seas for a mid sized (47 metre LOA) vessel. Very thoughtfully designed. There was a Chinese design 'inspired' by this one but I can't find it.
 
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