HMS Tamar recently hosted a reception on behalf of the British High Commission in Chennai, India.
The reception celebrated the longstanding partnership between the United Kingdom and India and provided an opportunity to thank the Indian Navy for their warm hospitality.
The reception was attended by senior officials from the Indian Navy and the British High Commission, as well as representatives from various sectors of society. The event was held onboard HMS Tamar while it was docked in Chennai as part of its deployment to the region.
The two countries have strong ties in a range of areas, including defence, trade, education, and culture.
While alongsde #Chennai we hosted a reception on behalf of the British High Commission celebrating the partnership between our two nations. It was also a chance to thank the Indian Navy for their kindness in hosting us so well. 🇮🇳 🇬🇧 ⚓️ @UKDefenceIndia @UKinIndia pic.twitter.com/RkmpvKOFQY
— HMS Tamar (@hms_tamar) March 31, 2023
HMS Tamar is a Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessel that is part of the Royal Navy’s commitment to promoting peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. The ship’s deployment to the region is intended to reflect the UK’s commitment to working with partners in the region to address shared security challenges.
Better be careful India doesn’t hand it over to RFF they are on best-buddy terms
zero chance 🤦🏻♂️
Russia ain’t a buddy. It’s just having a lot of stuff and is selling it to India. There’s an easy way out for west here, just start giving options to India.
When India had options against Russian platforms, western items have been bought. Chinook vs Mi26 & Apache vs Mi28 are very recent examples. Boeing P8 replacing Tu142 & Il38 in Indian Navy is another ongoing project.
The only stuff India buys for Russia is because west doesn’t sell it to India. USA blocked Israeli sale of Arrow to India, leading to S400 purchase. And US/UK/France ain’t selling India a SSN, that’s where another big purchase from Russia is happening.
It’s demand & supply.
I’m a bit iffy about India, seems to be going the way of Turkey of becoming more authoritarian. I’m also getting sick of being spammed with Indian nationalism videos on my Instagram feed.
These river boats must be a sought after posting for single sailors. See the world, fancy dinners.
Do the rivers have better accommodation than the larger escorts?
T31 has better facilities than a River: for sure.
I would suggest the rivers have better accomodation at this moment in time as the T31s aren’t fitted out yet.
On a more serious note, the Rivers probably have better accomodation than the type 23s as they’re newer and modern.
Sri Lanka next stop, please!
It’s a pity that tamar is only a patrol boat.
Less than a patrol boat no offensive weapons a large cabin cruiser.
Doesn’t need any. I’d rather they had a SIGINT fit or an UAV.
For their role they’re fine.
Probably should be uparmed in due course, but perfectly capable of fulfilling current roles/missions. Presumably the Admiralty observes the same ominous clouds gathering on the horizon, and has plans in the unfunded que for upgrades. The essential point for general acknowledgement is that an OPV may be on patrol today, but if the situation warrants, a CSG and/or SSNs could materialize, as required.
I doubt it, these boats will be withdrawn back once the type 31s are up and running. In reality they are pure constabulary vessels, no more than a US medium endurance coast guard cutter…once the RN has its type 31s to forward base in the pacific/Middle East the rivers will be back to local waters ( fisheries etc) , North Atlantic ( chasing drug runners in the bahamas) and pottering around the south Atlantic
As soon as their is any sign of things getting hot the rivers will not be hanging around.
Depends who wins the next election tbh. Jon Healy has made it clear Labour will focus on North Atlantic, Artic and Europe.
We may find most of the fleet becomes based back here.
Ah, the elephant in the room, Labour’s policy concerning the “Pacific Tilt” which is overwhelmingly trade/treaty based.
RN wise 2 OPVs is not much to withdraw, unless they plan to end the RNs long standing commitment to the Gulf and now wider Indian Ocean, which has been in place since the 80s.
That would cause a few ruffled feathers amongst allies.
Yes the Middle Eastern commitments and resources is the important bit from a UK Geopolitical point of view…project into the pacific should really be something done as and when with a strong capability ( a carrier groups or amphibious groups) to prove ability to support allies.
Political parties do things not because they make sense just because its the opposite of the other party.
Its not just the withdrawal of 2 OPVs, it’s what does a force that will only need to deploy to the UKs doorstep look like?
This is what I’m worried about. Goodbye expeditionary capabilities as little Britain becomes a reality.
the Left may have the impression we are returning to east of suez gun boat diplomacy when saying pacific tilt. we have a bargain basement UK presence with the Rivers, loads of co-operation with willing countries combined with the blair / brown originated carriers mainly operating in the Atlantic but which adversaries and friendly countries will understand could be deployed anywhere.
Exactly. I fear how their brains think, as it’s not that at all.
The River presence is minuscule.
Healy referenced this “Pacific Tilt” in his talk and also of a larger army. If he thinks cutting/withdrawing 2 OPVs, a single Battalion with a few bits and pieces in Brueni that have been there for decades, the M East Kipion assets, and a few bases in Oman, will give a larger army, well he needs his head examining.
My fear is it’s all, as usual, ideological.
The Carriers, yes they will spend most fine with NATO, but can deploy further, which was the whole point of the QEC deployment.
I worry.
Yes that will be interesting. I’m not actually against the RN being focused as I’m not sure spreading the jam as thin as far as Johnson’s “Global Britain brand” was infact a good idea. Don’t get me wrong I don’t agree with a complete east of suez cutting of the far east…but probably having a Middle Eastern presence ( frigate and mine warfare ) is probably the most geologically important..with the odd larger flag showing carrier or amphibious groups into the pacific to show capability to support friends if needed.
The US have actually followed a policy of reducing its deployment to ensure increased readiness across its key resources.
But what does a Notth Atlantic EU posture look like. Do we need carriers? we can cover Europe and large parts of the Atlantic with land based aircraft and air to air refueling. Would not make sense to have large carriers just to patrol our doorstep.
On the middle east Healy specifically highlighted how US is withdrawing support for Saudis. Reading between the lines I’d say Labour look set to follow suit. So it could be a full withdrawal from the gulf.
the massive irony was the carriers were originally a shared plan with UK and France it was to be a european carrier venture. French pulled out and we tilted towards america for jets. we have them now and we should use them and being non nuclear other countries are possibly more willing to join the flotilla.
Less is actual,better…these ladies are cost effective constabulary vessels that don’t drain RN manning and cost…the minute you add sams and anti ship missiles the crew and costs go up and you may as well just have yourself another patrol frigate ( type 31).
But agree a UAV would be very effective for the primary role and as they are alway pottering around all over SIGINT would be a useful to have.
I agree, but adding a hangar would have given them more capabilities. Cost wise it wouldn’t have added much.
Dread to think where you must be living if cabin cruisers are routinely fitted with Bushmaster cannons, miniguns, and GPMGs…! 😳
I would suggest a 30mm bushmaster is actually an offensive weapon, as are 2 GPMs and 2 mini guns. I assure you if you tries to fit them to a cabin cruiser 1) it would fall apart the moment you tried to fire the bushmaster 2) someone would come along and arrest you.
they are constabulary vessels and have a weapons fit suitable to their constabulary role…they are by design and definition patrol boats.
if you look at examples of patrol, boats across the world you will find a similar weapons fit..30-57 mm gun with some secondary weapon systems. If you start loading anti ship missiles onto a vessel this size it becomes a different type of ship, such as a corvette..which is a short range vessel usually and ASuW vessel designed to attack other warships in the littoral…not patrol boat and do things like catch drug dealers, pirates answer check the nets of French fishing boats.
a medium ish gun, some other bits, space for a rib and boarding party = patrol boat
medium gun +anti ship missies = not a patrol boat but a warship such as a corvette.
I believe that an modified version of the River Class was built under licence by the Royal Thai Navy, HTMS Prachuap Khiri Khan and Krabi.
4 x RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles
1 × Oto Melara 76 mm gun
2 × 30mm MSI guns
2 × Machine guns
Yes but you have to remember what that means…
The RN rivers 1-2 are patrol boats with no real self defence apart from light guns… for constabulary work and will not be sent to an active war zone or be removed from a war zone
The Thai boat is a missile corvette with almost no self defence but is designed to carry 8 anti ship missiles into combat….think about what that means for that boat.it’s designed to be a sacrifice…do we want to send our sailors out in a war ship into a combat zone with literally no self defence.
rivers 2 also have twice the range which an RN patrol boat needs as well as spare crew space for marines as it will not be so crew heavy.
The are different boats for different purposes.
Better than that. An OPV.
Patrol boats are more Archer class.
I suspect the Ukraine war might open up weapon sales to India, as they must be having second thoughts about all the russian kit they histically brought, although they will probably buy US, due to local polictical issues going for UK ones.
The only major Russian deal currently facing severe delays are 3 billion USD for an Akula SSN lease. Untill UK is ready to sell SSNs to India, its a tough situation as Ministry of Finance, India has put a limitation of maximum 25% on the defence budget which can be used for imports.
No such thing as Chennai curry paste. It’s ‘Madras’ I tell you 😱.
Sell the River B2 design for licence build to India…and the T31 or have we “missed the boat” on that?
Tamar moved up from Chennai to Vizag. There it conducted an exercise with an OPV of Indian Navy. Pics available on twitter. You can see the OPVs side by side. That will answer your question.
Potential of cooperation exists on Gas Turbines for Ships though. Hopefully someone is looking at it. Without Ukrainian Zorya Turbines, it’s only GE in the Indian market now. Ripe oppertunity for RR.
The Batch 2’s are brilliant little ships. They have freed up the higher end escorts from all of the roles that they previously had to include in their stretched itineraries-anti-piracy, showing the flag, chasing drug runners etc.. They could do with some middle of the road upgrading-UAV as Daniele suggests. I found a very interesting 2019 article which outlines several possible upgrades for these Rivers ranging all the way up to Corvette status-will post the link
Cheers
One of the things I take issue with is that these platforms have freed up higher end escorts.
The T45s have had a shocking introduction into service with sometimes 1 – 2 available for deployment;
The T23s are knackered and down to 11, which means there will have been times where only 3 may have been available.
There was nothing to free up.
I hear what you say David but then those vital tasks as listed above would not have been carried out without the Batch 2’s. I also omitted the “Ëyes and Ears” role. As many have pointed out, for example when a Batch two monitors Russian front liners passing through the English Channel they are not there to engage them in battle but to let them know they are being watched and tracked
navylookout.com/enhancing-the-royal-navy-batch-ii-opvs/ From Navy Lookout site
I’ve read that piece before, it was very interesting indeed.
I thought many on here would have but worth a re-read 😊
Glad you are getting some flowers and birdsong-an English Country Garden is hard to beat
Cheers Daniele