lygn19: Gbam...lol...at least with a situation like dz d Nigerian govt wud see a reason to give awka gun makers a boost,to mk beta and sophiscated guns,and innoson with a little advancement can start manufacturing war tanks, y since d ijaws no more abt creeks,they can handle d navy,d hausa's wud be more of foot soldiers...while d yorubas...emmm''' sentiment's apart what wud do yorubas do 4 Nigeria?
dey will produce the juju bullets,if dat bullet touches sumbody,the person would just melt at d spot.C we africans should not follow al dis westerners and fight oyibo war,with our witchcraft and juju we wil defeat dem easily.Hahaha
All this weapons are outdated, Nigeria need nuclear weapons as a deterrent to discourage any enemy who want to invade Nigeria.
Nigerians are too stupid to understand why you should say that. i remember a thread somewhere where they were abusing a guy for saying Nigeria should have bought missile technology from North Korea, instead the Nigerian Government rejected and went on and told USA as if looking for a sort of reward for being a good puppy.
I was going to post everything at once, but I now realise that it might take forever (I also pasted the links on an ms word document, but forgot to save), so I'll just post them bit by bit (although it might be difficult for some to understand until I get to the end).
There's usually a huge debate when preparing the budget. Should we spend money on weapons, or should we instead spend that money on education, healthcare, drinking water, etc.
Well, I liken it to a father who has to pay his kids school fees and hospital bills. He'll also have to pay for walls, gates, security guard, etc, less an armed robber invades his house at night and kills his kids.
I think we can get the funds to spend on defence from savings made when the government scraps such redundant agencies as NEPA, Nitel, NNSL, etc and hands such functions over to the state governments and the private sector.
Ngozi Okonjo Iweala talks about how she cut the nigerian defence budget.
We started well in 1960. Nigerian governments ensured that the armed forces were reasonably well equipped and well trained, but the military regimes from 1985-1999 almost destroyed the armed forces. Military units were starved of funds and grounded because generals feared that the units would be used against them. Promotion and training were mired in murky politics. Thankfully, with the return to civilian rule, things are looking up. The Obasanjo, Yar'Adua and Jonathan Administrations bought stop gap military platforms and sold off our old platforms. Now the new ones are being built and delivered. We've also renewed the policy of manufacturing arms, ammunition and platforms locally.
NNS Obuma was originally named NNS Nigeria and is Nigeria’s first frigate. This private-design frigate was ordered from Wilton-Fijenoord shipyards in the Netherlands to serve as the Nigerian Navy’s flagship. It was constructed in Holland, launched on 12 April 1965 and commissioned on 16 September 1965. The ship’s first commander was Captain Nelson Bossman Soroh (who retired with the rank of Rear Admiral and served as Chief of Naval Staff).
Following the collapse of the bloody January 15th “Majors mutiny”, coup suspects were initially kept aboard the detention cell on NNS Nigeria before being transferred to land based prisons (It was rumoured that Major General Ironsi, the Supreme Commander, slept aboard NNS Nigeria every night and returned to State House Marina in the mornings, for fear of being killed by either northern soldiers or Nzeogwu’s loyalists). During the last weekend of July 1966, it was NNS Nigeria under Soroh that provided offshore refuge to the late Brigadier B Ogundipe when discipline broke down completely following the “Northern counter coup”. Ogundipe subsequently transferred to the MV Aureol and left for the United Kingdom as Nigeria’s new High Commissioner, by sea.
The NNS Nigeria overcame several serious attempts by secessionist sympathizers to sabotage it during the run up to hostilities in early 1967. This ship saw heavy use during the Biafran War, both as a blockade ship and as a makeshift transport. It subsequently took active part in the naval blockade of the Eastern Region in June and July 1967, during the opening phase of the civil war and the joint amphibious assaults on Bonny (July 1967) and Calabar (October 1967). On 5 January 1967, NNS Nigeria was loaded with marines who were landed via the ship’s boats and other small craft in the area, to support Nigerian troops outside Bonny. This reinforcement was viewed as a critical success by the Nigerian army. Other ships involved were the NNS Penelope, NNS Lokoja, NNS Ogoja, NNS Benin, NNS Enugu, MV Bode Thomas and MV King Jaja. The NNS Nigeria in particular was credited with beating back a determined Biafran attempt to retake Bonny in late September 1967. She also gained international spotlight when she seized the Dutch ship MV Jozina (which became the NNS Kwa River). MV Jozina had unsuccessfully attempted to penetrate the blockade. In 1968, Nigeria was attacked by B-26 Invaders of the Biafran Air Force. The ship was not damaged. Nevertheless, at one difficult point during the breakout phase of the Calabar landing, the ground force commander, then Lt. Col. Benjamin Adekunle, stopped responding to signals from the NNS Nigeria requesting situation reports. In response to frantic inquiries from higher-ups in Lagos, then Captain Soroh sent a controversial signal to Supreme Headquarters that simply stated, “I wish I knew”.
Only four years after commissioning, the ship was in bad shape and from 1970-1971 underwent an overhaul by Cammell Laird in the UK. By 1977 the ship was again in poor condition and underwent a second overhaul, this time in the Netherlands. The ship’s name was changed at the 1980 launch of NNS Aradu as the Nigerians did not want a second-line frigate to bear the country’s name.
In 1982 NNS Obuma was decommissioned but recommissioned shortly thereafter, following an austere repair period at Lagos in Nigeria. All the anti-submarine weapons (ASW) systems were deleted at this time. By 1986 Obuma had been reduced to a training vessel, again in poor condition. From then on out the ship’s condition progressively deteriorated. Obuma had largely been abandoned by 2001, with the 40mm guns having been stripped off. The ship was last seen flying the Nigerian ensign in late 2005 and has not been mentioned since, except for once in 2008 when a senior naval officer suggested the ship might be refitted and restored to service. As of 2011 this has not happened and Obuma will likely be scrapped soon.
The Nigerian navy had several planned upgrades for this ship that were never carried out. In 1979 plans were drawn up to replace the Squid with ASW torpedo tubes and modernize the radars, this was cancelled early on due to lack of funds. In 1983, a very ambitious comprehensive refit was planned that would have replaced the Squid with ASW torpedo tubes, replaced the main gun with a OTO-Melara 76mm Rapid, added a EO/FLIR sensor, modernized the sonars, added SCLAR countermeasures launchers, and refurbishment of the engines and hull. It was also hoped to buy an additional Lynx helicopter. Although the project was approved in 1983, the money was siphoned off elsewhere and by 1987 the project had been abandoned. During the brief 1993-1994 return to democracy the Nigerian navy restarted the effort however when the Abacha regime took over in 1994 the effort was blocked as Abacha wanted to limit spending in the Lagos shipyards which he viewed as a potential centre of political opposition.
The need to have a modern sophisticated frigate to complement and eventually replace Nigerian Navy's long serving frigate, NNS Nigeria (now Obuma) became apparent to naval planners in the mid seventies. The old lady, as NNS Nigeria, was popularly known then was fast becoming irrelevant in the fast changing world of naval technology. Nigerian Navy needed to reach blue waters with the appropriate ships in terms of firepower, extended operational range and enhanced surveillance capability. NNS Aradu became the answer to these aspirations.
The ship initially named The Republic was ordered in 1978. Her keel was laid in December 1978 and she was launched on 25 January 1980. In November of the same year, following a new policy of the Nigerian Navy was renamed Aradu (Aradu means thunder in Hausa). It was commissioned on 22 February 1982. Aradu was acquired by the regime of former President Shehu Shagari. She was recently refitted, refurbished and equipped after being alongshore for over 12 years. The ship proved it was still seaworthy by taking part in celebrations commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar by sailing to Great Britain in 2005. The ship, which carries a crew of about 250 officers and men, requires 500,000 litres of petrol per voyage.
Aradu is the first of the MEKO 360 General Purpose frigates built by the German Blohm + Voss company of Hamburg.
The 125.6 m ship is the biggest in the Nigerian Navy. She is a multi-purpose frigate with capabilities for anti-air, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare effectively. The ship also possesses capability for naval fire support and electronic warfare. Additionally, she carries a ship-borne helicopter for anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue, and enhanced surveillance/detection
The ship is unique in the adoption of the modular approach in the design of the hull and the containerization of armaments. By the modular design concept, various sections of the hull of Aradu are built to specific measurements separately and then assembled at a shipyard. The advantage of this style of construction is that every section of the ship can be produced independent of the other sections. In case of damage, it is thus easier to replace the affected section of the ship separately and then fixing it back at a shipyard. This same flexibility is adopted in the armament of the ship. These are kept in containers and can be tested ashore independent of the various stage of construction. Once the hull is ready, the containerized armaments are then easily fitted into the hull the same procedure adopted in case of major repair or replacement.
The MEKO class of ships is thus able to proceed on other missions while defective units are left for repairs at workshops. This is different from other designs where the ship for example has to sacrifice other missions in order to repair or replace a unit of her armament. Another advantage is that with the Meko concept, whole sections of the ship can be produced and stored as spares. In case of emergency, the ship simply enters a dockyard to replace whatever section that is needed. Modernization of armaments and systems can thus take place with minimum interruption to the ships' program.
Aradu is an all-purpose fighting ship capable of undertaking the following missions alone or in concert with other units:
*) Sustained and independent blue water patrol over a range of 6500 miles.
*) Gunfire support to friendly forces operating up to 16 km from the coast.
*) Air defense of self and cooperating forces over a range of 155km,
*) Anti-submarine warfare (short range or extended range using helicopter borne torpedoes.
*) Electronic warfare (intercepting and jamming).
*) Missile attack against surface units up to a range of 80 km.
*) Mine laying.
*) Airborne or surface Search and Rescue
Since she entered naval service, NNS Aradu has taken part in major naval exercises, fleet reviews and diplomatic cruises. She played a prominent part in "Operation Seadog" in 1985 and "Operation Odion" in 1987. The ship has undertaken extensive diplomatic visits to countries like Gabon, Congo, Zaire, Equatorial Guinea and numerous European countries. She has also participated in joint exercises with visiting ships of the German, Indian, French and the Brazilian Navies. Aradu played a major role in peace keeping operations in Liberia and Sierra-Leone and was also involved in border skirmishes between Nigeria and Cameroun. She had a total of two groundings and a major collision in 1987 She ran aground again early in 1994 during post refit trials, and was assessed as beyond economical repair in 1995, but then managed to go to sea again in early 1996, and again in 1997 when she broke down for several months in Monrovia. She then steamed back to Lagos on one engine in 1998.
In August 2005, Aradu participated at the International Fleet Review to mark the Centenary of the Battle of Trafalgar in memory of Admiral Lord Nelson at Portsmouth with other 100 warships from 36 navies. It also participated in two major exercises in 2005 and 2006, called "Igbochi" and "Idabo".
In a bid to strengthen Nigeria/Brazil military cooperation, 2 naval ships, NNS Aradu and NNS Nwamba, departed Nigeria on 3 August 2007 to take part in Brazil BiCentenary Celebrations. The ships arrived in Monrovia, Liberia, on 9 August to a rousing welcome by Liberians and Nigerians resident in the West African country. They were received by the Chief of Defense Staff of Liberia, Major General Abdurahman of the Nigerian Army.
NNS Aradu and NNS Nwamba in Brazil.
Sailors aboard NNS Aradu prepare to salute Queen Elizabeth during ceremonies marking the bi-centenary of the battle of Trafalgar.
The Nigerian Navy in 2011 acquired the United States Coast Guard cutter, USCGC CHASE (WHEC 718). The 115m ex-USCG ship weighing in at 3,250 tons is one of a flotilla of twelve sister ships which were extensively modernised in the early 1990s. In real terms, though not nearly as heavily armed, the Hamilton-class are roughly the size of Nigeria’s flagship, the MEKO 360 frigate that is NNS Aradu and that says a lot about their potential sea keeping capabilities. The ship has been renamed NNS Thunder (F90).
The ship, whose keel was laid on October 26, 1966 at Avondale Shipyards Inc., New Orleans, Louisiana, was designed as a high endurance cutter, with a crossing range of 9,600 nautical miles (17,800 km) at 20 knots (40 km/h). It also has an 80 foot flight deck, capable of handling Navy helicopters - making it an ideal platform for extended patrol missions.
As far as the acquisition of naval platforms go, Nigeria have been virtually slumbering for twenty years on the bounce. It is hoped that they reach for a minimum of FOUR units of these Hamilton-class warships. Sometime ago, it emerged somewhere that Nigeria need 35 Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) and Offshore Patrol Craft(OPC) to effectively police her Exclusive Economic Zone. It is the case that for the price of a new frigate, Nigeria can acquire six of these used but still seaworthy OPVs (three or four when the OPVs are acquired brand-new). Right now, Nigeria’s emphasis should be piling on the numbers.
Nigerian Navy personnel, quoted as being in training in Alaska, will probably steer the ship back to Nigeria. The warship, donated to Nigeria by the United States, on Monday 21st December 2011 began its journey to Nigeria where it will help to boost security in the Gulf of Guinea - a region bedevilled by piracy and robbery at sea.
The ship, under the command of Navy Captain Muhammed Baba Nageju, left the US Coast Guard Island in Alameda, Califonia with 150 crew member on board at 2.13pm.
The ship arrived Nigeria in the first week of Janaury 2012, after making stops in five countries - Mexico, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Senegal, and Ghana.
Its departure was preceeded by a colourful ceremony witnessed by the Minister of State for Defence, Erelu Olusola Obada, Chief of Policy and Plans, Naval headquarters, Rear Admiral James Oladimeji, Command Technical Officer, Western Naval Command, Navy Captain Peter Onwordi, representative of the Nigerian ambassador to US, Mr. Steven Akingbolasan, Defence Attache at the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, Group Captain Aliyu Gaya, Commander of the US Coast Guard Chase Morgenthau, Captain Mathew Bliven, and Deputy Defence Attache, Navy Captain Kayode Adefemi.
Speaking with journalists on the significance of the ship to the Nigerian naval fleet, Chief of Policy and Plans, Naval Headquarters, Rear Admiral James Oladimeji, said NNS Thunder "is the only one of its kind in the whole of the Gulf of Guinea."
Oladimeji said the ship would play a major role in helping the nation police its territorial waters and ensuring maritime security in the Niger Delta and the Gulf of Guinea - a stretch of nearly 2,000 nautical miles with shipping ports, harbours and transhipment areas that are largely unmonitored, uncontrolled and vulnerable to attacks by terrorist groups, criminals and militants.
The naval chief also disclosed that the ship was coming at a time when the Nigerian Navy was re-appraising it operational tools in the light of the evolving security challenges confronting the nation's maritime industry.
Obada, in her address at the ceremony, commended the efforts of the US government to help Nigeria police its waters effectively. She recalled that US Coast Guard had in the past transferred four 180 foot buoy tenders to the Nigerian Navy. Noting that, "today marks an important day in the history of relations between Nigeria and United States", Obada expressed hopes that the transfer of the ship to Nigeria would further cement the bond of friendship between both countries.
The captain of the ship, Navy Captain Muhammed Baba Nageju, in his own remarks at the ceremony, said, "My joy cannot be quantified. First is to see the Thunder dream come true and that she will be departing today". Noting that the ship was initially billed to depart US last July and arrive in Nigeria in September, Nageju said. the departure was delayed till now because it was moved to "dry dock" for refurbishment, which include repainting the ship in Nigerian Navy colour and installation of new communication equipment according to "our specification".
The increasing wave of piracy and robbery at sea had been a major concern of the various states in the Gulf of Guinea and the international community.
In August 2010, The US dispatched a specialised team of Coast Guards to Nigeria to train Maritime Law Enforcement Agents on how to effectively secure the region.
I first knew what it is in 1990. On the 9 o'clock news they showed troops preparing to sail to Liberia. Its hull opened and armoured tanks, personnel carriers and fighting vehicles were rolling into it (or was it its sister ship, the Ofiom?). It's a Landing Ship Tank (LST)! The C130 of the navy.
I wish we had amphibious landing ships and amphibious assault ships.
[size=14pt]NNS Ambe Hippo-class Type 502 class LST[/size]
The Type 502 class LSTs Ambe and Ofion were designed by HDW as a private-venture for sale to the West German navy, which was not interested. The warship displaces 1,750 tons fully loaded and has a length of 87m and a beam of 14m. The ship is powered by two diesel engines each driving twin shafts and can maintain a speed of 17 knots. She would normally carry a crew of 59. Armament is light, consisting of several anti aircraft guns and two 20mm machine guns. They are of ro-ro design, with a lowerable stern loading ramp and articulated bow ramp. The machinery is unusual in that each engine drives multiple shafts instead of the normal other way around.
Both ships suffered minor fires during the 1980s which were repaired, but maintenance on the bow ramp machinery was poor and by 1992 both vessels had non-operational ramps. Several sources state that both ships had ramps welded shut, rendering them transports instead of LSTs.
Ofiom was severely damaged during a failed beaching in 1992 and was abandoned pierside. In 1999, a contract was signed with foreign technicians to repair the ship however in April 2001 they departed due to non-payment, with only half the repairs completed. NNS Ofion had not been operational for over two decades while some of her parts had been used over time to replace some faulty parts of Ambe. In 2011 it was announced that the Nigerian navy again planned to finish the repairs.
NNS Ofiom emerged winners of the First Nigerian Navy Ship 2009 WEY C.O's Cup after defeating the NNS AMBE 4-2. The event which began on September 18th 2009 saw the two contending sides NNS Ofiom and NNS AMBE qualifying for the grand finale. Both sides dismissed their opponents with ease on their way to the final and Navy Town residents looked forward to a great final. The competition came to an end at the Road 3 Football field Navy Town, Lagos, after weeks of exciting football action.
NNS Ambe, one of the two amphibious vessels acquired by the Federal Government of Nigeria in 1978 was said to have been the country's only operational Amphibious war ship used for lifting a battalion and their equipment as the second, NNS Ofion, was almost a carcass as major parts have been used to keep the burnt Ambe in shape. The ship had a capacity of lifting a battalion of 600 soldiers and their equipment at once. NNS Ambe, which became fully operational in the 1980s, played a significant roles during the ECOMOG operations in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Over 72000 refugees were sea-lifted from Liberia to Nigeria by NNS AMBE and some merchant ships. Transport ships loaded with troops and equipment of the five-nation Economic Community of West African States Military Observation Group (ECOMOG) entered the port of Monrovia. During the afternoon of 24 August 1990, Nigeria’s NNS Ambe (LST 1123) and Ghana’s MV Tano River maneuvered to the mouth of the jetty area of Freeport. They temporarily withdrew after receiving some sporadic mortar fire and reentered the port later that evening. After docking, a small mix of troops debarked.
In Liberia during the ECOMOG operations, the NA could not integrate fully with NN. The problems encountered by the 2 Services was the delayed movement into Liberia from Sierra Leone as a result of malfunction of the loading ramp on the LST. Even when the ramp was repaired through combined efforts of the NN and NA Engineers, the problem re-occurred on landing at Freeport Monrovia. Also the armaments carried by the LST were not functional. This had impacted negatively on the confidence and high morale of the NA troops. The reason for these problems were attributed to lack of training for joint operations by the NA and NN before induction into the operation in Liberia.
On 02 December 1997 Sierra Leone's military junta accused Nigeria on Tuesday of moving an amphibious tank landing ship and two support vessels into Sierra Leone's territorial waters. A military spokesman said the NNS Ambe and two support ships had anchored 30 nautical miles off the Sierra Leonean coast before pulling back into international waters. "The three Nigerian warships which anchored about 30 nautical miles in Sierra Leone territorial waters have sailed back into international waters from their former position," the spokesman said.
She was also used in ferreting of drug from Europe to Nigeria at a time when there was said to be scarcity of drugs in Nigeria. In July 2001 naval authorities said that five warships in the Nigerian Navy inventory, including NNS Siri, NNS Ekun, NNS Nyam and the Frigate, NNS Ambe, would be seaworthy by December 2001 after undergoing retrofitting. In 2004 the Navy commenced refitting activities on NNS Ambe and NNS Ofiom. But within a few years NNS Ambe was reported out of commission in a poor condition.
Operation TAKUTE EKPE (Lion Trap) was held 10-15 May 2004. There were difficulties in establishing radio communications between NNS AMBE, the ship that was to beach land the troops and other participating forces. TAKUTE EKPE was aborted at the last minute because NNS AMBE, the main amphibious ship, failed to arrive at the designated landing site at the scheduled time ostensibly due to defects. On that occasion, NN operational efficiency suffered due to no ship availability. The NN landing ship that was to land troops in the theater of operation never got there until after the exercise had been deactivated because the state of the ship was not considered in the planning of the exercise. The NN ship was unserviceable and yet it was earmarked for the exercise. This was a typical example of an exercise marred by poor logistic planning and lack of coordination due to the absence of a joint logistics system.
Nigerian Naval Dockyard at Wilmot Point, Lagos was commissioned in 1990 to undertake refit of Nigerian Naval Ships. Although the naval dockyard has been in commission from 1990, it was only in 2003 that a comprehensive and structured program of refitting the entire fleet began in earnest. In 2007 NNS Ambe was undergoing refit. some marine engineers were carrying out some repairs that required welding when fire at about 2130 hours on 20 November 2007, in the superstructure of the ship. The fire was extinguished by the timely action of the Lagos State Fire Service, but by some accounts the vessel was reportedly destroyed by the fire. The fire was confined to an above deck section of the ship and the damage is considered to be minor. This happened at a time there was renewed tension in the Bakassi Peninsula, itself an Island, that would require the use of the NNS Ambe to lift troops.
In 2010, troop carrier landing craft NNS AMBE of the Nigerian Navy under repair at Navy dock yard, Wilmot Point, Lagos had caught fire under her starboard bridge deck. Ambe suffered a severe fire which started in her cargo deck and spread upwards under the starboard side of the bridge. The bridge and radio room were destroyed, and the crew berthing spaces severely damaged. The fire burnt out the entire bridge and part of the accommodation, leaving the main mast tilted to starboard on top of the compass deck which had also been seriously damaged.
In August 2010 a civilian company, Atlantic Marine Services, was contracted to remove the mast. AMS was called in to remove the mast as it was threatening to collapse. With the help of their tug EXPLORER they mobilized their 1000dwt barge H457 and their Leibherr HS871 crane alongside the NNS AMBE. The mast was secured, cut and lifted off on 13 August 2010 and delivered to NNS Olokun maintenance yard for further dismantling and repair. Since them Ambe was moored at the Wilmot Point naval dockyard in Lagos awaiting repairs.
That terrible demon called time has struck again. I was going to discuss the stealth ships that are currently being built for the Nigerian Navy (Type 056 corvettes and probably Type 054 frigates).
Anyway, before then, enjoy this documentary about stealth ships.
lygn19: Can ur so called stealth ships defend Nigeria from American drone strikes?
first of all america would nt have a any economic,moral or military reason whatsoever to strike nigeria, considering nigeria would most posibly be it most trusted ally in west africa, 2ndly the overbloated concept of "us drone strike" is hilarious and a fallacy. Us drone strike to many is the worst that could happen to an enemy state but believe me, even nigeria has a potential ability to launch drone strikes, 3rdly the idea of using UAV's a.k.a drones (especially the MQ-1 to MQ-9 Reaper series) with a relatively slower speed to strike missile and AA guns armed nigerian warship will be most certainly be the best idea of a dumb war strategy considerin it wil take the nigerian navy merely minutes to blow the shit up . . .
Capnd143: first of all america would nt have a any economic,moral or military reason whatsoever to strike nigeria, considering nigeria would most posibly be it most trusted ally in west africa, 2ndly the overbloated concept of "us drone strike" is hilarious and a fallacy. Us drone strike to many is the worst that could happen to an enemy state but believe me, even nigeria has a potential ability to launch drone strikes, 3rdly the idea of using UAV's a.k.a drones (especially the MQ-1 to MQ-9 Reaper series) with a relatively slower speed to strike missile and AA guns armed nigerian warship will be most certainly be the best idea of a dumb war strategy considerin it wil take the nigerian navy merely minutes to blow the shit up . . .
And may God bless you.
When discussing military issues I've often encountered three types of views
1) The cartoon/comic book view (why doesn't nigeria have nuclear weapons, aircraft carriers, etc. Can Nigeria defeat the US?).
2) The extreme pacifist view (why should we spend money on the military when there are hungry children on the streets. That money should be spent on education and healthcare).
The Type 056 Jiangdao Class corvette is a new Chinese light warship that entered service with the People's Liberation Army Navy in 2012 as a replacement for the Type 037 series of patrol vessels. It has been described as a stealth missile corvette which is also armed with a 76mm main gun.
History
Following the designing and building of the Pattani class corvette for the Royal Thai Navy in the mid-2000s, speculation of a domestic variant of the design was rife. The speculations were confirmed in November 2010 during a visit by Maj. Gen. Wang Junli, Deputy commander of the Hong Kong Garrison and the Hong Kong University's Vice-Chancellor Tsui Lap-chee when a model of the Type 056 was presented. The first ship was launched in May 2012.
Though Type 056 appears in the 21st century, the design concept can be referred to as early as 1980s, when the PLAN were considering developing a larger patrol ship to replace the Type 037 to improve the living conditions on the ship, which was firstly called by Type 038. However, this concept was not realized until the appearance of Type 056 in 2012 due to the shortage of funds.
Design
The Type 056 has a stealthy hull design with sloped surface and a reduced superstructure clutter. There is a helipad at the stern for a light helicopter but has no organic helicopter support facilities.
The main anti-ship armament consists of YJ-83 sea-skimming anti-ship cruise missiles in two twin-cell launchers. The primary anti-aircraft armament is one FL-3000N short range missile system with 8 rounds. A 76 mm main gun based on a Russian AK-176 is mounted forward. 2 triple torpedo tubes are mounted for ASW operations.
Type 056 is the first Chinese warship with module design, which makes it cover the roles from OPV to multi-role frigate. The PLAN used versions may include patrol type, ASW type, ASuW type, AAW type and commander type; while the export versions can be quite differently fitted according to consumer's requirement.For the moment, at least 3 variants of Type 056 for export exist with the same design of hull but quite different bridge and armament.
Export
At least two versions of OPV that are blood relations with the Type 056 have been sold to other countries. One is the Royal Thai Navy's Pattani class OPV, the other is an enlarged version with full-load displacement of 1800 tonnes. This was ordered by the Nigerian Navy and has the factory designation P18N. Two corvette versions of Type 056 have been sold to the Bangladesh Navy. A multi-role frigate version of Type 056 with integrated mast and VLS also appeared in LIMA 2013.
[size=14pt]Nigeria celebrates first home-made warship[/size]
By Will Ross
Nigeria correspondent
7 June 2012 Last updated at 13:07
After nearly five years in the making, the Nigerian navy ship or NNS Andoni was launched with a colourful event.
At 31m (100ft) long, this is no giant of the seas, but the fact that it was designed and built in Nigeria, by Nigerian engineers, is a great source of pride.
"We are all happy and elated," said Commodore SI Alade, one of Nigeria's senior naval officers.
"This is the first time this kind of thing is happening in Nigeria and even in the sub region."
Moments after stepping on board NNS Andoni, sailor FL Badmus said: "I feel on top of the world.
"I'm proud to have been picked by the naval authorities to serve on this ship.
"We hope this is the beginning of very good things to come and we thank God for it."
The warship was named after the Andoni people of south-eastern Nigeria - and several chiefs travelled to Lagos to witness the launch - including his Royal Highness NL Ayuwu Iraron Ede-Obolo II, wearing a top hat, a sequin-adorned velvet gown and a brightly coloured necklace.
The ceremony also featured multi-faith prayers, with an imam asking God to "protect and preserve this ship from the dangers of the day and the violence of the enemy", and a Christian praying: "May she sail with success like the Ark of Noah."
The event had an interesting twist of symbolism for the guest of honour, Nigeria's leader, Goodluck Jonathan.
Anti-pirate ship
He is from a family of canoe makers - and that he is now the president launching a warship is a sign of how far he has risen.
"This is the beginning of the transformation... and I believe in another 10 to 15 years, we can be thinking about starting a project to take Nigerians into the air," President Jonathan said.
The NNS Andoni could be key in the fight against militants operating near Nigeria's oil fields as well as the growing threat of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
Piracy in Nigerian waters is on the increase and incidents are happening over a wider area, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
There were 10 piracy attacks off the 780km (485 miles) of Nigeria's coastline during the first quarter this year - the same number reported for the whole of 2011.
"While the number of reported incidents in Nigeria is still less than Somalia… the level of violence against crew is dangerously high," according to a recent IMB report.
The NNS Andoni is equipped with an advanced radar system and firepower.
"With a speed of up to 25 knots (46km/h), this can quickly go to intercept the pirates," said Commanding Officer Adepegba standing on the bridge pointing out the ship's three machine guns and the automatic grenade launcher.
Foreign orders
The Nigerian navy reportedly wants to acquire 49 more vessels over the next 10 years. But how many will be home built?
Orders are already in - for three from a French shipbuilder, and six from Singapore.
President Jonathan recently approved the acquisition of two large patrol vessels from China Shipbuilding and Offshore International, a mainly state-owned company.
In an effort to boost local industry, one of the Chinese vessels is meant to be 70% built in Nigeria.
NNS Andoni was dwarfed when a 105m-long frigate steamed past during the ceremony - with all the officers cheering on deck.
NNS Thunder, a veteran of the Vietnam War, arrived at the beginning of the year, a gift from the US.
Eyebrows were raised when it was announced that the monthly fuel bill of the 45-year-old ship would be $1m (£650,000).
When this year's navy's $450m budget was discussed at the House of Assembly in January, one senator described the donated ships as hand-outs that could become liabilities rather than assets.
There were also calls for corruption to be plugged.
"Corruption has sucked the blood out of our system. So we have to depend on hand-outs," one senator lamented.
NSS Andoni's fuel bill will certainly be lower than NNS Thunder.
'No indigenous touch'
After parading on the deck, the naval officers took photos of each other with mobile phones - clearly delighted with the new ship.
"It's a great day. It's taken over five years but it's worth it," said a smiling Kelechi, one of the engineers.
"We came up with the design, the expertise and about 60% of the materials were locally sourced. The engines, generators and navigation equipment came from outside."
Nigeria is one of Africa's biggest oil producers, but this has not so much helped as hampered the development of local industries because the country has relied so heavily on imported goods.
As he launched NNS Andoni, President Jonathan lamented the decline of industries that had been strong not long after independence in 1960.
"We had Nigerian Airways, the Nigerian shipping line and a number of investments that were doing well. But because there was no indigenous touch, all these died," the president said.
"We are told that some countries that were on par with us are now building aircraft, choppers and other things," he said, adding that Nigeria had for a long time not embraced technology.
The president suggested sending the brightest students of engineering to the best universities in the world.
"Then let them come back and work in Nigeria because we cannot continue to be importing. We have a very large market and even what we consume alone is enough to support an industry."
"We have this market, we must use it," President Jonathan said - before laying the keel to mark the start of work on the second "Made in Nigeria" warship.
I thought i saw a nairalander manufacturing drones, we may have thousands of his kind with no media attention, we are prepared and there is no cause for alarm.
Emzybrown: I thought i saw a nairalander manufacturing drones, we may have thousands of his kind with no media attention, we are prepared and there is no cause for alarm.
Ah! You are going to take me out of my rhythm. I still have a few ships and boats to show before goingg to the air force, but I'll alter my plans for you.
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naptu2: Nigeria Air Force ("made in Nigeria" ) Air Beetle.
In the late 1980s it was announced that the air force (in association with a private company) had built the first "made in Nigeria" plane. We were excited. Yeah, it's a propeller plane, but at least it's a start.
The main fighter/bomber used during operations in Liberia and Sierra-Leone. I'll never forget the BBC African Service's interview with a rebel commander. This was the one thing they feared. Even the BBC's reporter (think it was Jonathan Pelele) was in awe of it.
naptu2: There are various theories about the decline of the Nigerian Air Force which began in the mid 1980s. Here are 3 of them.
1) The "Vatsa Coup": In 1986 some military officers planned to overthrow the government of Ibrahim Babangida. The plot was foiled. It was an amateurish plan that included the bombing of Dodan Barracks and Ikeja Cantonement by the air force.
After this plot, General Babangida decided to ground the air force. No new planes were bought and old planes were not repaired.
2) An air force officer stated that after one of the air force's display at a national event in 1987, General Babangida made enquiries about the strength and capabilities of the air force. He subsequently decided to ground the air force so that it would not be used against him.
3) The nations economy declined after 1982. It became worse after the implementation of the SAP policy began in 1986. The naira was also devalued. This meant that it became difficult to buy new planes and repair old ones. However, it must be stated that the armoured corp grew during this period.
Things got so bad in the mid and late '90s that the air force had to depend on the Alpha Jets as the only remaining combat worthy fighter/bombers.
President Obasanjo came to power in 1999 and decided too sell off the MiG 21s and some of the Jaguars. He also decided to buy Chengdu F7 fighters (basically a Chinese copy of the MiG 21) as a stop gap measure before buying better quality planes.
Unfortunately, we are only just getting out of that "stop-gap" point.
