Turkey Conducted Anadolu Yıldızı Serach And Rescue Exercise

18 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

egede_tatbikat_43772_550_300

AS 532AL Cougar helicopter of Turkish Air Force hoists the rescue swimmer and the simulated victim out of the water

Today the Turkish Navy also conducted a search and rescue exercise, in the international waters and airspace between Lesbos and Chios in the Aegean.

According to AA news agency the F-245 TCG Oruçreis  frigate, one corvette, two patrol boats, two coasts guard vessels and numerous air units have participated in the exercise. On board of TCG Oruçreis were 40 military attaches from 22 nations as observers.

The land part of the exercise will be conducted on 19 April 2013.

Here is the Google translation of a news article about the exercise.

Land Forces Command and Control Division Director Colonel Ramadan, Erdogan administration within the framework of the host’s House briefing Press Information Center, which serve as search and rescue activities in a race against time, must have good organization and staff, he said.

Erdogan, “the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), the Presidency of the Turkish General Staff in search and rescue co-ordination center, which is formed on the search and rescue search and rescue search and rescue co-ordination centers and rescue all kinds of associations working in the organization to respond to the request has a 24-hour,” he said.

Turkey Since 2006, satellite-assisted search and rescue system

(COSPAS-SARSAT) Pointing out that the country of the service provider Erdogan, the Turkish Armed Forces search and rescue elements, Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Ministry Main Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (AECC) to do the exercise with the participation of the Turkish search and rescue region, including the Aegean Sea on Thursday, April 18 international waters and airspace between Lesbos and Chios Islands, to be held on April 19 in the Smoky Mountain town of Izmir Menemen said.

And here is a link to a good video of the exercise: http://www.aa.com.tr/tr/mod/video-galerisi/955864/anadolu-yildizi-tatbikati

Filed under Aegean, Exercise, Turkey Tagged with , , ,

The Situation In The Eastern Mediterranean (Part 8)

18 Apr 2013 4 Comments

D-615 FS jean Bart with a Cypriot helicopter. From last years exercise. Photo: Cypriot Defence Ministry

D-615 FS Jean Bart with a Cypriot helicopter. From last years exercise. Photo: Cypriot Defence Ministry

The Russian ship movements have stolen the show from the actions in Eastern Mediterranean. So it is time again to focus to that region.

Today between 9.00 and 13:00 the French Navy conducted a search and rescue exercise with Cyprus. The Cassard class, destroyer D-615 FS Jean Bart took part in the exercise. From Cyprus two AW -139 helicopters of the National Guard and the Police as well as a Navy vessel and a patrol boat have taken part, including the medical unit of the Larnaca Civil Defence rescue team, according to Farmagusta Gazette.

The French destroyer is scheduled to conduct a port visit in Novorossiysk from 23 to 26 April. Thus I believe she is heading north as you are reading this post.

I didn’t realized that Jean Bart went through a modernization process similar to Turkish MEKO 200 class frigates. The original French radar DRBJ 11B was replaced by 3D Smart-S Mk2.

Next week there will be another search and rescue exercise roughly in the same area.

The Ministry of Defense in Cyprus announced that in the context of the cooperation between the Republic of Cyprus and the State of Israel in matters of search and rescue within the Exclusive Economic Zone and the areas of responsibility for search and rescue of the two countries, a joint search and rescue exercise will take place on April 23.

The exercise will be carried out in a marine area southwest of the Cypriot city of Limassol.

On the Cypriot side, patrol vessels of the Cyprus Port and Marine Police and of the Cyprus Navy, search and rescue helicopters of the Police and the Aviation of Cyprus, as well as the Medical Rescue Teams of the Cyprus Civil Defense and of the Medical and Nursing Services will participate in the exercise.

On the side of Israel, five ships of the Israeli Navy will participate in the exercise.

The exercise has been planned by a joint design team and is coordinated by the Search and Rescue Center in Larnaca, in cooperation with its counterpart in Haifa

I am glad to see that despite the recent economical troubles,  Cyprus can find  the needed resources to conduct these exercises. 

Filed under Cyprus, Exercise, Mediterranean Tagged with ,

TCG Alanya Takes Part In Spanish Minex-13

16 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

M-266 TCG Amasra. She is identical to TCG Alanya taking part in Minex '13 in Spain.

M-266 TCG Amasra. She is identical to TCG Alanya taking part in Minex ’13 in Spain.

A large mine warfare exercise organised by Spanish Navy has started off the coast of Cartagena and Alicante.

The ‘Spanish Minex-13′ is an advanced exercise Naval War Mine Action organized annually by the Spanish Armada in order to implement common procedures for defense against the threat of naval mines.

Among the participants to this exercise are NATO’s SNMCMG-2 and EU’s Euromarfor, along with many units from Spanish Armada.

The exercise will last till 26th April 2013. Turkish Aydın class mine hunter TCG Alanya is taking part in this exercise as a member of SNMCMG-2.

The exercise is led by the Commander of the Force Mine Action, Captain Juan Jose Fernandez Garcia, who will command the more than 500 soldiers of the Spanish Armada and France, Turkey and United Kingdom.

…

The mines used in the ‘Spanish Minex-13′ are simulated submarine artifacts completely harmless and safe for the environment, which will be collected at the end of exercise. As usual in this type of maneuver, it will take the opportunity to make a clean seabed area exercises.

This is the list of participating naval units to this exercise. More info is always welcomed.

S-71 SPS Galerna Submarine Spain
P-77 SPS Infanta Cristina Frigate Spain
P-81 SPS Torella Patrol craft Spain
P-82 SPS Formentor Patrol craft Spain
M-31 SPS Segura Mine hunter Spain
M-32 SPS Sella Mine hunter Spain
M-35 SPS Duero Mine hunter Spain
M-36 SPS Tajo Mine hunter Spain
A-101M-31 SPS Mar Caribe Logistic support ship Spain
M-653 FS Capricorne Mine hunter France
M-31 HMS Cattistock Mine hunter UK
M-265 TCG Alanya Mine hunter Turkey

Filed under Exercise Tagged with , , , , , ,

TCG Gökova Will Participate to AMAN 2013 Naval Exerise

2 Mar 2013 Leave a comment

According to Turkish Navy, Turkish frigate F-496 TCG Gökova will participate to AMAN-2013 naval exercise between 4th and 8th March 2013.

The AMAN is a biannual naval exercise organised by Pakistan Navy. The exercise is usually conducted in North Arabian Sea. The aim of the exercise is:

  • Display of united resolve against terrorism and crimes in maritime domain.
  •  Contributing towards regional peace and stability.
  • Enhancing interoperability between regional and extra regional navies thereby acting as a bridge between the regions.

Various units and observers from USA, Australia, UAE, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, UK, Italy, Japan, Malaysia and Sri Lanka will take part in the AMAN 2013 too. Currently TCG Gökova is attached to NATO’s SNMG-2 naval task force which conducts anti piracy operations on Gulf of Aden.

Filed under Exercise Tagged with , , , , ,

More On Proud Manta 2013

27 Feb 2013 3 Comments

I have found a long video from the Media Day of the Proud Manta 2013 via SatSicilia.

I must tell you that I have found the submarine just behind the admirals, in the first part of the video especially admirable.

Proud Manta News Conference 2013

Filed under Exercise Tagged with , , ,

Proud Manta 2013 Has Started

25 Feb 2013 2 Comments

S3XX_3One again the time of the year has come when dozens of ships, submarines,planes and robots meet and play hide and seek two weeks long.

Yes, NATO’s largest anti submarine warfare exercise Proud Manta 13 (POMA 13) has started. It will end on 8th March 2013.

According to NATO the aim of the exercise is to enhance the operational proficiency and interoperability of the participating forces across a broad spectrum of potential tasks, roles and missions of the NATO Response Force (NRF). The exercise also provides a challenging operational environment to test new doctrine, tactics; and equipment.

When I started to search through the internet to find more information about the exercise and the participants I was shocked from the lack of information. NATO used to prepare webpages dedicated to this large exercise. This year there is surprisingly sparse information available on various NATO Command Centers’ webpages.

Was NATO staying loyal to the motto silent service and hiding about its submarine exercise? No. The restructuring of the military structure created a no-mans zone in PR so neither the outgoing Allied Maritime Command Naples nor the incoming Allied Maritime Command in Northwood prepared anything about POMA 13.

Thank God there are people who know about this NATO exercise more than NATO shares: The Russians. On a Russian web forum where radio enthusiast meet I was able to find more information about POMA 13 than on official webpages of various NATO Commands. Thank you Comrades!

Here is the list of participants according to Russians:

Surface Ships
A-607 FS Meuse Replenishment Tanker France
D-643 FS Jean De Vienne Destroyer France
F-210 FGS Emden Frigate Germany
F-221 FGS Hessen Frigate Germany
F-260 FGS Braunschweig Corvette Germany
A-1442 FGS Speessart Tender Germany
F-263 FGS Oldenburg Corvette Germany
A-5366 ITS Levanzo Tender Italy
D-560 ITS De La Penne Destroyer Italy
A-1456 Alliance Research Ship NATO
DGG-52 USS Barry Destroyer USA
Submarines
S-356 TCG Anafartalar Type 209 /1400 Turkey
S-119 NS Pontos Type 209/1200 Greece
S-527 ITS Sciré Type 212A Italy
S-71 SPS Galerna Agosta S70 Spain

The following air assets will take part in the exercise too: 2 CP-140 Aurora from Canada, 2 Atlantic Mk2 from France, 1 Atlantic from Italy, 1 P-3C Orion from Germany, 1 P-3C Orion from Norway, 2 P-3C Orion from USA, 2 EH-101 Merlin from Italy an 3 EH-101 Merlin from UK.

Filed under Exercise Tagged with , , ,

Update On Nusret 12 And Mavi Balina 12 Exercises

10 Nov 2012 Leave a comment

The Mavi Balina 12 anti submarine warfare and Nusret 12 mine warfare exercises are continuing. The former is conducted in Eastern Mediterranean while the later is in Aegean Sea. My list of the order of battle for both exercises is still incomplete but I was able to get some help.

First I have received this photo. I thank my reader Mr Yıldırım for this photo.

A the superstructure of a sixth warship is visible at the right part of the photo. I am not able to tell exactly ship that is but I am confident that she is one of the two Rhein class tenders / training ships of the Turkish Navy A-577 TCG Sokullu Mehmet Paşa or A-579 TCG Cezayirli Hasan Paşa. TCG Sokullu Mehmet Paşa acted as the flagship of SNMCMG-2 earlier this year when the Turkish Navy was commanding the task force.

 Number Name Type Country
M-500 TCG Foça Mine Sweeper Turkey
M-501 TCG Fethiye Mine Sweeper Turkey
M-516 TCG Sığacık Mine Sweeper Turkey
M-1064 FGS Grömitz Mine Hunter Germany
M-5559 ITS Viareggo Mine Hunter Italy
M-111 HMS Blyth Mine Hunter UK
M-276 TCG Ayvalık Mine Hunter Turkey
A-57X TCG Unidentified Tender Turkey
M-61 HS Evniki Mine Hunter Greece

Second I have received this comment. I thank my reader Herr Leif for this information.

 Number Name Type Country
F-217 FGS Bayern Frigate Germany
F-570 ITS Maestrale Frigate Italy
F-495 TCG Gediz Frigate Turkey
DDG-98 USS Forrest Sherman Destroyer USA
F-252 PNS Shamsheer Frigate Pakistan
F-244  TCG Barbaros Frigate Turkey
Unidentified Turkey
Unidentified Turkey
S- Unidentified Submarine Turkey
S- Unidentified Submarine Turkey
S- Unidentified Submarine Turkey

Filed under Exercise, Turkey Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , ,

About Nusret 12 And Mavi Balina 12 Exercises

7 Nov 2012 3 Comments

Turkish Navy is conducting two naval exercises simultaneously. One is Nusret 2012 mine warfare exercise is held in the Aegean with the participation of NATO’s SNMCMG-2 and Turkish, Greek and US naval units. Below is the order of battle for this exercise as far as I could find.

 Number Name Type Country
M-500 TCG Foça Mine Sweeper Turkey
M-501 TCG Fethiye Mine Sweeper Turkey
M-516 TCG Sığacık Mine Sweeper Turkey
M-1064 FGS Grömitz Mine Hunter Germany
M-5559 ITS Viareggo Mine Hunter Italy
M-111 HMS Blyth Mine Hunter UK
M-276 TCG Ayvalık Mine Hunter Turkey
Unidentified USA
M-61 HS Evniki Mine Hunter Greece

The second naval exercise Mavi Balina 2012 is held in Eastern Mediterranean with the participation of NATO’s SNMG-2, Pakistani, US and Turkish naval units and airplanes. According to Turkish Navy the total number of participants is 8 surface units and 3 submarines. Below is the order of battle for this exercise as far as I could find.

 Number Name Type Country
F-217 FGS Bayern Frigate Germany
F-570 ITS Maestrale Frigate Italy
F-495 TCG Gediz Frigate Turkey
DDG-98 USS Forrest Sherman Destroyer USA
F-252 PNS Shamsheer Frigate Pakistan
Unidentified Turkey
Unidentified Turkey
Unidentified Turkey
S- Unidentified Submarine Turkey
S- Unidentified Submarine Turkey
S- Unidentified Submarine Turkey

Filed under Exercise, Turkey Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Pakistani Warship Will Take Part In Turkish Naval Exercise Mavi Balina 12

4 Nov 2012 2 Comments

Tomorrow Turkish and Pakistani navies will start a joint naval exercise off the coast of Turkey. The exercise called Mavi Balina 12 will start on 5th November and will end on 14th.

Pakistan Navy ship “PNS Shamsheer” will be visiting Aksaz Naval Base Marmaris and Antalya harbour from 5 to 14 November and will participate in joint exercise “Mavi Baline-12” with the Turkish Navy.

 Pakistan Navy P3C-Orion aircraft will also participate in the exercise from Dalaman,said a statement received here Saturday from Ankara.

 The ship will stay at Aksaz Naval Base from 5-8 November and at Antalya from 12-14 November. The vessel is a multi-mission frigate and embarks a Z9EC helicopter.

 PNS Shamsheer is the second ship of SWORD Class Frigates and forms mainstay of Pakistan Navy surface combatants. Installation of state of the art weapons and sensors onboard makes her an extremely versatile warship with tremendous firepower to effectively thwart possible threats at sea.

Mavi Balina exercise is fast transforming into an important regional forum to promote Collaborative Maritime Security and interoperability.

The presence of a number of major navies and various senior delegations from important countries is indicative of the fact that Mavi Balina is evolving into a common forum for both Western and Eastern nations, to share, discuss and propose solutions for Collaborative Maritime Security which is one of the critical contemporary maritime challenges.

PNS Shamsheer participation in this exercise will further strengthen existing bilateral relations.

 

PNS Shamsher is the second ship of the Chines build Zulfiquar F-22P class frigates in Pakistani Navy. I don’t know whether the participating Pakistani P-3C Orion ASW plane is one of the survivors of the attack on PNS Mehran base in 2011 or one of the new ones USA has given to Pakistan in 2012.

H/T: Dave Shirlaw from Sea Waves.

Filed under Exercise, Turkey Tagged with , , ,

Turkish Landing Ship Will Participate In Naval Exericse As A Sales Representative

6 Oct 2012 2 Comments

Ç-151 TCG Ç-151 leaving her home port. Photo: ADIK

According to the ADİK shipyard’s web site the first ship of the New LCT class Ç-151 will participate to the joint Turkish-Egyptian naval exercise Sea of Friendship (Bahr El Sadaka).

In 2007, Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (UDI), submitted a Request for Proposal for 8 LCT’s. These new vessels were to be built in Turkey and had to be fast. From the four companies that submitted to the tender, ADİK shipyard was chosen. On June 2009, a contract was signed between UDI and ADİK for the production of the ships. The exact value of the contract was not made public but it is estimated to be around 100 million EUR. The production was completed right on time after 37 months.

I must confess that when I first read the Turkish Navy’s announcement about this exercise I was a surprised that 2 landing ships were among the participating units. I thought that these ships would be lager LST as the offer more accommodation and more comfort both for their crew and their passengers on a deployment to Egypt  The LCT are constructed for action on nearer shores with shorter deployment distances.

My curiosity increased as I read about the deployment of Ç-151 for this exercise as it is not very common that Turkish Navy sends LCT type landing craft to overseas exercises. The LCT are reserved  for national use. This is why they have the Turkish letter “Ç” in their pennant numbers whereas all other Turkish Naval ships have the standard NATO letters.

But my curiosity was resolved in a short time. Again according to ADİK website the company is in discussion with Egyptian Navy to supply LCT and LST for this country and the representatives of ADİK shipyard attended a  meeting of the Egyptian president Mr. Mursi in early October when he was in Ankara.

Thus the deployment of the ADİK build Ç-151 is not just a naval excursion but a sales trip as well.

Filed under Exercise Tagged with , , , , , ,

← Older posts

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 468 other followers

%d bloggers like this: