Publication: The Star
Issued:
Date: 2006-02-17
Reporter: Sapa
Reporter:
Reporter:
|
First of SA's Corvettes Now Ready to Take to Seas |
The
"godmother" of South Africa's first commissioned patrol corvette, first lady
Zanele Mbeki, attended the official handover *1 of
the SAS Amatola, four years after she named and launched it in
Germany.
"I do not remember when I have been so proud
of my country and its youth," she wrote in the ship's visitors'
book.
In a combined ceremony in Simon's Town yesterday, the European
South Africa Corvette Consortium handed the Amatola over to the South African
government, and it was then commissioned into the South African Navy.
The
fully operational vessel, among the most advanced warships
in the world, is one of four such frigates which have been delivered to
the country as part of the government's multibillion-rand arms
package.
Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota said during the military parade:
"The corvettes will be critical in ensuring that for many years to come the navy
will be able to provide stability, peace and security of both the Indian and
Atlantic ocean coastlines of South Africa, Southern Africa and further
afield."
He said afterwards that eventually commissioning the vessel
after the controversy spawned by the arms deal was "worth it".
"Clearly,
you know, we've reached a point at which we are now seeing the outcomes of the
arms procurement. It's all systems go - the nation has achieved this," Lekota
said.
The patrol corvettes will be complemented by two *2 German-built submarines, the first of which is
scheduled to arrive in April, and strike craft and inshore patrol vessels as
part of a comprehensive strategic defence capability.
"Maritime defence
capability is essential to our role as a global player, fully prepared for any
threats to the international sea routes around us," Lekota said.
His
audience included Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin and most of the top
brass from all the defence services, such as SANDF chief General *2 Godfrey Ngwenya and the navy chief, Vice-Admiral
Refilo Mudimo.
Mudimo charged the vessel's captain, David Guy Jamieson,
with the ship's commission and handed over a traditional symbol of command, a
brass telescope, before Jamieson was piped aboard his command.
Earlier,
at a media briefing, the project director for the corvettes, Rear Admiral
(junior grade) Johnny Kamerman, said it had not been all
plain sailing *3.
He mentioned a nine-month delay, caused by the
installation of inadequate cables in Germany
*4.
Kamerman said that, nevertheless, the project had succeeded
beyond the most ambitious hopes, with 75% of the
combat-suite design built (sic) *5 by local
companies.
The combat system is mostly South African designed, with local
involvement in key areas of the combat management system,
communications, electronic warfare, radar, and missile and gun systems
6.
The platforms, consisting primarily of a hull and machinery,
were manufactured in Germany, with the vessels to be fitted out and made
combat-ready in South Africa.
The Amatola's overall length is 121m, it
has a displacement of 3 600 tons, and is powered by a unique combined diesel and gas turbine with horizontal
exhausts.
Featuring a "stealth" design, it has a top speed of 30 knots, a
range at cruising speed of about 8 000 miles and a crew of 107.
With acknowledgements to Sapa and The Star.
Having attended the Handing Over Ceremony and
Commissioning parade in Simon's Town as a guest of the SA Navy, I can say that
this was indeed a proud and moving occasion for the SA Navy and indeed the SA
Nation.
Spoilt only by being told by an ADS manager that I "must have a
thick skin" to be attending.
Me thinks this a bit rich coming from a
company whose (then) chief executive officer is representing two of its juristic
shareholders on criminal charges of corruption in a trial starting in just 150
days' time. And this charming gallic man was also there as a VIP guest with his
wife, having lunch at taxpayers' expense in Admiralty House with Ministers of
State, Flag Officers, Generals and First Lady of the Realm.
Meantime
another (ex) director of said company and CEO of other juristic shareholder is
out on bail requesting leave to appeal from the Supreme Court of Appeals 15
years of incarceration on conviction of corruption charges directly related to
ADS's award of the combat suite contract and their other gallic shareholder's
bribery of a deputy president.
*2 Two unless they
sold one while we weren't paying attention.
*3 It
was announced that there is an Outstanding Defect List which is believed to be
not insubstantial.
*4 Made under licence from a
French company by a South African company in Pinetown, South Africa, but without
proper manufacturing or product quality control.
This little problem
probably cost some R100 million to rectify.
And this is what they called
Defence Industrial Participation (DIP).
*5 What
does design built mean?
In reality, the combat suite was re-designed by
the charming gauls to be compatible with their Tavitac Combat Management System,
Thomson-CSF Detexis Diacerto combat system data bus, MRR multi-role radar,
Exocet MM40 surface-to-surface missile, TMS hullmount sonar, FOCON-32
communication system and Thomson-CSF identify-friend-or-foe
interrogator.
The 76 mm main gun weapon was built by Oto Melara of Italy
and the 20 mm by some other European company. In any case these equipments were
uplifted from the strike craft.
The balance of the sub-systems were
designed and built by South African companies.
The 75% local content
needs one serious audit by the Auditor-General (if we can trust
him).
*6 The Truth
combat
management system - actually mainly the Trench Tavitac
system, with local modification by ADS, owned 60& of Thomson-CSF, 20% by
Nkobi Holdings and 20% by Futuristic Business Solutions (Pty) Ltd (or FBS
Holdings (Pty) Ltd))
communications - relatively trivial with some foreign procured radios, internal
comms system is from Thomson-CSF Signaal of Holland but 99% owned by Thomson-CSF
of France
electronic warfare - indeed South African from Avitronics, now half-owned by Saab
of Sweden
radar - only the tracking radar by Reutech
Radar Systems, 35% owned by EADS of Europ (and of of Yengeni
fame)
missile - only the surface-to-air missile by Denel Kentron,
surface-to-surface missile by Aerospatiale of France, part owned by
Thomson-CSF
gun systems - only the 35 mm dual purpose gun by
Denel LIW, other guns from SAN inventory
Let the truth be
told.
Roll out those men in grey suits carrying clipboards and
bayonets.