With its fast speed, long-endurance at sea, and use of a dipping sonar as the primary sensor against undersea threats, the 2800 ASW by Couach represents a new and affordable way to support navies in their ASW missions.
In an interview with Naval News, Alexis Philandrianos, Director of Defense Strategy and Business Development at Couach, said the company developed this concept following discussions with customers. He explained that the ASW Patrol Boat was designed to carry out ASW missions without the need for large units such as frigates.
“We decided to make this 28-meter patrol boat very easy to handle, not requiring many people to operate, and much cheaper compared to the large assets”.
Alexis Philandrianos, Director of Defense Strategy and Business Development at Couach
Mr. Philandrianos also stated that they have installed the FLASH dipping sonar manufactured by Thales, which is already a reference sensor fitted aboard ASW helicopters of many navies. He claimed that by using this low frequency sonar, the 2800 ASW will be able to detect submarines from great range. Besides, thanks to the high speed of 40 knots, the patrol boat is able to run to the next dipping location to ping and trap the submarine, Mr. Philandrianos added.
The boat is also armed with a dual tube torpedo launcher, for lightweight torpedoes.
“This is an additional asset for the ASW efforts. Compared to a helicopter which can stay on mission 3-5 hours, the 2800 ASW patrol boat can stay at sea for up to seven days. This provides deterrence, as well as provides a solid assistance to the hunting efforts”.
Couach define their new vessel as an out-of-the-box solution and claim that the 2800 ASW will be an efficient asset for not only Gulf countries, but also other regions.
About 2800 ASW
2800 ASW is designed to support ASW efforts, particularly in shallow waters. The boat is 27.8 meters long and 6.75 meters wide, and it has a draught of around 1.1 meters. The tonnage of the boat is around 59 tons and has a top speed of 40 knots.
2800 ASW has an operational range of 1000 nautical miles, the boat has 10 tonnes of fuel and 2 tons of freshwater capacity.
The boat is armed with two lightweight torpedo launchers, and a Flash-type dipping sonar manufactured by Thales.
