Kedah Class OPV
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General Characteristics | |
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| Displacement: | approx. 1,650 t full load design displacement | |
| Length: | 90.1 meters | |
| Beam: | 12.85 meters | |
| Draught: | 6.8 meters | |
| Armament: | Guns : 1 x Oto Melara 76/62 Rapid medium range gun forward and 1 x Oto Melara/Mauser 30mm short-range gun aft.2 x 12.7 mm machine guns both sides.
SAM : provision for 1 Rolling Airframe Missile SSM : provision for 2 x 4 cell MM 40 Exocet launchers ASW : |
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| Electronics: | COMMAND AND CONTROL
Air/Sea Search Radar : EADS Deutschland TRS-3D/16 ES three-dimensional radar Navigation Radar :STN 9600 ARPA ASW : Fire Control :COSYS 110 M1 EW : Decoy :ALEX Mk 137 Weapon Director:TMEO for OTO MELARA 76/62mm and TMX for OTOBREDA/MAUSER 30mm. Thermal Imager: |
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| Aircraft: | 1 x Super Lynx 300 | |
| Propulsion: | 2 Caterpillar 3616 (5,450kW) diesels, 16,000 bhp, 2 shafts | |
| Speed: | 24 kts cruise,30 knots maximum | |
| Range: | 6000 nm @ 12 knots | |
| Patrol Endurance : | 21 days | |
| Complement: | 78 (+15 reserve) | |
The Kedah Class is a class of Offshore Patrol Vessels of the Royal Malaysian Navy and named for the lead ship of the class, 171 KD Kedah. The Kedah class is based on the Meko A100 design by Blohm + Voss. A total of 26 ships is planned, though only six have been ordered from the Malaysian builders.
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[edit] History
The Royal Malaysian Navy in the 1990s identified the need to replace the Vosper Thornycroft built patrol boats that were being used, as the boats were for more suited for inshore patrol and were nearing a service life of 30 years. These Vosper built boats are 103 foot Maybach Diesel powered built patrol crafts commissioned in the 1960s and armed with 2 x 40mm HA 70 Bofors guns mounted fore and aft with a design speed of 27 knots. The Royal Malaysian Navy ran a competition for the design of the new class of patrol ships, and the German Naval Group consortium was adjudged the winner, beating off competition from Australian (the Transfield Group)[1] and British Shipyards (Vosper Thornycroft and Yarrow Shipbuilders).
The terms of the contract specified that the first 2 ships are to be build in Germany, with the remainder build by PSC Naval Dockyard in Malaysia. PSC Naval Dockyard in 1998 signed a RM24 billion contract to build 27 offshore patrol vessels over 10 years for the Royal Malaysian Navy, together with foreign partners led by Germany’s ThyssenKrupp.
But the order has been plagued by technical problems and delays, and PSC Naval Dockyard has reportedly sought another RM1.8 billion from the government to complete the vessels. The first two of the Meko A100 class NGPV ships built by PSC Naval Dockyard failed to pass pre-delivery sea trials due to technical problems and quality issues. [2] Boustead Holdings, an investment arm of the armed forces pension fund Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera, bought a 30 percent stake in PSC-Naval Dockyard, and a new management team was put in place. [3]
In June 2006, Royal Malaysian Navy finally commissioned the first NGPV, KD Kedah, which was delayed for 18 months. The delays was linked to serious management and financial problems at the shipyard leading to problems in payments to pay foreign contractors, vendors and suppliers. [4]
[edit] Design
The MEKO 100 based Patrol Vessels are designed to have low radar detectability, low noise, low heat dissipation and have an economical cruising speed. Advanced control systems is used to monitor and control the platform machinery of the ships, including propulsion, electrical, damage control and auxiliary machinery and systems.
Due to the small ship complement, the design relies on a high degree of automation for improved operational effectiveness and survivability of the ships. The design uses intelligent electronics and sensors interconnected by multiple data buses. This enables monitoring and control of machinery from several shipboard locations. The ship has redundant systems to improve survivability.
The modular design of the MEKO allows for the fitting of ships systems without the actual fixture of armaments and other combat equipments. This is akin to the concept of “Plug and Play” in modern day computers. Systems can be added on by installing the required modules as the situation warrants, and once installed, the new systems platform can be used without further work on the ships controls system.
[edit] Ship Data
Main characteristics ship platform
- Length, overall: 91.10 m
- Beam, overall: 12.85 m
- Depth: 6.80 m
- Design draught: 3.40
- Design displacement: approx. 1,650 t
Modules
- 2 weapon modules
- 6 electronic modules
- 6 pallet modules
- 4 ventilation modules
[edit] Propulsion
The propulsion system is based on two Caterpillar 3616 diesel engines each rated at 3,450 KW each, driving two controllable pitch propellers. [5] CAE of Canada build Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS) monitors and controls the propulsion, electrical and auxiliary systems. The Royal Malaysian Navy chose not to fit the Kedah Class with the gas turbine engines such as those fitted to the South African ships. The diesel engines allowing the Kedah Class to reach a top speed of more than 22 knots.
[edit] Electronics
The main surveillance radar will be the TRS-3D/16 ES three-dimensional radar from EADS Deutschland. The vessels will also be equipped with MDS 3060 obstacle avoidance sonar and ALEX chaff/decoy launching system. The vessel's combat management system will be the Atlas Elektronik COSYS-110M1 with a TMEO electro-optic fire director from Oerlikon Contraves.
[edit] Aircraft
The Kedah Class have one helicopter spot for the AgustaWestland Super Lynx 300 or the AS355 Fennec.
[edit] Armament
As the vessels are termed as patrol vessels, the Kedah Class is lightly armed with only 1 x Oto Melara 76/62 Rapid medium range gun forward and 1 x Oto Melara/Mauser 30mm short-range gun aft. The design however allows for upgrades in armaments to be installed quickly. With the "fitted for but not with" concept, additional combat equipment and systems according to different missions or warfare conditions. This allows vessels to be equipped with relevant combat and machinery systems according to differing situations.
The vessels can be installed with the Exocet MM40 surface-to-surface missile system, and one RAM (Rolling Airframe Missile) RIM-116A launcher system for air defence. [6]
[edit] Ships of the class
| Pennant | Name | Laid down | Shipyard | Launched | Commissioned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F171 | Kedah | Blohm + Voss | 5 June 2006 | ||
| F172 | Pahang | Howaldtswerke | 3 August 2006 | ||
| F173 | Pulau Pinang? | PSC-Naval Dockyard | |||
| F174? | ? | ||||
| F175? | ? | ||||
| F176? | ? |
All ships of the class so far named were named after States of the Federation of Malaysia. KD Pahang replaced the former KD Sri Pahang, a Vosper Thornycroft built 30m patrol boat, which has been decommissioned.
[edit] Similar designs
Valour Class MEKO A-200 - Four Valour Class anti-air frigates have been delivered to the South African Navy
K130 corvettes (based on the Meko A) for the German Navy began building in July 2004 - 5 are to be built for the German Navy by Blohm + Voss, 2 Thyssen Nordseewerke and will enter service between May 2007 and November 2008.
