Algerian National Navy

Algerian National Navy
Active	1962
Country	Algeria
Branch	Navy
Size	6000 personnel[1] 41 Ships[citation needed] 20 aircraft[citation needed]
Garrison/HQ	L'AMIRAUTE, Algiers
Anniversaries	February 2(Taking of the naval base of Mers-el-Kébir in 1967)
Commanders
Current commander	Malek Necib
Insignia
Naval Ensign
Naval Jack

The Algerian National Navy (Arabic: القوات البحرية الجزائرية‎) is the naval branch of the Military of Algeria. The navy operates from multiple bases along the country's nearly 1000 km coastline, fulfilling its primary role of monitoring and defending Algeria's territorial waters against all foreign military or economic intrusion. Additional missions include coast guard and maritime safety missions as well a projection of marine forces (fusillers marins). Algerian forces are a important player in the Western Mediterranean and are the largest African naval force in that sea zone.

As with other Algerian military branches, the navy was built and structured with assistance from the Soviet Union during the Cold War, but has also relied on other sources for equipment in some areas. Since the end of the Cold War, Russia has remained an important partner, but Algeria has increasingly sought additional sources for equipment as well as building its own shipbuilding capacity.

Bases

Principal naval bases are located at Algiers, Jijel, Annaba, Mers el Kébir and Tamentfoust^[1]. Mers el Kébir is home to the OMCN/CNE shipbuilding facilities where several Algerian vessels have been built^[2]. Algeria's naval academy at Tamentfoust provides officer training equivalent to that of the army and the air force academies. The navy also operates a technical training school for its personnel at Tamentfoust.

Equipment

The bulk of the Algerian Navy is still based on Cold War designs, although work is being done to both acquire new platforms as well as modernize existing equipment. The surface fleet is equipped with a mixture of smaller ships well suited to coastal and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) patrol work. The fleet is led by three Koni class frigates which have been updated with more modern systems. These are due to be augmented in the coming years by a pair of MEKO A-200 frigates which will represent the most modern equipment of the navy when they enter service. A mixture of six corvettes and off-shore patrol vessels complement the frigates, while a large number of smaller boats cover the role of coastal patrol. Algeria had maintained a relatively large fleet of Osa class fast attack craft by the end of the Cold War, but it is questionable whether any of these remain in operational use^[1][3].

Algeria has had a small submarine presence in the Mediterranean with a pair of Kilo class patrol submarines, though the recent acquisition of an additional two upgraded boats will expand this presence significantly. Their amphibious warfare capacity has traditionally been limited with a small group of landing ships essentially for coastal transport roles^[3]. This capacity will be greatly upgraded with the planned acquisition of an amphibious transport dock capable of supporting more robust operations. In the area of civil support, the purchase of sea-going rescue tugs will mark the first ability of an African nation to provide valuable services to economic and commercial operators in the Western Mediterranean^[4].

The Algerian military has long maintained a strong veil of secrecy over its organization and equipment, making an exact accounting of operational vessels difficult to ascertain. Open sources are known to vary widely in their reports of several aspects of Algerian equipment.

Surface combatants

Class	Photo	No.	Ship	Year[Note 1] Commissioned	Note
Frigates
MEKO A200				2015-2016	Under construction. [5][6][7]
				2015-2016	Under construction. [5][6][7]
Mourad Rais[3]		901	Mourad Rais	1980	Ex-Soviet SKR-482, re-fitted in 2011 at Kronshtadt[8][2]
		902	Rais Kellich	1982	Ex-Soviet SKR-35, currently being re-fitted at Kronshtadt[8]
		903	Rais Korfo	1985	Ex-Soviet SKR-129, re-fitted in 2000 at Kronshtadt[8]
Corvettes
Project 20382 "Tigr"				2014-2015	Under construction. [9][10]
				2014-2015	Under construction. [9][10]
Type 056 Corvette				2014-2015	Under construction.
				2014-2015	Under construction.
				2014-2015	Under construction.
Rais Hamidou[3]		801	Rais Hamidou	1980	Ex-Soviet MRK-21, Project 1234E built by Vympel Shipyards in Rybinsk, Russia[11]
		802	Salah Rais	1981	Ex-Soviet MRK-23, Project 1234E built by Vympel Shipyards in Rybinsk, Russia[11]
		803	Rais Ali	1982	Ex-Soviet MRK-22, Project 1234E built by Vympel Shipyards in Rybinsk, Russia[11]
Patrol boats
Djebel Chenoua		351	Djebel Chenoua	1988	Based on Bazan's Cormorán class. Built by OMCN / CNE in Mers-el-Kebir, Algeria[2][3]
		352	El Chihab	1995
		353	El Kirch	2002
Kebir[3]		341	El Yadekh	1982	Built by Brooke Marine[2]
		342	El Morakeb	1983
		343	El Kechef	1984
		344	El Moutarid	1985	Built by ONCM / CNE at Mers el-Kebir in Algeria[2]
		345	El Rassed	1985
		346	El Djari	1985
		347	El Saher	1993
		348	El Moukadem	1993
		349	El Wafi[1]	1993

Submarines

Class	Photo	No.	Ship	Year Commissioned	Note
Patrol submarines
Rais Hadi Slimane		022		2010	Project 636M 'Improved Kilo' submarine built by Admiralty Shipyard in Saint Petersburg, Russia[12]
				2010	Reported
Rais Hadi Mubarek[3]		012	Rais Hadi Mubarek	1987	Project 877EKM Paltus (Kilo) submarines built in Admiralty Shipyard in Saint Petersburg[2][12].
		013	El Hadj Slimane	1988

Amphibious warfare vessels

Class	Photo	No.	Ship	Year Commissioned	Note
Amphibious transport dock
Improved San Giorgio				2014	Ordered in 2011[1]
Landing ships
Kalaat Beni Hammed		472	Kalaat Beni Hammed	1984	Built by Brooke Marine in Lowestoft, UK[2][3]
		473	Kalaat Beni Rached	1984	Built by Vosper Thornycroft in Woolston, UK[2]
Polnocny		471		1976	Built by Stocznia Polnocnaj at Gdansk, Poland[2]

Fleet auxiliaries

Class	Photo	No.	Ship	Year Commissioned	Note
Survey ship
El Idrissi		673	El Idrissi	1980	540 ton[1] ship built by Matsukara Zosen in Hirao, Japan[2][3]
Training ship
Soummam		937	Soummam	2006	5500 tons (full load)
Tugs
Abeille Bourbon		3 ships ordered		2012	Building[4]
Salvage ship
El Mourafik		261	El Mourafik[1]	1990	Built in China[2][3]

Aircraft

Aircraft	Photo	Mission	In Service	Note
Maritime patrol aircraft
C-295MPA Persuader		Patrol	4[1]	May be operated by the air force
Helicopters
AgustaWestland AW101		Anti-submarine	6	Ordered in 2007, in service by 2011[1]
Kamov Ka-32T		Utility	3	May be operated by the air force
Super Lynx Mk.130		Anti-ship	4	In service 2011[1]

Modernization

Algerian Sailors conduct Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO).

The Navy is upgrading following technological development. With that, the existing units were modernized the submarine force strengthened by two new Kilo last generation. For the surface fleet competition is underway for the purchase of multi-role stealth frigates many with the big key to technology transfer especially in shipbuilding^{[citation needed]}

Gallery

• 

  Djebel Chenoua-class corvette El Kirch (353) built by ECRN in Mers-el-Kebir

• 

  250px|fregate Rais Korfo 903, Koni Class Modernised

• 

  Algerian submarine Hadi Mubarek in Algiers.

See also

• List of Algerian ships

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography