Σε συνέχεια της ελληνικής Letter Of Request (LoR) η οποία εστάλη τον Μάρτιο του 2021 κατέφτασε η επίσημη αμερικανική απάντηση έπειτα από τη θετική γνωμοδότηση του Αμερικανικού Υπουργείου Εξωτερικών για τα δύο προγράμματα του Πολεμικού Ναυτικού (ΠΝ) τη πρόσκτηση νέων κύριων μονάδων επιφανείας καθώς και τον εκσυγχρονισμό των 4 φρεγατών ΜΕΚΟ 200 ΗΝ.
The Government of Greece has requested to buy four (4) Multi-Mission Surface Combatant (MMSC) ships; five (5) COMBATSS-21 Combat Management Systems (4 installed, 1 spare); five (5) Vertical Launch Systems (VLS), MK 41 (4 installed, 1 spare; 8 cells per set); two hundred (200) Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAM) BLK 2 (84 installed, 10 test and training rounds, 106 spares); five (5) MK 49 Guided Missile Launcher Systems (4 installed, 1 spare); eight (8) RAM BLK 2 telemetry missiles; thirty-two (32) Vertical Launch Anti-Submarine Rocket (ASROC) missiles (VLA) (12 installed (3 per ship), 8 test and training rockets, 12 spares); sixteen (16) 7.62mm M240B machine guns with ammunition (8 installed (2 per ship), 8 spares), and thirty-two (32) MK-54 All Up Round Lightweight Torpedoes (16 installed (4 per ship), 16 spares). Also included are additional single, VLS cells for VLA; ordnance; testing; training; follow-on support; TRS-4D radars; Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (CAMM); Common Anti-Air Modular Missile- Extended Range (CAMM-ER); Naval Strike Missile (NSM) RGM-184B and launchers; MK 46 Lightweight Upgrade to MK 54 Lightweight Torpedo; torpedo containers; Recoverable Exercise Torpedoes (REXTORP) with containers; Exercise Torpedoes (EXTORP) with containers; Expendable Mobile A-size Antisubmarine Warfare (ASW) Training Targets (EMATTs); Fleet Exercise Section (FES) and fuel tanks to be used with MK 54 conversion kits; air launch accessories for fixed wing; 76mm OTO STRALES gun with ordnance; Fire Control Radar; Gun Computer System; 20mm Narwhal gun system with ordnance; M2A1 .50 caliber machine gun with ammunition; NIXIE SLQ-25 Surface Ship Torpedo Defense System; Sylena MK 2 Decoy Launching System with CANTO torpedo countermeasure; Elta Electronic Warfare suite with counterunmanned aerial system capability; Compact Low Frequency Active Passive Variable Depth Sonar-2 (CAPTAS-2); Low Frequency Active Towed Sonar (LFATS); SQQ-89; AN/ARC-210 (RT-2036(C)) radios; Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) Equipment; Infrared Search and Track/EO director; Naval Laser Warning System; chemical, biological and radiological threat detectors; and 7 meter Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB). Also included are support and test equipment; spare and repair parts; communications equipment, including Link 16 communications equipment; Battlefield Information Collection and Exploitation System (BICES); AN/SRQ-4 Tactical Common Datalink; Global Command and Control System-Joint (GCCS-J); Air Defense Systems Integrator (ADSI); cryptographic equipment including SY-150, SY-117G, and KYV-5M; Defense Advance GPS Receiver (DAGR); software delivery and support; facilities and construction support; publications and technical documentation; personnel training and training equipment; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services; test and trials support; studies and surveys; and other related elements of logistical and program support.
The estimated total cost is $6.9 billion.
Πακέτο εκσυγχρονισμού ΜΕΚΟ 200 ΗΝ
Η επ΄ίσημη αμερικανική απάντηση:
The Government of Greece has requested to buy equipment and services to repair, update, and enhance their four (4) existing Hellenic Navy (HN) MEKO Class frigates. These upgrades will include the following: eight (8) Close in Weapon Systems (CIWS) Phalanx BLK 1B Baseline 2 upgrade kits; four (4) MK 45, 5” 54 caliber gun overhauls; four (4) MK 49 Guided Missile Launcher Systems; four (4) COMBATSS-21 Combat Management Systems; and, four (4) AN/SQS-56 Sonar overhauls. Also included is the repair and/or upgrade of existing systems; ordnance; testing; training; systems integration; follow-on technical support; acquisition, upgrades, and overhaul of Narwhal 20A Gun System; Sylena MK 2 Decoy Launching System with CANTO torpedo countermeasure; Radar/Fire Control TRS-4D; Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) Mode 5; NIXIE SLQ-25 Surface Ship Torpedo Defense System; Helicopter Handling System (Repairs); Defense Advance GPS Receiver (DAGR); Gun Computer System (GCS); Low Frequency Active Towed Sonar (LFATS); Compact Low Frequency Active Passive Variable Depth Sonar-2 (CAPTAS-2); Infrared Search & Track System (IRST); Elta Electronic Warfare (EW), with C-ESM, R-ESM, and ECM capability; Naval Laser- Warning System (NLWS); 7 meter Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB); SQQ-89 ASW System; Fire Control Radar System; Improved Point Detection System-Lifecycle Replacement (IPDS-LR); Enhanced Maritime Biological Detection (EMBD), as well as significant Hull, Mechanical and Electrical upgrades, replacements, and repairs; support and test equipment; spare and repair parts; communications equipment, including Link 16 communications equipment; Battlefield Information Collection and Exploitation System (BICES); AN/SRQ-4 Tactical Common Datalink (TCDL); Global Command and Control System-Joint (GCCS-J); Air Defense Systems Integrator (ADSI); cryptographic equipment including SY-150, SY-117G, and KYV-5M; software delivery and support; publications and technical documentation; personnel training and training equipment; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, systems integration, technical, and logistics support services; test and trials support; studies and surveys; and other related elements of logistical and program support.
The estimated total cost is $2.5 billion.
Όπως προκύπτει για το ζήτημα του εκσυγχρονισμού των 4 φρεγατών ΜΕΚΟ 200 ΗΝ υπάρχει το ανώτατο κόστος των 2.5 δισ. $ που περιλαμβάνει τη κοστολόγηση όλων των παραπάνω επιλογών ώστε το ΠΝ να καταλήξει στη πιθανή επιλογή συστημάτων και στο συνολικό πακέτο εκσυγχρονισμού.
Ως εκ τούτων υπάρχουν πολλές διπλές προτάσεις όμοιων συστημάτων όπως για παράδειγμα είτε τον εκσυγχρονισμό των υφιστάμενων Close In Weapon Systems των πλοίων είτε την εγκατάσταση νέας γενιάς RAM.
Σε κάθε περίπτωση η αμερικανική πρόταση είναι ιδιαίτερα ακριβή ακόμη και με περικοπές συστημάτων στον εκσυγχρονισμό των ΜΕΚΟ ενώ το κόστος των 4 MMSC είναι υπέρογκο για μια αμφιλεγόμενη σχεδίαση που δεν καλύπτει τις ανάγκες και απαιτήσεις του ΠΝ (αεράμυνα περιοχής) και πολύ απλά εκτός προϋπολογισμού.
Τα κόστη είναι πολύ υψηλά ειδικά στη περίπτωση της πρόσκτησης των 4 MMSC με κόστος 6.9 δισ. $ (ή με τρέχουσες σημεριν΄ές ισοτιμίες, 6 δισ. ευρώ για τέσσερα πλοία).
