Militaries See Need for More Naval Muscle

ABU DHABI — Increased threat of maritime conflict involving Arabian Gulf nations has heightened concern among regional navies, which helped spur including the recent formation of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) maritime security force.

Threats to the regional waters over the past year have extended from the Strait of Hormuz further south to the Bab Al Mandab gateway in Yemen and further north to the Red Sea, according to GCC Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Abdel Latif Al Zayani.

Maj. Gen. Ahmed Yousif Al-Mulla, assistant to the Kuwaiti defense minister, announced in November announced in Doha in last November the formation of a GCC naval force, a move that was approved in December at athe GCC summit. in Doha.

The new force is expected to be formed in the "coming months," Major General Al-Mulla said in November. The size of the force will depend on the "level of external threats for gulf marine security," he said, was quoted by AFP as saying​ according to AFP.

According to ​Ahmed Al-Attar, assistant director for defense and security at the Delma Institute in Abu Dhabi, said the force is expected to focus on mainly conduct naval interdiction missions, stopping illegal drugs and weapons shipment.

A naval procurement drive in the region has been underway across the region, with the Royal Saudi Naval Forces looking in to purchase Lockheed Martin's littoral combat ship and General Dynamics' DDG-51 Arleigh Burke destroyer.

Saudi Arabia has been in negotiations with the US to upgrade its the Royal Saudi Navy's Eastern Fleet, composed of aging American-built ships, as part of the Saudi naval expansion program for more than seven years.

In December, last year the Royal Saudi Naval Forces purchased from Lockheed Martin an undisclosed number of MK 41 vertical launching system (VLS) electronic and mechanical modules and equipment for at a cost of $235 million.

The MK 41 VLS provides a missile launching system for CG 47 and DDG 51 class surface combatants, surface combatants of allied navies, and Aegis Ashore requirements for the US Missile Defense Agency's Ground ballistic missile defense program.

Regionally, states are also seeking to develop indigenous shipbuilding capabilities and have established developed advanced maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) capabilities to service their navies.

Within the GCC, the UAE has become , over the past five years, the leading hub for naval MRO. and is looking to provide solutions to the neighbouring countries.

Two of the UAE's biggest players, Abu Dhabi Shipbuilding (ADSB) and Etihad Ship Building (ESB), continue to serve as major regional providers contribute to the UAE Navy's requirements as well as regional requirements ADSB currently is a leading provider of construction, repair and refit services for naval, military and commercial vessels.

Established in 1996, ADSB initially focused on naval repairs and refits and gradually expanded its expertise to include building sophisticated warships such as the Baynunah 70-meter corvette.

ADSB's flagship Baynunah-class corvettes were contracted in January 2004 as a new class of multipurpose missile corvette. Six boats have been contracted with two already delivered, the latest in February. this year.

With ADSB being the prime shipbuilder, Constructions Mecaniques de Normandie (CMN) of Cherbourg, France, which built the first of the class, is also a major a further major contractor in the region.

The main roles of the corvettes will provide are in patrol and surveillance, mine-laying, interception and other anti-surface warfare operations in the territorial waters and exclusive economic zone. They vessels​ are slated to be the largest steel-hulled vessels using water jets for propulsion.

In February 2013, ADSB signed contracts with the Kuwaiti Navy to supply of two 64-meter landing craft, one 42-meter landing craft and five 16-meter composite fast landing craft.

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri in 2010 established Etihad Ship Building (ESB), a joint venture with Al Fattan Shipyard and Melara Middle East. Last year, ESB the joint venture JV delivered two Falaj-class stealth offshore patrol vessels and an Abu Dhabi-class stealth corvette and isare looking to enter negotiations negations on more later in the year.

The Falaj class is based on the Italian Diciotti-class patrol vessels presently in used by with the Italian Coast Guard, making it a highly flexible and versatile vessel able enough to carry out a wide range of missions, from patrol and surveillance operations to over attacks against both targets at sea and on land in national and international scenarios, and including up to self-defense against threats from the air or surface.

The Abu Dhabi class is based on the design of the Italian Navy's four Commandante-class corvettes and is 88 meters long and displaces 1,650 tons. The corvette can reach a speed of 25 knots with a range of more than 3,000 nautical miles at 14 knots and will have a crew of about 70. The ship's Weapon systems include two 30mm Marlin weapons stations and a version of the super rapid 76mm naval gun.

According to Achille Fulfaro, ESB's Etihad's Building's general manager, plans are set to expand their presence in the gulf.

In 2013, the company has signed a contract with the Iraqi Navy as well​ for the maintenance of four patrol vessels at ESB.

ESB facilities in Abu Dhabi will serve as the base for services and production, but Fulfaro said his company is open to discussing operations for specific programs in other countries or using the ESB joint venture model. in the selected countries specific programs or joint ventures if it is a requirement and export the ESB joint venture model.

Al Marakeb, based in the Ras Al Khaimah emirate, has conducted successful demonstrations of its B-7 USVusb boats., UAE, based company Al Marakeb have successfully held its first official demonstrations of their B-7 usb boats.

According to the company's founder, Basel Shuhaiber, the boat comes in 1.5-meter, 3-threemeter and 7-sevenmeter variants and can be equipped for surveillance and combat operations.

Another firm, Abu Dhabi based-Al Seer Marine, has become internationally recognized for developing indigenous indegionous USVs.

The Sea Serpent is a 3three-meter, 320-kilogram vessel about the size of a large jet ski. It has a maximum speed of 50 knots and operates on one petrol engine.

Oscar, an 11-meter, 6,500-kilogram boat, runs on two 500-horsepower diesel engines with water jet propulsion. It and is used for security patrols and is equipped with computers, sensors and software to detect and pre-process data of critical importance

Bravo, the third boat in the fleet, is a rigid inflatable boat. (Rib). The Finnish-built Boomeranger has been fitted with the robotics and technology to operate as a remotely or and a ​piloted boat​ be operated remotely or by a pilot aboard.