Fórum Defesa Brasil

Goalkeeper is twice as expensive as the Phalanx.
Phalanx can be welded to any section of deck and plugged in, while Goalkeeper requires significant 'deck penetration' and integration.

Rui Elias Maltez escreveu:Também preferia, mas seria mais fácil comprar 2 Phalanx para as KD que três Goalkeeper para as 3 VdG.

Rui Elias Maltez escreveu:


Pode ser que o futuro LPD tenha os Goalkeeper, talvez 2.

Rui Elias Maltez escreveu:Tão certo quanto se os governos de Barroso/Santana não tivesem caído cedo demais, nos finais do ano passado teriamos na BNL as nossa conhecidas 2 OHP.

Uma ideia interessante para um novo AOR, poderia dar-nos capacidade adicional para transporte de tropas.

HMCS Huron Sinking

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A highlight of Exercise Trident Fury will be the sinking of former HMCS Huron in a live fire missile exercise in the West Coast Firing Area, about 100 kilometres off the coast of Vancouver Island in 2,000 metres of water by May 18th. This will be the first operational sinking of a Canadian ship in Canadian waters.
The Tribal-Class destroyer was paid off March 30, 2005, after 34 years of service. Past warships that have come to the end of their service life have been sold for scrap or sunk as artificial reefs.
However, given the operational tempo of the navy in recent years, it has been determined that using Huron’s hulk as a target during a large-scale naval exercise would provide realistic and invaluable operational training for sailors as they prepare to face present day challenges.

Tories may be considering new submarines, say military sources
2 days ago
OTTAWA - The defence minister's office recently requested a briefing on how long it would take to introduce new submarines - a move that could set the stage for the replacement of the troubled Victoria-class boats, defence sources have told The Canadian Press.

At the same time, a key refit contract involving the compressed-air system aboard HMCS Victoria has been put on hold, an upgrade which left incomplete would mean the warship would not be able to fire torpedoes.

Both actions raise questions about the future of the four glitch-plagued submarines that were purchased from Britain in 1998 under the former Liberal government and have yet to reach full operational status.

In the briefing, which was reportedly delivered by senior officials last week to Peter MacKay's new deputy minister, the government was told it would take six years to bring new submarines completely up to snuff, starting from the moment of contract signing.

A second defence source said a more conservative estimate of the timeline would be up to eight years.

A spokesman for MacKay declined to give details of the briefing.

"The minister has no comment on the substance of briefings, which are often sensitive in nature," said Jay Paxton, the minister's press secretary.

"The minister does view these subs as an important strategic asset for Canada."

The conjecture comes at a time when the Harper government is casting around for ways to bolster the country's sovereignty over the Arctic. The issue of the Far North is expected to figure prominently in next week's throne speech.

The four Victoria-class submarines are incapable of operating under the ice and naval experts have recommended that they be installed with an air independent propulsion system, which would allow for up two weeks submerged operations in the Arctic.

But the refit program for the current submarine fleet has been fraught with delays. A couple of weeks ago, the navy revealed that the upgrades on HMCS Victoria will take almost a year longer than expected.

In addition, the navy last year put off upgrading and repairing fire damage aboard HMCS Chicoutimi until 2010. On its maiden voyage to Canada in October 2004, an electrical fire crippled the boat and left Lieut. Chris Saunders dead.

Almost from the beginning, the $897-million program to buy the 1980s-vintage, mothballed diesel electric boats from the Royal Navy faced intense public scrutiny - especially after a series of mechanical glitches that included leaks, hull dents and rust. Through it all, the Canadian navy has been steadfast, defending the boats as necessary piece of the country's maritime defence strategy.

But getting the submarines up to snuff has been chewing up the largest chunk of the navy's maintenance budget, according to reports released under access to information. And each of the boats will require a mid-life refit in order to keep them operating into the 2025 time frame - a project that was estimated in 2005 to be worth an additional $865 million.

Defence sources said there are questions now about whether the Conservatives are preparing to cut the government's losses and replace the troubled boats sooner, operating the Victoria-class until a new breed of conventional submarine can be acquired.

"You've got wonder to what's going on, especially with all of the emphasis on the Arctic," said one senior source who asked not to be identified.

Defence expert Ken Bowring, a former naval engineer, said it's clear the government is on a fact-finding mission, but it remains to be seen what comes out of it.

"The navy is working hard to get the Victoria-class operational because they've got the boats, they want to do something with them," Bowring, who is a vice-president with the Navy League of Canada.

Liberal Senator Colin Kenny, head of the Senate security and defence committee, said the order time for new submarines is extensive and looking at possible replacement now would make sense.

"I can't see the Victoria submarines being with us for more than a decade," he said. "As long as they maintain this vital capability."

A possible replacement for the troubled British-built boats might be found in Germany. That country has developed a booming export business for its Type 214-Class boats.

South Korea and Greece recently lined up to buy the vessels, which are based on the proven Type 212 design - a boat that is powered by an air independent propulsion system much the same as engineers recommended for the Victoria class