Trisha Shetty (Editor)

Angolan Navy

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Active
  
1977-Present

Type
  
Navy

Engagements
  
Angolan Civil War

Country
  
Angola

Size
  
1,000 Personnel

Angolan Navy

The Angolan Navy (Portuguese: Marinha de Guerra Angolana) or MGA is the naval branch of the Angolan Armed Forces and is tasked with protecting Angola’s 1,600 km long coastline. The Angolan Navy has approximately 1,000 personnel.

Contents

History

The Angolan Navy was founded in 1977 and celebrated their 35th anniversary in 2012. Angolan Navy forces participated in the Angolan Civil War from 1975 until 2002. United States Navy Vice Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr., then commander of the US 6th Fleet, visited the 35th anniversary in Luanda, Angola on July 9, 2012.

Modernization

Angola's oil wealth is allowing it to modernize its naval forces as most of the existing fleet are Soviet Navy exports from the 1980s. It was reported in 2009 that Angola was hoping to sign a US$800m deal with Germany for 3 new border protection Fast Attack Craft, probably Lurssen PV80's. They were still trying to complete the deal in 2011 and there has been no word on it since.

In December 2013 it was reported that Angola would be buying a package of old ships from the Spanish Navy. Príncipe de Asturias (R11) a small (16,000t) Harrier carrier, to be transferred along with Pizarro (L42) a Newport class landing ship, Diana (F32) a Descubierta class corvette converted to minesweeper support ship, Chilreu (P61) lead ship of its class of ocean patrol vessels, and Ízaro (P27) an Anaga class patrol ship.

Structure

  • Naval War Institute (INSG)
  • Naval Academy
  • Naval Specialist School
  • 3 Coastal Surveillance Companies (CRTOC)
  • 1 Naval Infantry Unit - 1 Light Amphibious Battalion (4 Marine Companies, 1 Naval Police Unit, 1 Amphibious Operations Unit)
  • Special Forces, heavy weapons, snipers, boarding units, and an armored section.

    • Fast Missile Craft

    Small ships or boats designed to fire anti-ship missiles. First used by the Soviet Union, missile-armed FAC's could be used to sink much larger enemy naval ships.

  • OSA-II 205ER Missile Boat (Soviet Navy: Project 205 Moskit) - 6 Boats.

    • Fast Torpedo Craft

    Small ships or boats designed to fire torpedoes. First used in the Second World War by both the Royal Navy and the Kriegsmarine, FAC's could be used to sink much larger enemy naval ships.

  • Shershen-Class Torpedo Boat (Soviet Navy: Project 206 Shtorm) - 6 Boats.

    • Inland/Coastal Patrol Boats

    Small border protection craft often used for anti-piracy, anti-smuggling, and border patrolling. May be designed for use on estuaries and rivers (brown water) or oceanic (blue water) environments.

  • Argos-class Patrol Boat - 4 Boats.
  • Aresa PVC-170 - 5 Boats.
  • Poluchat-I Class - 2 Boats.
  • Zhuk-class Patrol Boat - 1 or 2 Boats.
  • Júpiter-class Minelayer - 1 or 2 Boats.
  • Bellatrix Class - 4 or 5 Boats.
  • Mandume Class - 4 Boats.
  • Patrulheiro Class - 3 Boats.
  • Namacurra-class harbour patrol boat|Namacurra-class Harbour Patrol Boat]] - 2 Boats.

    • On 5 September 2014, the Angolan Minister of Defence João Manuel Lourenço and Brazil`s Minister of Defence Celso Amorim signed a Memorandum of Understanding as part of Angola`s Naval Power Development Program (PRONAVAL). The MOU specifies that Angola will acquire seven Macaé-class patrol vessel, four to be built in Brazil, and three in Angola. The Brazilian EMGEPRON will have the lead in the project, overseeing the Angolan shipyard and training in addition to overall project management.

    Mine Warfare Craft

    Small ship designed for either clearing up minefields or deploying new minefields.

  • Yevgenya Class (Soviet Navy: Project 1258 Korund) Minesweeper - 2 Ships.

    • Amphibious Vessels

    Ship designed to deploy troops on coasts and beaches during amphibious assault operations.

  • Polnocny Class Landing Ship (Soviet Navy: Project 770 (A)/Project 771 (B)) - 1 Polnocny-A Boat, 3 Polnocny-B Boats.
  • Alfange Class - 1 Ship.
  • Landing Craft Tank - 1 Ship.
  • LDM-400 - 9 or 10 Ships. from US c. 1964

    • Coastal Defense Equipment

    Defensive equipment, both active and passive, used to defend Angola's coasts.

    1. SS-C1 Sepal Radar System.

    Maritime Patrol Aircraft

    Aircraft designed for maritime patrols, often involving anti-ship, anti-submarine, and search and rescue duties.

    References

    Angolan Navy Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA