Armed Forces Structure: NAVY



Armed Forces Structure: NAVY

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OVERVIEW

The Kuwaiti navy is responsible for patrolling the country's 310-mile (499-km) coastline and littoral areas to ensure protection of the sea lanes of communication and offshore economic assets. The Ministry of the Interior administers the navy.

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PERSONNEL STRENGTH

Approximately 2,000 personnel serve in the navy. There are also about 500 uniformed coast guard personnel and about 600 civilian employees.

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Equipment

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(For information on aircraft listed below, search our Weapons Database. Equipment is of French origin unless otherwise noted.)

APR06 APR07 JUL08 OCT09 SHIPS

Guided Missile Patrol Craft

8 8 8 8 UM AL MARADIM class (Combattante-II type)

1 1 1 1 AL SANBOUK class (German Lurssen TNC

design)

1 1 1 1 ISTIQLAL missile craft (German Lurssen FPB 57

design)

Service Craft

2 2 2 HADIYA-class logistics support

1 1 1 FAREED logistics support lighter

1 1 AL-DORRAR class (Sawahil 35-class)

Auxiliary

0 0 PEGASUS-class special operations craft

(+12 on order)

# 2 2 2 AL SAFFAR class

MISSILES

Anti-Ship

8 # # # MM40 Exocet

# # # AM39 Exocet

4 4 4 4 Sea Skua (U.K.)

Surface-to-Air

# # # # Mistral

Radar

# # # Seaspray

# # # Decca 1226C

# # # Sea Giraffe 50HC

# # # Saab 9LV 228

Editor's note: In addition to the patrol boats listed in the section above, Kuwait operates about a dozen former Iraqi or onetime private small craft for patrol and utility duties.

Coast Guard

Kuwait's coast guard operates a number of small patrol craft and auxiliaries, including:

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Patrol Craft

4 4 4 4 INTTISAR-class OPV

(Australian ASI OPV 310 class)

6 6 3 10 AL SHAHEED-class patrol (France)

# 23 23 N/A 28-ft Al-Shaali Marine design (U.A.E.)

# 10 10 N/A 33-ft Al-Shaali Marine design (U.A.E.)

16 16 Type 46 fast patrol boat

# # # # Cougar Type

# # # # Sea Gull class (South Korea SY 24-m design)

# # # # MAYMOON class (U.K. Thornycroft 27-m design)

9 10 10 SUBAHI-class patrol boat

# 6 6 6 Cougar Enforcer 40 class

3 3 3 3 22-m patrol boat (Australia)

(Image Marine design)

4 4 4 FB Design (Italy)

3 3 3 UFPB 1300 class

4 4 4 UFPB 1200 class

3 3 3 UFPB 1100 Predator class

3 3 3 UFPB 1000 class

3 3 3 Cat 900-class catamarans

1 1 1 PVF 512 Sea Truck

2 1 1 Loadmaster Mk II logistics support landing

craft

Amphibious

3 2 2 2 AL TAHADDY-class landing/supply craft

(Singapore SSE design)

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Deployment

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Naval bases:

Ras al Qalaya

Coast guard bases:

Shuwaikh (Kuwait City)

Umm Al-Hainan

Al Bida

Verba

Al-Qulaya (Ras al-Qalaya)

Al-Harian

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Plans and Programs

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Kuwait has 12 MKV-C fast interceptor boats on order from the U.S. The December 2005 order is worth an estimated $175 million. The vessels will be armed with the RWM GMBH MLG 27-mm Mauser lightweight gun system for use against terrorists and pirates. Those guns were ordered in March 2007. The MLG-27 light naval guns have an automated small-caliber gun with a mounted electro-optical sensor package.

In May 2009, the Pentagon announced that the United States Marine company from Gulfport, Miss., won a contract to build patrol boats for the Kuwaiti navy under the Foreign Military Sales program. The US$62 million contract, let by Naval Sea Systems Command, covers detail design and construction of 10 Mark V patrol boats. The vessels are intended for coastal patrol, interdiction and maritime special operations. Work under the contract is scheduled to be concluded in June 2013.

LATEST UPDATE: 1 October 2009

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