Feature 5 | FRIGATES, CORVETTES, DESTROYERS


Myanmar’s corvette and frigate programmes progress


Myanmar’s navy, or Tatmadaw Yay, has been gradually building up a domestic warship construction capacity. Starting with small patrol craſt, naval shipyards in the country are now capable of building corvettes and light frigates.


craſt – in gun as well as missile-armed versions – at least three 77m Anawratha class corvettes and a 108m light frigate. Details of these ships are scant, but


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two of the vessels, Anawratha 771 and Bayintnaung 772 took part in MILAN multi-lateral exercises hosted by the Indian Navy, thus offering a glimpse of the otherwise reclusive naval force. The Anawratha class corvettes are


77m long with a beam of about 11.5m and a displacement of approximately 1088tonnes, although fully


loaded


displacement may be considerably higher. Initially built as gun-armed platforms


with two OTO Melara 76mm Super Rapid guns and two Type 58/ZPU-2 mounts with twin 14.5mm machineguns located amidships, at least two of the corvettes have been upgraded with four C-801/802 surface-to-surface missiles (SSMs), two five-barrelled RBU 1200 anti-submarine rocket launchers and what looks like a short range surface-to-air missile system with six missiles atop the bridge. Interestingly, the SSM launcher


arrangement varies within the class. On Anawratha, they are fitted on the flight deck whereas those on Bayintnaung are mounted one deck higher. Consequently, Anawratha has


a gun mount with


twin small-calibre guns – possibly Chinese 37mm – in place of the aſt Oto 76mm mount. Sensors on the 77m corvettes take


the form of three surface search radars including a Furuno navigation radar. A China Type 352C (NATO Square Tie) provides missile targeting data. An electro-optical device in a rectangular housing is also mounted atop the bridge.


Warship Technology January 2012 UMS Bayintnaung photographed in 2008 whilst participating in a multi-lateral exercise.


Electronic warfare equipment is not visible. Te installation of RBU launchers suggests that a sonar may be fitted to provide targeting data. Burmese sources suggest than plans call for a total of seven of these 77m corvettes.


Having gained experience with the


77m corvettes, Naval Dockyard Yangon (Rangoon), embarked on the design of a 108m vessel around 2007. It has been speculated that China, Chile’s ASMAR, Singapore, Israel and India may


ignificant new naval construction projects under way in the country include a class of 15 or so 45m patrol


Anawratha class corvettes are 77m long with a beam of about 11.5m and a displacement of approximately 1088tonnes.


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