Colombian Armed Forces

[ArmChairCivvy]

And a clear winner on the Western Hemisphere... in relative terms

List by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
2016 Fact Sheet (for 2015)[1]
SIPRI Military Expenditure Database[3]

Rank Country Spending ($ Bn.) % of GDP
23 Oman Oman 9.9 16.2
3 Saudi Arabia 87.2 13.7
19 Iraq Iraq 13.1 9.1
21 Algeria Algeria 10.4 6.2
14 United Arab Emirates 22.8 5.7
4 Russia Russia 66.4 5.4
15 Israel Israel 16.1 5.4
24 Colombia Colombia 9.9 3.5
26 Pakistan Pakistan 9.5 3.4
1 United States United States 596.0 3.3

[ArmChairCivvy]

BMT and Saab together pitching a frigate for local build in Colombia:
http://www.bmtdsl.co.uk/media/6684660/B ... oposal.pdf

Looks very much like the Squadron 2020 design in Finland, save for the main gun (OTO 76mm will hardly be introduced when both Saab 40 & 57 are both in use already). A neutral and peace-loving country would of course call light frigates... corvettes! (the lower endurance rqrmnt might also drive a somewhat smaller size, yes).

I wonder how long this PES project has been cooking as Saab is not strutting their stuff re: fitting out the Algerian corvettes (a fairly recent win) in the below excerpt

,
STATE OF THE ART
COMBAT
SYSTEM
AND
MODERN SHIPBUILDING EXPERIENCE
BATTLE PROVEN COMBAT SYSTEM TAILORED TO MEET
THE NEEDS OF THE ARMADA NACIONAL
•
Saab has extensive experience in designing complex combat systems, and has integrated a
variety of equipment from different suppliers into the world leading 9LV System.
•
Saab has gained valuable knowledge in how to achieve state-of-the-art production of naval
assets with the modernisation of the Saab Kockums shipyard in Sweden, and through the
build of complex vessels including the A26 Class Submarine and Visby stealth Corvette.
•
Saab has a track record of successful Technology Transfer programmes for many coun
-
tries, both for Combat Systems such as the ANZAC Frigates in Australia and Shipbuilding,
including the Independence Class for the Singapore Navy"
- well, Colombia is facing the same ocean as Australia and Singapore, may be that is it?

[rockey.udf]

Do they want to retrieve Panama from US control?

[Defiance]

Do they want to retrieve Panama from US control?

Changing requirements. Their internal conflict is drawing down and Colombia wants to be more active in defending itself outside their borders. Partly to show 'we've progressed, there isn't a civil war anymore, invest in us!' which isn't a bad shout either, they're trying to create their own industry to diversify away through COTECMAR (IIRC that's their shipbuilder)

[ArmChairCivvy]

The other (then FARC) military threat might go away soon: Maduro was pelted by the angry crowd, so Venezuela might soon become a democracy again (start to focus on develpoment, rather than "inventing" external threats)

[Defiance]

Venezuela very much occupies the immediate term scope, the stability of the state moving forward is so fragile it's difficult to predict any future scenarios. They've got pretty severe issues keeping their kit in working order as is.

[xav]

Video: Colombian Navy Conducts SINKEX with Torpedo & C-Star Missile

The Colombian Navy (Armada Nacional de la República de Colombia) recently conducted a sinking exercise (SINKEX) as part of the Neptune III large scale exercise.

The video shows two decommissioned Lüneburg-class (Type 701) logistics vessels were used as target and both were sunk. ARC Cartagena de Indias (pennant 161) was sunk by a torpedo launched from one of the two Type 209/1200 diesel electric submarines in the Colombian fleet. ARC Buenaventura (pennant 162) was sunk by a C-Star anti-ship missile launched by an Almirante Padilla-class frigate.

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/20 ... r-missile/