Armed Forces Structure: NAVY
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.
PERSONNEL STRENGTH
Approximately 2,000 personnel serve in the navy. There are also about 500 uniformed coast guard personnel and about 600 civilian employees.
Equipment
(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:
APR06 APR07 JUL08 OCT09 SHIPS
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 CougarEnforcer 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)
Deployment
Naval bases:
Ras al Qalaya
Coast guard bases:
Shuwaikh (KuwaitCity)
Umm Al-Hainan
Al Bida
Verba
Al-Qulaya (Ras al-Qalaya)
Al-Harian
Plans and Programs
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