France Ready To Share Submarine Know-How With GCC

[HRK]

France Ready To Share Submarine Know-How With GCC | Defense News | defensenews.com

ABU DHABI — The French Navy is ready to share with gulf countries their submarine “know-how” if called upon, a senior naval commander said.

Amid recent heightened interest from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) navies regarding submarine acquisition, Rear Adm. Eric Chaperon, commander of French Navy Task Force 473 Strike Group, said, “The French Navy has a lot of expertise from their long history in the matter of submarines.

“This expertise and know-how can of course be shared, but I cannot give you more details about the interactions we have had with other parties in the region,” he added.

Saudi Arabia was reportedly interested in acquiring five German-made Type 209 submarines at a cost of $3.4 billion, according to the German newspaper Bild in November. Last year, UAE Naval Commander Rear Adm. Ibrahim Al Musharrakh said that the UAE Navy is looking to acquire submarines to combat threats in the gulf’s littoral waters.

“There are many different options for combating the threat of submarines in the region, for building the capacity and the capability to acquire submarines is something that is still under process and will take a long time,” Al Musharrakh said at the Gulf Naval Commanders Conference in Abu Dhabi last November.

The French strike group is in the region to secure the strategic maritime sea lanes of the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea as well as enhance cooperation and interoperability with navies in the region, according to Chaperon.

The strike group, which is made up of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, two destroyers, a supply vessel and a nuclear attack submarine, made port calls in Saudi Arabia last month and in Qatar earlier in January before docking Wednesday in Abu Dhabi.

“France is ready to assume its responsibilities throughout the world, as she demonstrated in Libya, in Mali and more recently, in Central Africa,” Chaperon said.

“France considers that the stability of the Middle East is one of her priorities; it is a region which is at the heart of her strategic interests and which is affected today by multiple crises such as piracy and terrorism.

“Her commitment to the countries of the region is shown in the will to respond to their needs as a long-term strategic partner; this is at the heart of the defense agreement that was signed by France and the United Arab Emirates in 2009,” he added.

The strike group carried out exercises with the Saudi and Qatari navies and is due to conduct a joint exercise, dubbed Big Fox, with the UAE Armed Forces at the end of January and with the US Navy in February in the Indian Ocean.

Visiting the Charles de Gaulle was UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, who was briefed about the strike group and its mission.

On board the carrier were 10 F-3 Rafale fighters, the most advanced fighters to enter service in the French Air Force.

The ship also carries two E-2C Hawkeye aircraft, two EC725 Caracal and AS532 Cougar helicopters for combat search and rescue.

He added that the visit to Abu Dhabi would provide France the opportunity to further bolster its already strong ties with the UAE, particularly in sharing expertise and ideas and developing better methods of training and operational capabilities.

 

[burning_phoneix]

I'd rather we get destroyers to be perfectly honest.

 

[Basel]

KSA & UAE don't have subs??

 

[burning_phoneix]

Subs are bit less useful in the shallower, tighter waters of the Arabian Gulf/Red Sea. So the need for them wasn't really as important as other projects.

 

[Alpha1]

SSKs will be most suitable

 

[Basel]

Subs are bit less useful in the shallower, tighter waters of the Arabian Gulf/Red Sea. So the need for them wasn't really as important as other projects.

Subs are the most deadliest weapon in Navy specially new AIP subs are most lethal ones, they can operate in deep and littoral waters more effectively then ships, they are best sea denial tool available to any Navy.

 

[burning_phoneix]

Subs are the most deadliest weapon in Navy specially new AIP subs are most lethal ones, they can operate in deep and littoral waters more effectively then ships, they are best sea denial tool available to any Navy.

The Red Sea is incredibly chocked with reefs, making submarine movement hazardous. The Gulf is incredibly shallow, with an average depth of only 50m and several chokepoints that make listening posts easy to set up.

Overall, they're not worth as much as a surface vessel IMHO.

 

[Sinnerman108]

The Red Sea is incredibly chocked with reefs, making submarine movement hazardous. The Gulf is incredibly shallow, with an average depth of only 50m and several chokepoints that make listening posts easy to set up.

Overall, they're not worth as much as a surface vessel IMHO.

Correct.
A submarine represents several billion dollars and several hundered lives of highly trained men.
It's best use is stealth; to remain undetected till ready to strike.

 

[al-Hasani]

The Red Sea is incredibly chocked with reefs, making submarine movement hazardous. The Gulf is incredibly shallow, with an average depth of only 50m and several chokepoints that make listening posts easy to set up.

Overall, they're not worth as much as a surface vessel IMHO.

We have had this discussion on numerous occasions.

The Red Sea is on average 260km wide and its length is nearly 2500 km. From there you have access to the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Arabian Sea in the South and further from there the Indian Ocean. The average depth is 500 meters.

The coral reefs are plenty indeed but that should not be a major problem at all. What is next? The 1150 Saudi Arabian islands in the Red Sea causing problems?

Swallow or not the Gulf can still be used.

BTW, what's with your avatar?

Submarines are needed IMO. A new naval warship or two as well.

Anyway a surface vessel, particularly surface vessels capable of countering asymmetric and air threats would be a great idea as well.

A U.S. Littoral Combat Ship, a corvette-size warship armed with Lockheed Martin's Aegis air-defense system would be perfect IMO and there has been interest in the past from what I recall.

 

[burning_phoneix]

We have had this discussion on numerous occasions.

The Red Sea is on average 260km wide and its length is nearly 2500 km. From there you have access to the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Arabian Sea in the South and further from there the Indian Ocean. The average depth is 500 meters.

The coral reefs are plenty indeed but that should not be a major problem at all. What is next? The 1150 Saudi Arabian islands in the Red Sea causing problems?

Swallow or not the Gulf can still be used.

BTW, what's with your avatar?

260km wide isn't large in the grand scheme of Naval warfare. Many land based anti-ship missiles can hit the opposite coast at that range.

The great amount of Islands and Reefs make submerged travel difficult and going North to the Mediterranean means announcing your presence completely by going through the Suez canal, negating the submarine's strength in stealth.

The Bab Al Mendab is also a dangerous choke point.

And no, if you're gonna put a ship in narrow strip of sea only 50 meters deep. Don't make it a submarine.

EDIT: My avatar is Tarek Al-Ali btw.

 

[al-Hasani]

260km wide isn't large in the grand scheme of Naval warfare. Many land based anti-ship missiles can hit the opposite coast at that range.

The great amount of Islands and Reefs make submerged travel difficult and going North to the Mediterranean means announcing your presence completely by going through the Suez canal, negating the submarine's strength in stealth.

The Bab Al Mendab is also a dangerous choke point.

And no, if you're gonna put a ship in narrow strip of sea only 50 meters deep. Don't make it a submarine.

EDIT: My avatar is Tarek Al-Ali btw.

Dear that is enough wide. Let alone length. If we want to have access to the Arabian Sea directly we need to annex Oman or Yemen or unite all of the Arabian Peninsula into a "Kingdom of Arabia" of some short. Until now we have what we have which is nearly a 3000 km long coastline on two sides of the country and a vulnerable navy IMO.

I agree with the Gulf but not the Red Sea.

I think that you are overreacting a little.

Besides as I wrote then I am not against buying naval ships or surface vessels. Particularly surface vessels capable of countering asymmetric and air threats would be a great idea as well. In the Gulf that is.

A U.S. Littoral Combat Ship, a corvette-size warship armed with Lockheed Martin's Aegis air-defense system would be perfect IMO and there has been interest in the past from what I recall.

I know who it is, LOL, I just asked the reason for this. It makes you look dumb, sorry

Those Kuwaitis.

 

[burning_phoneix]

The avatar looks funny. It helps people believe that I am a funny dude when in reality I am not

But since we do not have access to the Arabian Sea directly as you say, There is little tactical use for submarines in the Saudi Navy.

Our long coastline can be more easily and cheaply guarded by land based anti ship missile systems or ASM equipped aircraft (Time for the Saudi Navy to get an air arm I say, BRING ON DEM RAFALES!).

I'm not writing off the use of submarines completely though, they are magnificent weapons.....just not suited to our tactical needs.

ATM, any sub in the Red Sea or Gulf is too vulnerable to ASW frigates.

I also have heard very little good things about the Littoral Combat Ships from my US friends.

 

[al-Hasani]

The avatar looks funny. It helps people believe that I am a funny dude when in reality I am not

But since we do not have access to the Arabian Sea directly as you say, There is little tactical use for submarines in the Saudi Navy.

Our long coastline can be more easily and cheaply guarded by land based anti ship missile systems or ASM equipped aircraft (Time for the Saudi Navy to get an air arm I say, BRING ON DEM RAFALES!).

I'm not writing off the use of submarines completely though, they are magnificent weapons.....just not suited to our tactical needs.

ATM, any sub in the Red Sea or Gulf is too vulnerable to ASW frigates.

I also have heard very little good things about the Littoral Combat Ships from my US friends.

LOL. I was just curious for the reason. At first I could not recognize the avatar!

But Bab al-Mendab is not far away from Jazan for instance. Besides there is always Yemen.

I agree with that but who would not want to have a German Type 209 submarine for instance roaming the straits of the Red Sea and Gulf?

Yes, I heard that as well but you hear a lot of things. What I think that we both can agree with is the need to strengthen our navy. To be honest it is in need of that.

 

[Bubblegum Crisis]

Subs are bit less useful in the shallower, tighter waters of the Arabian Gulf/Red Sea. So the need for them wasn't really as important as other projects.

Your ‘vision’ is extremely narrow-minded.

See old links :

Saudi Arabia maybe interested in acquiring 5 Type 209 Submarines | Page 3

Saudi Arabia maybe interested in acquiring 5 Type 209 Submarines | Page 3

KSA with France sail towards the ocean and space

GCC Unified Military Command l Updates & Discussions.

The Gulf Union (GCC) : defense first


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[Bubblegum Crisis]

The Red Sea is incredibly chocked with reefs, making submarine movement hazardous. The Gulf is incredibly shallow, with an average depth of only 50m...

The new generation of attack submarines (Like U-214 AIP class, U-216 AIP class or Scorpene AIP class) are designed for a broad spectrum of open-ocean and ‘littoral missions’ in very shallow water.

See to 37 : 35 till the end

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