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BNS Bangabandhu

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History
Bangladesh
NameBNS Bangabandhu
Ordered1998
BuilderDaewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, Republic of Korea
Laid down11 March 1998
Launched29 August 2000
Commissioned20 June 2001
Decommissioned13 February 2002
ReclassifiedReduced to the reserve on 13 February 2002
NameBNS Khalid Bin Walid
Recommissioned13 July 2007
RenamedBNS Bangabandhu in 2009
HomeportChittagong
IdentificationPennant number: F-25
Nickname(s)BNS BB
StatusIn active service
General characteristics
Class and typeTemplate:Sclass-
Displacement2400-2500 tones
Length103.7 m (340 ft)
Beam12.5 m (41 ft)
Draught3.8 m (12 ft)
PropulsionCODAD: 4 SEMT-Pielstick 12V PA6V280 STC diesels; 22,501 hp (16.779 MW) sustained; 2 × shafts
Speed25 knots (46 km/h)
Range4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km)
Complement186 (16 officers)
Sensors and
processing systems
  • DA08 (SPQ-501/RAWS03) E/F band (S-band) air search radar
  • Kelvin Hughes 1007 I-band navigation radar
  • LIROD Mk 2 K-band TWT fire control radar
  • VARIANT surface search radar
  • MIRADOR optical surveillance and tracking system
  • Type 345 fire control radar (for FM-90)
  • ASO-90/ DSQS-21 Mod Sonar
  • Link Y Mk2 communication
Electronic warfare
& decoys
  • ESM:Racal Cutlass 242; intercept
  • ECM:Racal Scorpion 2; jammer
  • Decoy: 2 x 15-tube SLQ-261 torpedo acoustic countermeasures
Armament
Aircraft carried1 × Hangar, 1 ×AgustaWestland AW109 SAR Helicopter

BNS Bangabandhu (Bangla:বানৌজা বঙ্গবন্ধু) is a guided missile frigate of the Bangladesh Navy, and is one of the most modern currently in service. She is currently moored at Chittagong, serving with the Commodore Commanding BN Flotilla (COMBAN). About 200 personnel serve aboard her. This frigate type is said to the most modern frigate of its class according to the Bangladesh Navy.

Career

Named after Bangladesh's founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who is popularly termed as Bangabandhu, the frigate is capable of serving in a combat role, as well as performing peacetime maritime duties. She was laid down on 11 March 1998 at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, Republic of Korea, and commissioned on 20 June 2001 as BNS Bangabandhu.

Later, the ship was decommissioned for various warranty repair works and placed in reserve class-III as DW 2000-H frigate on 13 February 2002. In 2007 she was commissioned again as BNS Khalid Bin Walid. Later on in 2009 she was renamed as BNS Bangabandhu.

The ship participated in Exercise Ferocious Falcon, a Multinational Crisis Management Exercise, held at Doha, Qatar in November 2012. While transiting to the exercise, the frigate visited the port of Kochi, India.[1] The ship took part in Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training(CARAT), an annual bilateral exercise with United States Navy, from 2011 to 2015.[2]

On 29 August 2013, the ship received the National Standard.[3] Until then Bangabandhu was serving as the flagship of the Bangladesh Navy.

In 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, a 777-200ER gone missing while in flight. Due to the possibility of finding the wreckage in the Bay of Bengal, Bangabandhu, along with the frigate Umar Farooq, joined the search operation in the region.[4]

BNS Bangabandhu (F-25) at CARAT 2012

On 31 May 2016, she started for Colombo, Sri Lanka with 150 tonnes of relief for the victims of the floods and landslides caused by Cyclone Roanu. The relief included lifesaving drugs, water purifying machines, pure drinking water, tents, food items and generators. She will also join the rescue efforts there.[5]

Design

Armament

This vessel is said to be the most modern frigate of its class according to official statistics. It is equipped with some of the most advanced systems available; the Otomat Mk.II anti-ship missiles on board the vessel are an advanced and highly capable missile system with a range of over 180 kilometres (110 mi); with mid-course update from suitably equipped helicopters, aircraft or surface platforms these anti-ship missiles can change course mid-flight and the warship does not need to be repositioned to fire at the target (unlike other anti-ship missiles). In June 17, 2013 during the annual exercise "Sea Thunder 2013", BNS Bangabandhu successfully fired an Otomat missile for the first time. The frigate will be upgraded with the addition of another quad Otomat anti-ship missile launcher. Additionally the vessel is armed with sophisticated point-defence surface-to-air missile (SAM) system in the form of 8 FM-90N SAMs (15 kilometres (9.3 mi) range) and 4 Otobreda 40 mm/70 compact CIWS in two twin mounts. The vessel is also armed with 6 324 mm B-515 tubes in two triple mounts which fire the EuroTorp Whitehead A244/S Mod.3 torpedoes. All of these weapons systems together with the one Otobreda 76 mm/62 Super Rapid gun give the vessel extensive combat capability.

The AgustaWestland AW109 Power naval helicopter on board can be used for Search and Rescue (SAR) purpose.

Electronic warfare

This frigate is equipped with sensors and ESM provided by Thales Netherland. The combat management system of the ship is Thales TACTICOS.[6]

Mission

The primary role of this ship is the defence and surveillance of the country’s exclusive economic zone. She also carries out various constabulary tasks within Bangladesh’s maritime boundary against maritime terrorism, environmental pollution, smuggling and can also be deployed for search and rescue operations when necessary.

See also

References and notes

  1. ^ "BNS Bangabandhu berths at Kochi". The Hindu. 5 November 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  2. ^ "US-Bangla jt exercise begins today". Independentbd.com. 30 September 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  3. ^ "PM confers National Standard to BNS Bangabandhu". NewsWorld365.com. 29 August 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  4. ^ "Bangladesh sends 2 navy ships to verify MH370 wreckage claim". The Daily Star. 2 May 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  5. ^ "Bangladesh Navy's ship starts for Sri Lanka with more aid for flood victims". bdnews24.com. 31 May 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  6. ^ [1]