Project 28 corvettes: India to tender for composite technology for superstructure

[rajeev]

The Indian Navy’s prestigious Project 28, the programme to build four of the world’s stealthiest anti-submarine corvettes, is on track to become even more cutting edge. By the end of this month, three international shipbuilders will be bidding to provide Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) with the technology to build a major part of the corvettes --- the entire superstructure --- with lightweight composites.

By making the superstructure, which is the upper part of the ship that rests on the hull, of lighter composite material, the 2500-tonne warships will become lighter, stealthier and far more stable in the water. Already acclaimed as world-class warships, composite superstructures will make them amongst the most effective submarine hunters in any of the world’s navies.

Business Standard has learned that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will shortly issue tenders to three shipbuilders with extensive experience in fabricating composites. Kockums of Sweden, a subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), which builds the world’s stealthiest warships, the 650-tonne Visby class corvettes, is a leading contender; also in the fray are Greek shipbuilder, Intermarine; and Korea’s Kangnam Corporation.

With composite materials increasingly crucial to warships, this lucrative tender could open the door for broader partnership with Indian defence shipyards. The three companies are maintaining a discrete silence for now, but an aide to the spokesperson of TKMS admitted, “India is an interesting market for TKMS at the moment because of the serious attention that the Government of India is giving to the technical future of the Indian Navy.”

The first two corvettes of Project 28, which are nearing completion, have already been built with conventional steel superstructures. Subsequent corvettes, i.e. the third ship onwards, can have composite superstructures. The Chairman and Managing Director of GRSE, Rear Admiral KC Sekhar told Business Standard during a visit to GRSE in August that, “Composite materials technology can only be incorporated for the third and fourth ships of Project 28. The first corvette is already 90% completed. 80% of the superstructure is ready for the second corvette.”

All the high technology going into Project 28 is boosting costs; GRSE and the MoD are locked in negotiations to finalise a price for the corvettes. Since 2003, when the order was placed, GRSE has worked on Project 28 based on nothing more than a Letter of Intent from the MoD. The cost mentioned in that LoI was derived from the cost of the earlier Project 25A, for previous generation Kora class corvettes.

But now, that cost has ballooned, partly because of repeated changes that the navy has demanded in order to keep Project 28 at the cutting edge of stealth technology. The LoI’s Rs 2800 crore for the four ships of Project 28 (i.e. Rs 700 crores per corvette), has swelled to Rs 7000 crores (Rs 1750 crore per corvette). And, since the cost of the first ship of Project 28 was to determine the real cost of Project 28, the MoD has little option but to pay that amount.

But Business Standard has learned that the MoD-GRSE negotiations could soon have a happy ending. Although the order was placed in 2003, the MoD is likely to agree to a “commencement of production” date of March 2006, to compensate for the delays caused by repeated changes in specifications. Since the first Project 28 corvette is likely to roll out in 2012, that will amount to a notional build period of 6 years, in line with the time that most foreign shipyards take to produce the first ship of a class. Subsequent ships, however, are expected to be churned out much faster.

Source: Broadsword: Project 28 corvettes: India to tender for composite technology for superstructure

 

[Hulk]

Good new thanks for the post

 

[shchinese]

world’s stealthiest anti-submarine corvettes?

that is because most major powers already stopped building or using corvettes! what is the best corvette used by the US navy? What is the best corvette used by the UK?

no troll, no non-sense. I request the indian member who blindly posted such propaganda material to answer the above two questions, or I will report this thread a troll.

corvette has no place in modern navy, US/UK/China/Japan and many other nations have stopped building/using corvettes. Now the incredible india is building the world's best corvettes.

typical propaganda article.

 

[shchinese]

I always wonder why the india media and armed forces keep fooling indian like this. poor indian are already living in absolute poverty, have been denied to be better education/heath care/infrastructure for 6 decades, why they are still treated like fool by the media and the armed forces.

the US, UK, France, Japan, China all stopped building or using corvettes! wake up mate, your best corvettes in the world is another joke, it is more like a shame of your media and armed forces.

 

[faithfulguy]

world’s stealthiest anti-submarine corvettes?

that is because most major powers already stopped building or using corvettes! what is the best corvette used by the US navy? What is the best corvette used by the UK?

no troll, no non-sense. I request the indian member who blindly posted such propaganda material to answer the above two questions, or I will report this thread a troll.

corvette has no place in modern navy, US/UK/China/Japan and many other nations have stopped building/using corvettes. Now the incredible india is building the world's best corvettes.

typical propaganda article.

India is using Corvettes as a ballistic missile platform. Maybe if Arihant doesn't pan out, the Corvettes would be the fall back plan so maintain a strategic nuclear triad. So just because the rest of the world doesn't do certain things, it doesn't mean that India shouldn't do it. India has its own plans and ingenuities that is not like other countries.

 

[rajeev]

Modern navies began a trend in the late 20th and early 21st century towards smaller, more maneuverable surface capability. Corvettes have a displacement between 540 and 2,750 long tons (550 and 2,800 metric tons) and measure 180–330 feet (55–100 meters) in length. They are usually armed with medium- and small-caliber guns, surface-to-surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles, and underwater warfare weapons. Many can accommodate a small or medium anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter.

Many countries today operate corvettes; some include Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Italy, India, China, Israel, Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Turkey, Brazil, Greece, and Russia. Countries that border smaller seas, such as the Baltic Sea or the Persian Gulf, are more likely to build the smaller and more maneuverable corvettes.

Arguably, one of the most advanced corvettes in service today is the Swedish Navy's Visby class. It is the first operational warship to extensively utilize stealth technology.

The United States is developing a Littoral Combat Ship, which will be very similar to a corvette, but their larger hulls permit space for mission modules, allowing them to undertake tasks formerly assigned to specialist classes such as minesweepers or the anti-submarine Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate.

The new German Braunschweig class is designed to supplement Germany's fast attack craft and also incorporates stealth technology and land attack capabilities.

Turkey began construction on the first of twelve Milgem class stealth corvettes in July 2005. The lead ship, named TCG Heybeliada, is scheduled to begin sea trials in October 2010. The design concept and mission profile of Milgem is similar to the LCS-1 Littoral Combat Ship of the United States. The first eight ships of the Milgem class will be classified as corvettes, while the last four will be named the F-100 class and will be classified as frigates. The F-100 class will be slightly larger in terms of dimensions and will be equipped with the Mk.41 VLS and ESSM, along with other additional systems for improved multi-role combat capabilities.

The Hellenic Navy has categorised the class as fast attack missile craft. A similar vessel is the Kilic-class fast attack missile craft of the Turkish Navy, which is classified as a corvette by Lürssen Werft, the German designer of the ship.

The Indonesian Navy will receive indigenously designed corvettes, called 104 M corvettes, in 2008. The corvette may be armed with the Chinese C-802 anti-ship missile, already installed in the locally-built FPB 57 class fast patrol boats.

 

[Hulk]

Indians are 1000 years behind china, infact our cities still use lamps. We just got to know what electricity is yesterday. Looking at this India feels everything it's doing is world class hence our media is ignorant. Please sir come and teach us your great logic. I know you travel to mars with your car and have noddle on Jupiter. We are so much behind.

 

[faithfulguy]

Modern navies began a trend in the late 20th and early 21st century towards smaller, more maneuverable surface capability. Corvettes have a displacement between 540 and 2,750 long tons (550 and 2,800 metric tons) and measure 180–330 feet (55–100 meters) in length. They are usually armed with medium- and small-caliber guns, surface-to-surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles, and underwater warfare weapons. Many can accommodate a small or medium anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter.

Many countries today operate corvettes; some include Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Italy, India, China, Israel, Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Turkey, Brazil, Greece, and Russia. Countries that border smaller seas, such as the Baltic Sea or the Persian Gulf, are more likely to build the smaller and more maneuverable corvettes.

Arguably, one of the most advanced corvettes in service today is the Swedish Navy's Visby class. It is the first operational warship to extensively utilize stealth technology.

The United States is developing a Littoral Combat Ship, which will be very similar to a corvette, but their larger hulls permit space for mission modules, allowing them to undertake tasks formerly assigned to specialist classes such as minesweepers or the anti-submarine Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate.

The new German Braunschweig class is designed to supplement Germany's fast attack craft and also incorporates stealth technology and land attack capabilities.

Turkey began construction on the first of twelve Milgem class stealth corvettes in July 2005. The lead ship, named TCG Heybeliada, is scheduled to begin sea trials in October 2010. The design concept and mission profile of Milgem is similar to the LCS-1 Littoral Combat Ship of the United States. The first eight ships of the Milgem class will be classified as corvettes, while the last four will be named the F-100 class and will be classified as frigates. The F-100 class will be slightly larger in terms of dimensions and will be equipped with the Mk.41 VLS and ESSM, along with other additional systems for improved multi-role combat capabilities.

The Hellenic Navy has categorised the class as fast attack missile craft. A similar vessel is the Kilic-class fast attack missile craft of the Turkish Navy, which is classified as a corvette by Lürssen Werft, the German designer of the ship.

The Indonesian Navy will receive indigenously designed corvettes, called 104 M corvettes, in 2008. The corvette may be armed with the Chinese C-802 anti-ship missile, already installed in the locally-built FPB 57 class fast patrol boats.

US is testing the Littoral Combat Ship. They are quite stealth and would use to replace OHP frigates. Why won't India buy some of this instead of developing a new corvette? Since every country would sell India advance weaponry, India should take this opportunity to purchase as much advance weapons as possible. When another sanction occurs, than India can develop their weapons

 

[shchinese]

all indian should keep these facts in mind:

1. Chinese companies are building the mobile network in india so you can afford to have your own mobile phone and talk to your families and friends without paying stupid high prices to those western nations.

2.Chinese companies are building the backbone of the Internet in india so you can post here.

3. Chinese power generators are supplying power to millions people in india, 10 billion USD projects are on the way. With such reliable and affordable generators designed, made and installed by Chinese, we helped you to save billions USD.

4. Chinese achievement in the past 30 years is a damn good example for you on how to develop into a more successful nation. We took the risk, did the hard work, and now we are offering our experience for free.

 

[rajeev]

US is testing the Littoral Combat Ship. They are quite stealth and would use to replace OHP frigates. Why won't India buy some of this instead of developing a new corvette? Since every country would sell India advance weaponry, India should take this opportunity to purchase as much advance weapons as possible. When another sanction occurs, than India can develop their weapons

All of us are discussing here. We never know what Indian govt'sobjective is. Is this going to be used for antisubmarine hunt or used for missile launching or used by coast guard. Once one of the corvettes gets built and the information is made public we will know.

 

[shchinese]

All of us are discussing here. We never know what Indian govt'sobjective is. Is this going to be used for antisubmarine hunt or used for missile launching or used by coast guard. Once one of the corvettes gets built and the information is made public we will know.

then just discuss the truth, stop labeling the warship as "world’s stealthiest", stop marking the crap in bold, because clearly other nation do not produce such crap anymore.

can you understand this simple request here?

"made public and we will know?" did they also honestly tell you that US/UK/China/Japan/France all stopped building/operating such crap? why they refuse to tell this very important bit of the story?

 

[shchinese]

I have reported this thread, this is a propaganda material which people outside india would never buy. when corvette is no longer used by the US/UK/Japan/France/China, I just don't see how the india one is the world's best.

 

[faithfulguy]

then just discuss the truth, stop labeling the warship as "world’s stealthiest", stop marking the crap in bold, because clearly other nation do not produce such crap anymore.

can you understand this simple request here?

"made public and we will know?" did they also honestly tell you that US/UK/China/Japan/France all stopped building/operating such crap? why they refuse to tell this very important bit of the story?

You have a good point. A lot of Indians do boast a lot about India. Sometimes, I thought they imagine the achievements of the US belong to India. As of now, only has the previlege to boast. But Americans do not boast, Americans are too busy getting things done instead of boasting.

 

[sob]

Buddy if you have not bought the propoganda material then please do not waste your time replying to this thread.

I am sure you have enough in your hands to occupy yourself elsewhere gainfully.

 

[shchinese]

You have a good point. A lot of Indians do boast a lot about India. Sometimes, I thought they imagine the achievements of the US belong to India. As of now, only has the previlege to boast. But Americans do not boast, Americans are too busy getting things done instead of boasting.

there is a special term describing all these crap -- incredible india.