That article says the 212A is "fully combat-operational" at depths of only 20 m, even 14 m - and manouvering with full speed.

At the tower, these boats are 11.5 meters high. Gives you 3.5 meters margin. Max speed when submerged is (officially) 20 kn.

the article reminds of the Argentinian "San Lousis", a german type 209, which fired a volley of eight torpedoes at HMS Invincible and escorts during the Falkland war. Not one torpedoe hit - it illustrates that if crew training is poor, technology not always compensates for that: the technicians had linked the wires for torpeoe control in a wrong way, thus after being shot the eels could not be controlled anymore. Luck for the British - the sinking of the Invincible would have meant (according to the British admiral, Sandy Woodward) the defeat of the British and their immediate retreat.

What alarms me is that the article finally say that Pakistan wants to get those 212s. Didn't knew that. I hope nobody in Berlin acts foolishly. You don't sell your primary weapons to your most serious enemies.

Here is a nice pic of the group with Table Mountain as a backdrop

http://www.flightzone.co.za/media/ph...nato_group.jpg






http://navy.org.za/articles/2007/09/...rfare-exercise



From the article:

"Another sign of the increasing importance of a security operation in African waters comes from the US Navy, which plans from 2008 to have a "big-deck" presence in the Gulf of Guinea.
"My aspiration is to have a ship there 365 days a year," said Admiral Harry Ulrich, commander of US Naval Forces Europe and Africa.
The South African Navy has long held the position that its new fleet would be used for anti-piracy and anti-poaching operations.
The training with Nato is its first big joint operation to discover how this might be carried out."

Extract from above article which goes some way in explaining the interest of Nato and in particlular the USA interest. By "big-deck" I am presuming US Admiral Ulrich is alluding to a carrier. Would love to see these little subs go up against one of those. Even if they got through the defense I doubt they have the fire-power to take one out though.

http://navy.org.za/articles/2007/09/...es-world-first

Hell, we obviously think they are so good we are insuring them. The first subs ever to be insured.:rock:

Visit this site. It gives the ships but what will knock your socks off are the stunning action pics that were taken. Makes you wish that you were there. Truly amazing pictorial coverage. Love the one pic where all ships are under way in formation trying to protect the main asset - but to no avail.

http://www.navy.mil.za/

Your right....the photos are great :rock: But hey!!....where were the professionals (Royal Navy) ? :lol:

:ping::hmm::rotfl::huh::roll:
SAN Maritime patrol aircraft...
http://www.navy.mil.za/equipment/ima..._prop_dc-3.jpg

Is that an old DC-3? How dare they! An MPA built out of the airframe of a passanger aircraft will never work!! Oh wait... :lol:

That's the considerably more capable, updated 'turboprop' conversion of the venerable old DC-3, the original radial engines having been replaced and the airframe upgraded. a good aircraft and like the original, tough as old boots.

:D Chock

The Gooney Bird will still be flying long after I'm dead! It flies and flies, and never dies!

As they say . . . if it aint broke . . .

Well as I have written before, if anyone has seen the ASW school here in San Diego on Harbor Blvd, there is not as much activity there as there was in the past. Since the end of the Cold War we have let our capabilities languish . . . look at what happend to the S-3. If anything a SV-22 should be developed, or some other aircraft to supplement where the MMA cannot travel

I recall a Chilean sub scoring a kill on a US carrier during a Pacific exercise years ago also. I believe it was a Type 209 too.

The DC-3... Now THAT is/was a plane! I love em.