New Khareef Class Corvette Enters Service with the Royal Omani Navy

The Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) has recently accepted a new corvette – Al Shamikh – the lead ship of Khareef class. The 99 meter corvette has a displacement of 2,660 ton. It was constructed by BAE Systems at Portsmouth, UK and is designated ‘Ocean Patrol Vessel’ (OPV). Al Shamikh was launched in 2009 and accepted by the Royal Oman Navy in the UK June this year. Work at Portsmouth continues on the other two vessels of the class – Al Rahmani and Al Rasikh.

 

As part of the sea trials that followed the vessel conducted an operational naval firing of its VL MICA anti-air missile. Al Shamikh is the first deployment of the MICA VL Marine (MICA VL M) missile system, developed by MBDA. The live firing took place at the French MoD’s test range off the coast of the Ile du Levant in the Mediterranean Sea under the supervision and control of the French DGA – EM (Direction Générale de l’Armement – Essais de Missiles).

 

According to MBDA the VL MICA missile successfully intercepted and destroyed at very low altitude the target which was simulating a sea skimming anti-ship missile. “The success of this firing is evidence of the operational capability of the RNO with its new vessel and weapon system.” the announcement added.

 

VL MICA is the latest generation of air defence systems and deploys the MICA missile vertically launched from a canister which serves for both storage and launch purposes.  In its naval version, VL MICA provides both area air defence as well as self-defence of the host vessel. MICA fire-and-forget missiles can be equipped with either IR or radar seekers and are capable of dealing with the full range of airborne threats as well as saturating attacks.

 

Worldwide to date, 12 armed forces have selected the MICA missile.

RNO ship Dhofar retires after 30 years of service

Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) ship ‘Dhofar’ on Monday retired after more than 30 years of service.

The ceremony to mark the retirement was held at Said Bin Sultan’s Naval Base, under the patronage of Rear Admiral Abdullah Bin Khamis Al Raisi, Commander of the RNO.

Raisi recalled the achievements of the ship and its contribution to the progress of RNO since joining service in November 1982. He highlighted its support to the units of the Sultan’s Armed Forces (SAF), besides its other national roles.

He said the vessels ‘Al Khareef’ and ‘Al Ufuq’ will join the RNO fleet in the light of the Royal care and attention given by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, to the armed forces. He highlighted the other ships that joined service, including ‘A’Sharqiyah’, ‘Al Batinah’, and Musandam rocket vessels, frigates and artillery ships.

Senior RNO officers and naval commanders and ships, retired officers, officers, warrant officers and crew of RNO ships attended the ceremony.

Thales lands contract for Omani Patrol Vessels

The Singapore shipyard ST Marine and Thales Nederland have signed a contract for the delivery and installation of sensors and a combat management system that will be installed on the four Al-Ofouq class patrol vessels that are to be built for the Sultanate of Oman.

Thales will supply the Tacticos Combat Management System, the Variant surveillance radar and  the STIR 1.2 EO Mk2 radar E/O tracking system and the ESM system. Thales is also responsible for all Combat System Integration activities.

Thales Nederland CEO Gerben Edelijn says: “We are very proud to have been awarded this contract as the international competition was fierce. This says very much about Thales’ reputation and excellent technical solutions.”

This contract is a confirmation of the excellent relation Thales enjoys with the Sultanate of Oman. It reinforces Thales’ presence in the Middle East. Furthermore it adds a new shipyard to the long list of international Naval shipbuilders that Thales works with worldwide, thus widening the scope as a yard-independent Naval system supplier.

 Variant for Omani Patrol Vessels

Northrop Grumman to Supply Airborne Fire Control Radars to Thailand, Iraq and Oman for F-16s

Northrop Grumman Corporation has received an $87.8 million foreign military sales (FMS) contract to provide the APG-68(V)9 airborne fire control radar to Thailand, Iraq and Oman for use on F-16 fighter aircraft.

The company will deliver six radar systems to the Royal Thai Air Force, 22 radar systems to the Iraqi Air Force and 15 radar systems to the Royal Air Force of Oman, for a total of 43 systems. Deliveries are expected to be completed by March 2015. The FMS contract is managed by the Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

"Selection of the APG-68(V)9 Fire Control Radar by Thailand, Oman and Iraq reaffirms its value and baseline position for all new F-16 production and F-16 avionics upgrades," said Tim Winter, Northrop Grumman's vice president for Global Systems Solutions. "The APG-68(V)9 radar's operational performance, affordable acquisition cost, low sustainment cost and immediate availability has led 12 nations to procure almost 750 systems so far."

The APG-68(V)9 enables engagement of air-to-air and air-to-surface threats with greater accuracy and at greater ranges than legacy F-16 fire control radars. The radar provides autonomous, all-environment, precision air-to-surface targeting with a high-resolution synthetic aperture radar ground mapping mode.

Northrop Grumman has been developing, integrating and producing F-16 fire control radars for 36 years. This includes three variants of the APG-66; eight variants of the APG-68; the APG-80 Airborne Electronically Scanned Array (AESA), developed specifically for the F-16 Block 60; and the newly introduced Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) AESA. The company's long heritage in fire control radars also includes fire control radars for the B-1, F-22 and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The contract is in line with U.S. defense policy of enabling the Iraqi Air Force to assume sovereign air defense duties, and also supports foreign relations with partners Thailand and Oman.

Oman - AIM-9X Block II SIDEWINDER All-Up-Round Missiles

Defense Security Cooperation Agency

NEWS RELEASE

On the web: http://www.dsca.mil Media/Public Contact:

Charles Taylor (703) 601-3859

Paul Ebner (703) 601-3670

Transmittal No. 12-19

Oman – AIM-9X Block II SIDEWINDER All-Up-Round Missiles

WASHINGTON, June 13, 2012 – The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress on June 12 of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Oman for 55 AIM-9X Block II SIDEWINDER All-Up-Round Missiles, 36 AIM-9X Block II SIDEWINDER Captive Air Training Missiles, 6 AIM-9X Block II Tactical Guidance Units, 4 AIM-9X Block II Captive Air Training Missile Guidance Units, 1 Dummy Air Training Missile, and other related equipment. The estimated cost is $86 million.

The Government of Oman has requested a possible sale of 55 AIM-9X Block II SIDEWINDER All-Up-Round Missiles, 36 AIM-9X Block II SIDEWINDER Captive Air Training Missiles, 6 AIM-9X Block II Tactical Guidance Units, 4 AIM-9X Block II Captive Air Training Missile Guidance Units, 1 Dummy Air Training Missile, containers, weapon support equipment, spare and repair parts, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. Government and contractor technical support services, and other related elements of logistics support. The estimated cost is $86 million.

This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country which has been, and continues to be, an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East.

The Government of Oman is modernizing its F-16 fighter aircraft fleet to better support its own air defense needs.  The proposed sale of AIM-9X Block II missiles will provide a significant increase in Oman’s defensive capability while enhancing interoperability with the U.S. and other allies. Oman will have no difficulty absorbing this additional capability into its armed forces.

The proposed sale of this weapon system and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.

The prime contractors will be Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Arizona. There are no offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.

Implementation of this proposed sale will require multiple trips to Oman involving U.S. Government or contractor representatives on a temporary basis for program and technical support, and management oversight.

There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.

There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.

This notice of a potential sale is required by law and does not mean the sale has been concluded

Oman orders C295s for airlift, maritime patrol duties

Airbus Military has received a new order to supply eight C295 medium transport and maritime patrol aircraft to the Royal Air Force of Oman.

Signed on 19 May, the deal will include the production of five aircraft dedicated as transports and three to be configured as maritime patrol assets, Airbus Military says. Deliveries will commence from the company’s San Pablo final assembly line in Seville, Spain in 2013.

The C295 transports will serve as replacements for Oman’s aged fleet of five Shorts Skyvan 3Ms, which Flightglobal’s MiliCAS database records as having been delivered between 1970 and 1975. The maritime patrol aircraft will provide a new capability to patrol territorial waters and counter piracy, illegal immigration and smuggling, the company says.

A contract value has not been disclosed, but Airbus Military confirms that its contract also includes the first sale of a palletised pollution control system which will be used to deploy dispersants in response to oil spills. The equipment can be carried by a C295 transport without the need to perform any structural modifications.

The deal also has increased Airbus Military’s order intake for light and medium transports to 24 aircraft so far this year, with contracts also having been signed with nations including Indonesia. This contrasts with a record low of five units sold in 2011.

Further sales are also anticipated this year, says Antonio Rodriguez Barberan, senior vice-president commercial, who cites a possible contract with Cameroon as one example. “I think we are in a position to recover from the market slump of last year,” Barberan says, predicting that the company’s order total for this year could reach around 30 aircraft. “We are selling the planes in emerging markets, which is where we were betting on.”

Meanwhile, Barberan reveals that Airbus Military has held preliminary discussions with three nations over a proposed airborne early warning and control system version of the C295. He declines to name the prospective customers for the tactical system, which is being offered in collaboration with Israel Aerospace Industries’ Elta Systems subsidiary.