Could Greece have a river navy?
Could Greece have a river navy? The Ukrainian example puts many in the “supermarket” equipment
As part of the Defense Department’s $400 million aid package United States which was announced that the Ukraine will receive an additional 40 armored river ships. These will be added to the 18 vessels already delivered to Kyiv in June.
The aid package did not detail the type of riverboats being sent, but six of the previous batch were built by Louisiana-based company Metal Shark. These are now reportedly operating in the Black Sea.
The 40-foot (12.2-meter) “40 Defiant” – built by Metal Shark in Franklin, Louisiana and known as the 40 PB – was selected by the US Navy in 2017 to replace its existing littoral vessels. force (CRF).
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The boats are powered by two Cummins QSB 6.7 diesel engines, driving two water jets, which make them reach speeds of up to 40 knots. Floating vessels can demonstrate excellent dynamic stability in the full range of operational environments. The boats’ welded aluminum monohull is equipped with ballistic protection to increase survivability in battle.
According to Metal Shark, “the 40 Defiant is designed to make projection far greater than that of a traditional boat. As such, the vessel has a superlative range of capabilities.
The available ballistic protection enables the vessel to withstand prolonged firefights, allowing crews to respond with overwhelming force to asymmetric threats such as swarm attacks, while remaining safe and protected from enemy fire.”
In service with the US Navy, the 40 PBs can be equipped with remote-controlled weapon stations, while Naval News reported that the Ukrainian service can use the crew – including twin M2 .50 Browning heavy machine guns, an automatic grenade launcher Mk .19 and a 7.56mm M240 medium machine gun. Each of the weapons could be quickly changed to other pedestal-mounted systems.
even if the Russia has a much more technically capable navy now operating in the region, Ukrainian forces have been able to prevent Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet from operating in coastal waters through anti-ship missile and drone threats.
It was in April that the Ukrainian military successfully used a pair of Neptune anti-ship missiles to hit the Black Sea Fleet flagship RTS Moskva.
Last month, Russian ships operating near the Crimean peninsula were attacked by unmanned surface and air drones, resulting in the damage of the RTS Admiral Makarov guided-missile frigate along with another ship.
Apart from all this, the question is one and clear: Could such vessels serve Greece?
Many consider that the depth of our own river areas is not suitable, others believe that such boats can have other uses. Are we going for new markets without study and plan?