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SECURING THE LITTORAL AND ARCHIPELAGIC ENVIRONMENT; Coastal patrol and other roles
Topic Started: Aug 15 2005, 07:20 AM (950 Views)
possible
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like most other navies, the Philippine Navy operates in two environments which place differing demands on its vessels, respectively, the brown-water or littoral realm along the country’s coastline and internal archipelagic waters, and the blue-water or ocean domain out to the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone limits. due to the specific challenges it delivers the ocean is the stomping grounds of larger vessels, for smaller navies up to the size of frigates and OPVs, possible options new and second-hand having been put forward on many other threads. submarines present a unique solution equally at home in both the littoral and oceanic and have also been addressed elsewhere, so this thread is for the third component of the troika - which are, vessels specifically targeted for patrolling the littoral environment.

presently the PN addresses this requirement with the ANDRADA-class small FPBs, the larger JACINTO-class (which pull double-duty as mini-OPVs) and the single ALVAREZ-class, plus the various second-hand types obtained from the Republic of Korea, but I for one believe the opinion is unanimous that given the Philippine’s extensive coastline and the myriad threats - economic criminals like smugglers and illegal foreign fishing vessels, damage to all-important marine resources which undoubtedly goes mostly unreported, and of course threats of an overtly violent nature like the notorious terr groups and pirates plaguing the ASEAN region – the PN is plainly under-equipped despite its current assets. the solution is definitely not to simply acquire more ships since other means of surveillance such as land-based radar and airborne sensors mounted on MPAs have elsewhere been proven to be effective force multipliers that eliminate the need for sheer numbers, nonetheless there remains the requirement for platforms that can go and meet the threat on the water should it be detected - and, if necessary, reliably and efficiently deal with it :asniper:

given that the PN already has experience with vessels that can fulfill this role, it’s only logical that it look to develop existing types before training its sights elsewhere and this is exactly what is being pursued with the JACINTO-class modernization program, the much-discussed details of which need not be repeated here suffice to say that the JACINTO-class of all the vessels in the PN inventory are, again, the most logical subjects for an upgrade - not simply because they are relatively young assets but, more importantly, because they represent approximately the type of compact multipurpose patrol ship joining fleets the world over. a popular choice because 60-80 meter length vessels possess enough volume to carry useful equipment such as chase boats, UAVs/UUVs - and, in some cases, helicopters - yet do not require the crews and fuel demand (and thus running costs) of true ocean-goers.

however, in an external defense context, compromises exist concerning the installation of electronics and weaponry on such platforms since they lack the displacement and thus stability of larger ships, that in turn allow high mast height and thus efficient sensor operation (radar, optronic) necessary for the effective detection and prosecution of targets - witness the outsize masts on Singapore’s 62-meter VICTORY-class corvettes, which have reportedly led to topweight problems - but this relative weakness can be addressed given the presence of another platform which can safely raise sensors to the required altitude (thus allowing detection at optimum range) and download targeting data to an entire flotilla of patrol vessels, with the added advantage of minimizing those vessels’ exposure to hostile sensors and weapons. the evident solution being a helicopter, MPA and/or, in the near future, the UAV, with again the added benefit of an aircraft being able to cover a greater area in a shorter time and of inherently being more elusive and thus survivable - especially because at higher altitude (and thus enhanced target detection range) it isn’t necessary to approach a hostile target to the same degree a platform at sea level would be forced to.

aircraft survivability can be further enhanced if these are divested of the burden of carrying weapons, since given the combination of the excellent radar and optronic coverage afforded by an aircraft and the long range of modern anti-ship missiles - for example, up to 300km for the supersonic BrahMos slated for India’s relatively small TARANTUL-type corvettes – it is no longer necessary to bring a missile launch platform in close proximity to a target (unless of course the operating airspace is contested which introduces fighter aircraft into the equation, but that would be a digression since this is the Navy thread…)

for the patrol vessel operating in tandem with an aircraft, the removal of the burden of carrying powerful, power-hungry electronics (and thus largish power generators) would allow more space for other equipment - such as SAR, firefighting, environmental monitoring or pollution-control gear – and saves on the cost of buying expensive electronics in the first place, these being one of the top drivers of the cost of naval vessels – obvious pluses in both acquisition and operating costs for any navy. thus, external defense-wise, the only unavoidable imposition on coastal patrol vessel size would be the carriage of weapons, but then if quick-change configurations such as the Danish StanFLEX are adopted deck space can readily be made available for more peaceful pursuits.

returning to sensors: I emphasize “safely” raise or deploy since I have seen the idea floated of (literally) floating sensors aloft balloons or aerostats tethered to small patrol craft, which aside from the obvious drawback of (literally) ham-stringing the parent vessel’s speed - so conversely increasing its vulnerability - there’s also the concern of a balloon’s stability given wind conditions in a marine environment, a factor which directly affects the quality of the data being wired down to the parent and shared with the rest of the ships in its formation, of course in genuinely bad weather floating expensive cameras and TRUs is not an option making the idea ultimately self-defeating, but again I digress…

to conclude my initial assertion regarding the topic, I posit that vessel size is not an overriding concern as far as the employment of sensors and weapons is concerned since a) it is in fact operationally more sound to place the necessary electronics in a platform better suited to maximizing radar/camera effectiveness than a low mast-height patrol vessel - that “platform” being an aircraft - and, b) the carriage of weapons such as anti-ship missiles need not unduly compromise a ship’s utility in peacetime roles if the appropriate technology (such as quick-change/containerized equipment suites) is applied. the main drivers of vessel size should therefore be seaworthiness in the context of the intended area of operation - in this case, the littoral - and the requirement of carrying equipment necessary to fulfill peacetime roles.

more later… :crawling:


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What's love got to do with it?--Tina Turner

Only the intelligent are brave.
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Dreamrider
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great post!

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Frenzy
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interesting posits indeed, I wonder wheres sir possible now...he is one of the better posters here.

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