Royal New Zealand Navy Discussions and Updates

KiwiRob

Well-Known Member
If you bought a license from OMT you wouldn’t be buying the quite a bit different now Arrowhead 140. OMT haven’t managed to sell any Ivers to anyone despite many years trying. If we bought Arrowhead it would make sense to buy it from the production line which will have built 5 of them, so should be able to knock out 2/3 for NZ efficiently and quickly.
 

MrConservative

Super Moderator
Staff member
If you bought a license from OMT you wouldn’t be buying the quite a bit different now Arrowhead 140. OMT haven’t managed to sell any Ivers to anyone despite many years trying. If we bought Arrowhead it would make sense to buy it from the production line which will have built 5 of them, so should be able to knock out 2/3 for NZ efficiently and quickly.
Will there be a Type 31e Arrowhead 140 production line in 15 years?

In the early 2030's there will be two intermediate sized Frigates in production (though towards the end of their primary clients order book) and the Type 26 variants. The USN FFG(X) run of 20 and the JMSDF 30FFM run of 22.
 

Gibbo

Well-Known Member
The original RFP for the LOSC had two 25 mm weapons plus HMG. Looking at some of the recent pictures of the Edda Fonn in the shipyard it doesnt look like there are too many spots that 2200 pounds of mount and gun could be located. Is it unreasonable to expect the 25 mm as standard or is this too much for the vessel and its role?


Is there another mount or mounts available in the inventory or would new be required if chosen for installation?

On another point I am assuming the REMUS AUV will be the AUV of choice as it is in service with I believe 4 in total.
Yes there's been completely zip detail on the planned weapons fit so I'm picking it'll be basic - most likely a handful of manually operated .5 cal HMG's. 'Weapon mounts' are referred to in the cabinet papers but no-one is describing what that means. Even if it was a mini-typhoon with .5 cal HMG's (as per Frigates) that would be a step in the right direction. Artists impressions show no weapons but that doesn't necessarily indicate there wont be any.

REMUS AUV is in service & appears to work well - especially as it is platform agnostic, so is deployed on any vessel as required (AIUI usually deployed via RHIB). Last count I saw in a Navy Today edition last year was 6 units in service.
 

beegee

Active Member
Will there be a Type 31e Arrowhead 140 production line in 15 years?
Depends on how many export orders they get (if any)... and if the Arrowhead wins the T31 contract.:D

Yes, and they did build the Endeavour as well, but by a different yard. @beegee probably has Uncle Helun (Clark) in his nightmare as well which would drive a man to multiple drinks.
Do not invoke the name of the beast!
I'm still livid about the F-16 deal. Livid.
 

kiwipatriot69

Active Member
Depends on how many export orders they get (if any)... and if the Arrowhead wins the T31 contract.:D


Do not invoke the name of the beast!
I'm still livid about the F-16 deal. Livid.
Agreed. And we have her acoylte, Jacinda Adern to contend with. I'm sceptical that we will see a fraction of the propose 20 Billion capability spend, outside of the P8, given none of that Capex was spent on the purchase of the LOSC, instead cutting its budget for Manuwanui dive vessel, to pay for frigate upgrades? I can see corners cut with the air transport replacements too.
 

John Fedup

The Bunker Group
Jacinda, I can understand your pain your current PM. With any luck, junior may be gone in October but that is no guarantee things will get better, afterall we are discussing pollies.
 

kiwipatriot69

Active Member
Jacinda, I can understand your pain your current PM. With any luck, junior may be gone in October but that is no guarantee things will get better, afterall we are discussing pollies.
Nothing on the Southern ocean patrol vessel proposed in the defence white paper, and that was 2016? I wonder what the hold up is there too. Well if the Capital gains tax goes ahead, that will free up some cash. And also might just be a bridge to far for most voters. :)
 

KiwiRob

Well-Known Member
Will there be a Type 31e Arrowhead 140 production line in 15 years?

In the early 2030's there will be two intermediate sized Frigates in production (though towards the end of their primary clients order book) and the Type 26 variants. The USN FFG(X) run of 20 and the JMSDF 30FFM run of 22.
I don't really know, but from information provided at both the Babcocks and Cammell Laird Type 31E workshops the intention was to built the first 5, then start construction on the next batch whilst selling the first 5 on the second hand market. The second hand market for RN frigates is pretty strong. If this proposal becomes reality then maybe Type 31E will still be in production in the 2030's.
 

40 deg south

Well-Known Member
Agreed. And we have her acoylte, Jacinda Adern to contend with. I'm sceptical that we will see a fraction of the propose 20 Billion capability spend, outside of the P8, given none of that Capex was spent on the purchase of the LOSC, instead cutting its budget for Manuwanui dive vessel, to pay for frigate upgrades? I can see corners cut with the air transport replacements too.
To be fair, the move from a purpose-built LOSC vessel to a second-hand conversion was a direct response to MOD/Navy being responsible for a big budget blow-out in the frigate upgrade. It appears their initial estimates of the cost for installing and integrating all the new kit was woefully inaccurate. As a general rule, I'm sympathetic to departments that screw up their costings being forced to take a financial hit - it tends to concentrate the mind a bit bit next time around.

Also, my understanding is that the $30 million cost estimate ran until nwar 2030 - the current government will only be in power for a portion of that period barring an electoral miracle.
 

40 deg south

Well-Known Member
Nothing on the Southern ocean patrol vessel proposed in the defence white paper, and that was 2016? I wonder what the hold up is there too. Well if the Capital gains tax goes ahead, that will free up some cash. And also might just be a bridge to far for most voters. :)
I'm starting to wonder about that project too, and hope there is some concrete information on timing in the long-awaited Defence Capability plan. From a political perspective, I would have thought it would get good cross-party support.

One possibility is that the naval procurement team at MOD has been fully occupied with the Aotearoa then the Edda Fonn. If that is the case, then they should now be able to focus their attention on the southern OPV.
 

spoz

The Bunker Group
Verified Defense Pro
Looks like the bridge to me. From the various artists’ impressions available on the net the RAS control station is a different shape.
 

beegee

Active Member
Looks like the bridge to me. From the various artists’ impressions available on the net the RAS control station is a different shape.
Yes indeed. The NZ navy FB post says as much...
A very Forward Observation Point! The bridge of Aotearoa sits on the dry dock in front of the ship prior to being craned-on and installed. Not long to go now before the ship feels the waters of Ulsan Harbour at her launch ceremony.
 
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ASSAIL

The Bunker Group
Verified Defense Pro
Not sure about the wooden deck - holly stones any one lol - but seriously looks like (as much as you can tell by a pic) a pretty smart and significant aquisition. How old is it?
Think of the underwater heavies that have been handled on that deck over the last 10 years, if it wasn’t very sturdy timber there wouldn’t be a deck.
One of the least desirable refit jobs is to remove the timber and sealant and preserve the deck once every, say ten years, there must be class rules for that, Alex?
Although by the look in the pics it was part of her preparation.
 

ngatimozart

Super Moderator
Staff member
Verified Defense Pro
Not sure about the wooden deck - holly stones any one lol - but seriously looks like (as much as you can tell by a pic) a pretty smart and significant aquisition. How old is it?
She's 15 years old from memory. Also from memory a wooden work deck was part of the requirement on the original LOSC RFI. Considering that probably a lot of the gear that the crane will be lifting will have steel bases or will be steel, steel on steel is quite dangerous because it's very slippery. So a wooden deck reduces the steels slipperiness so when its tied down it stays still, or when you are working on the deck it and you have more grip. That's my understanding of it. I used to work shipping steel many years back.
 
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