Post 1 of 2: Qatar’s Instant Navy
1. Doha is planning to expand its navy by 2025, as the diplomatic crisis between Qatar and its neighbors continues. Officials say this has made self-reliance even more necessary. The Qatar authorities’ decision comes as construction begins on the country’s latest naval base, and amid a broader plan to call up those who qualify for military service.
2. Qatar, a small but wealthy country like its larger neighbors, has used its vast oil wealth to rebuild its armed forces and has spent tens of billions of dollars buying some of the world’s most advanced military weapons.
3. The first of 4 Al Zubarah-class corvettes (at 3,250 tons, with a length of 107 meters, a breadth of 14.7 meters, and a draft of 4.2 meters) are to be completed by Fincantieri in 2021 (as part of a 7 vessel order) — will primary serve for air defense missions. They will be fitted with:
5. Qatar’s variant, which will displace approximately 8,800 tons with a full combat load, will be unique, though, with an L-band Kronos Power Shield radar. Another Italian firm, Leonardo, is building this system, which the Italian Navy is planning to install on its own future amphibious assault ship. The model Fincantieri showed of the ship at DIMDEX indicated that it would also have a secondary three dimensional search radar. This could be the same European Multifunction Phased Array Radar (EMPAR).
6. Enrico Bonetti, Fincantieri's Senior Vice President for Naval Vessels, told Navy Recognition that the LPD would also act as a "mother ship" to provide long-range targeting information for the four smaller corvettes.
1. Doha is planning to expand its navy by 2025, as the diplomatic crisis between Qatar and its neighbors continues. Officials say this has made self-reliance even more necessary. The Qatar authorities’ decision comes as construction begins on the country’s latest naval base, and amid a broader plan to call up those who qualify for military service.
2. Qatar, a small but wealthy country like its larger neighbors, has used its vast oil wealth to rebuild its armed forces and has spent tens of billions of dollars buying some of the world’s most advanced military weapons.
3. The first of 4 Al Zubarah-class corvettes (at 3,250 tons, with a length of 107 meters, a breadth of 14.7 meters, and a draft of 4.2 meters) are to be completed by Fincantieri in 2021 (as part of a 7 vessel order) — will primary serve for air defense missions. They will be fitted with:
- 16 Aster 30 Block 1NT surface-to-air missiles by MBDA,
- 8 Exocet MM40 Block 3 anti-ship missiles by MBDA,
- a 76mm main gun and 2 Marlins remote weapons stations by Leonardo,
- torpedo tubes
- a RAM launcher (21 missiles) by Raytheon
- 4 Sylena Mk2 decoy launchers by Lacroix
5. Qatar’s variant, which will displace approximately 8,800 tons with a full combat load, will be unique, though, with an L-band Kronos Power Shield radar. Another Italian firm, Leonardo, is building this system, which the Italian Navy is planning to install on its own future amphibious assault ship. The model Fincantieri showed of the ship at DIMDEX indicated that it would also have a secondary three dimensional search radar. This could be the same European Multifunction Phased Array Radar (EMPAR).
6. Enrico Bonetti, Fincantieri's Senior Vice President for Naval Vessels, told Navy Recognition that the LPD would also act as a "mother ship" to provide long-range targeting information for the four smaller corvettes.
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