Just recently Burma Navy had
a grand launching ceremony of many new war ships. What sort of war ships were
there in the ceremony is still not clear but most probable ones were reconditioned-frigates
purchased from People Republic of China.
Most exciting news is that
some new warships in the launching ceremony were the new stealth corvettes
manufactured in the Burma Navy’s own dockyard in Rangoon.
Even though all the new
ships are equipped with modern weapon systems the exact type of weapon systems,
whether Chinese or Indian or Russian made, installed in the new stealth
corvettes is still unknown.
When the Burma Navy first
produced Missile-class FACs (Fast Attack Crafts) the early FACs were mainly
equipped with Chinese weapon systems, but later FACs were equipped with India
weapon systems.
The facts that the 5-series
FACs after the 558 were equipped with Russian-made BMP-2 heavy guns from India,
the Russian-made modern Kh-35E anti-ship-guided-missiles installed on the new F-11
Aung-ze-ya Frigate, and also the new radar systems from India are the examples of
how extensive and modern the warship-building by Burma Navy has become in
recent years.
(Grand launching ceremony for new frigates Maha Bandoola & Others.)
The Stealth Corvettes
At present there are two
types of stealth corvette in Burma Navy. 49 meter long ones and 79 meter ones. The
corvettes are said to be built with substantial technical assistance from a
friendly regional nation.
The 49 m corvettes are equipped
with one AK-630 mini-guns, two ZPU-2 anti-aircraft cannons, C-802 or 803
anti-ship-guided-missiles, and anti-aircraft missiles.
A 49 m Stealth Corvette. |
Newly-built Stealth Corvett 491 without weapon and radar systems. |