Royal Brunei Navy
| Tentera Laut Diraja Brunei | |
|---|---|
| Active | 14 June 1965 |
| Country | Brunei |
| Branch | Navy |
| Part of | Royal Brunei Armed Forces |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | First Admiral Pg Dato Seri Pahlawan Norazmi Pg Hj Muhammad |
| Insignia | |
| Naval Ensign |
 |
The Royal Brunei Navy (Malay: Tentera Laut Diraja Brunei, abbreviated TLDB) is the naval defence force of Brunei Darussalam. It is a small but relatively well-equipped force whose main responsibility is to conduct search and rescue missions and to deter and defend the Brunei waters against attack mounted by sea-borne forces.[1]
The Royal Brunei Navy was established on 14 June 1965, the second unit created after The Royal Brunei Armed Forces. The RBN is based in Muara, which is situated 4 km from Muara Town with the majority of the crews being Malays. Since 1977, The Royal Brunei Navy has been equipped with missile gun boats and other coastal patrol craft. All the ships names are prefixed KDB as in Kapal Diraja Brunei (Royal Brunei Ship in Malay). The Royal Brunei Navy has been commanded by First Admiral Pg Dato Seri Pahlawan Norazmi Pg Hj Muhammad since 13 March 2015.[1]
History
The Royal Brunei Navy was formed on 14 June 1965, four years after the formation of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces. It was initially known as Boat Section of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces. Its strength was only 18 in number, including one officer from the First Battalion who had attended a basic military course in Malaya in 1961 until 1964. This Boat Section was equipped with a number of aluminium boats, known as Temuai in Malay and Fast Assault Boats (FABs).[2] The role of the Boat Section was solely to provide transportation of infantry elements to the interior of Brunei. As the organisation expanded with the aid of stable economic growth, the Boat Section was renamed the Boat Company in 1966.[2]
The Boat Company received 3 river patrol boats in 1966. These boats were named KDB Bendahara, KDB Maharajalela and KDB Kermaindera. All the ships were crewed by Bruneians, led by a qualified commanding officer. In the same year, the strength of the Boat Company was enhanced with hovercraft vessels type SR.N5, followed by SR.N6 in 1968.[3]
The first fast patrol craft was accepted in 1968 and named KDB Pahlawan. It became the first flagship for the Boat Company.[3]
The Boat Company was reorganised as Angkatan Laut Pertama, Askar Melayu DiRaja Brunei (ALP AMDB or the First Sea Battalion, Royal Brunei Malay Regiment in Malay). It was one of the larger branches of Askar Melayu DiRaja Brunei. During that time, the estimated strength of Angkatan Laut Pertama, Askar Melayu DiRaja Brunei was 42 personnel including an officer, while assets consisted of one fast patrol craft, 3 river patrol boats, 2 hovercraft vessels, fast assault boats, a few long boats and Temuai (aluminium boats).[4]
In 1971, Angkatan Laut Pertama, Askar Melayu DiRaja Brunei received two more coastal patrol craft, KDB Saleha and KDB Masna.[5]
Angkatan Laut Pertama, Askar Melayu DiRaja Brunei was reorganised again on 1 October 1991 as the Royal Brunei Navy due to the growth of the armed forces in Brunei after independence from the United Kingdom.[6]
Roles and organisation
The roles of the Royal Brunei Navy are:
- Deterrence against attack mounted by sea borne forces
- Protection of national offshore resources
- Maintaining Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC)
- Surveillance of the 200 nm EEZ
- Maritime Search & Rescue operations
- Support of units of the RBAF operational activities
- Provide support for other security agencies and ministries as ordered by Ministry of Defence of Brunei.
The Royal Brunei Navy is divided into four main components as follows:[7]
- Fleet
- Administration
- Training
- Logistics
Current fleet
The current fleet of the Royal Brunei Navy is as follows:[8][9]
| Class or name | Image | Builder | Type | Quantity | Year entered service | Details | Ships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darussalam class |  |
Lurssen Werft, Bremen-Vegesack, Germany | Offshore patrol vessel | 4 | 2011, 2014 | 80-meter (260 ft) offshore patrol vessel ordered from Lurssen Werft Bofors 57 mm, 'A' position Thales Sting EO MK2 fire-control radar Terma Scanter 4100 air/surface search radar Zeiss MEOS II electro-optics 2 x Furano navigation radars 4 x Exocet MM40 |
06 Darussalam 07 Darulehsan 08 Darulaman 09 Daruttaqwa |
| Itjihad class[10] | Lurssen Werft, Bremen-Vegesack, Germany | Inshore patrol vessel | 4 | 2010 | 41-meter (135 ft) patrol vessel ordered from Lurssen Werft, Rheinmetall MLG 27, 'A' position | 17 Itjihad 18 Berkat 19 Syafaat 20 Afiat | |
| TBD | Marinteknik Shipyard Tuas, Singapore | Fast interceptor boat | 1 | 2011 | Armed with 7.62 mm machine gun | 21 Mustaed | |
| Waspada class | Vosper Thornycroft, Singapore | Fast attack craft | 3 | 1978–1979 | 206 tons full load - 2 MM38 Exocet, 30 mm BMARC-Oerlikon GCM-B01 AA and 2 7.62 mm machine guns; modernised 1990s; To be paid off once the Darussalam class comes into service, Waspada and Pejuang are to be donated to Indonesia as training vessels and renamed as KRI Salawaku (642) and KRI Badau (643).[11] | P02 Waspada P03 Pejuang P04 Seteria | |
| Perwira class | Vosper Thornycroft, Portsmouth | Inshore patrol boat | 3 | 1974-75 | Singapore-built variant of Malaysian PX class police boats; wooden hull; 1 ship decommissioned 1996; armed with 20 mm BMARC-Oerlikon B01 AA and 2 7.62 mm machine guns; To be replaced by Itjihad class | KDB Perwira KDB Penyerang KDB Pemburu | |
| Serasa class | Transfield Shipbuilding, Henderson, Western Australia | Amphibious warfare craft (LCM) | 2 | August 1996 | Armed with 2 x 20 mm/90 calibre Oerlikon GAM B01 AA and 2 x 7.62 mm machine guns | L33 Serasa L34 Teraban | |
| Teraban class | Cheverton Workboats, Cowes | Landing craft utility (Loadmaster-class LCM) | 2 | 1976-77 | Unarmed and carries 30 tons of cargo | L31 Damuam L32 Puni | |
| ? | ? | Small aluminium armed riverine patrol boat | 17 | 1960s | Armed with 7.62 mm machine gun; 4 retired | ? | |
| YFL | Cheverton Boatworks, Cowes | Support launch | 1 | 1982 | Used as tug and dive tender | Burong Nuri | |
| Bendeharu class | PT Pal Batam Shipbuilder, Surabaya, Indonesia | Patrol boat | 3 | Delivered 1991 | 12.7 mm machine guns; used by marine police | P01 Benderharu P22 Maharajalela P23 Kemaindera | |
| 14.5-metre class | Singapore Shipbuilding and Engineering, Singapore | Patrol boat | 7 | 1987 | Armed with 7.62 mm machine gun and similar to Singapore Marine Police PT1-class boats; used by marine police | PDB11 PDB12 PDB13 PDB14 PDB15 PDB63 PDB68 | |
| PDB 0-1 class | Singapore Shipbuilding and Engineering, Singapore | Patrol boat | 11 | 1987 | Used by marine police | PDB01 PDB02 PDB03 PDB04 PDB05 PDB06 PDB07 PDB08 PDB09 PDB10 PDB11 | |
| FDB 512 class | Rotork Marine, Bath, Somerset | Patrol boat | 2 | ? | armed with 7.62 mm machine gun | 07 Behagia 10 Selmat | |
Others
- personnel launches used for riverine patrols
- 01 Aman
- 02 Damai
- 04 Sentosa
- 06 Sejahteru
Fisheries and Industry/Primary Resources ministries also operate 16m patrol boats built by Syarikat Cheoy Lee Shipyards (delivered 2002)
F2000 (Nakhoda Ragam-class) corvettes
The Royal Brunei Navy is a small coastal defence force tasked with patrolling Bruneian waters and defending the offshore oil industry. It is currently undergoing a large-scale modernisation, with the upgrading of the Muara Naval Base and the purchase of 3 British-built corvettes from BAE Systems Naval Ships, Scotland. The contract was awarded to GEC-Marconi in 1995 and the Nakhoda Ragam class OPVs were launched in January 2001, June 2001 and June 2002 at the then BAE Systems Marine yard at Scotstoun. These have been completed but have not been delivered from BAE Systems Naval Ships in Scotstoun due to claims by the Royal Brunei Navy that the ships fail to meet the required specifications.
The ships are armed with MBDA Exocet Block II anti-ship missiles and MBDA Seawolf surface-to-air missiles. The contract dispute is the subject of arbitration.[12][13] Currently the Sultan of Brunei is intending to sell three corvettes built by BAE Systems for £600 million. When the dispute was settled, the vessels were handed over to Royal Brunei Technical Services in June 2007.[14] In 2007, Brunei contracted the German Lürssen ship yard to find a new customer for the three ships, as of 3 May 2011 the vessels remain unsold and laid up at Barrow-in-Furness.[15] These ships have been purchased by the Indonesian Navy and renamed the Bung Tomo class.
Muara Naval Base
The administration of Angkatan Laut Pertama, Askar Melayu DiRaja Brunei moved to a new base at Jalan Tanjong Pelumpong Muara in 1974. This base is now known as the Muara Naval Base. The Muara Naval Base serves as the headquarters of the Royal Brunei Navy. It was expanded in 1997 to include facilities to support three offshore support vessels.[16]
Muara Naval Base is frequently visited by foreign warships, most notable are the frequent visits by British Royal Navy ships.
Joint exercises and training
The Royal Brunei Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy co-operate with each other through an annual joint exercise, code-named Exercise Pelican.
Officers and soldiers of the Royal Brunei Navy are also sent overseas for advanced training, generally to Australia, Brazil, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, UK and United States of America.[17]
Exercise SEAGULL 03-07, which was held in Brunei from 2 to 10 September 2007 between the Royal Brunei Navy and their Philippine Navy counterparts. Participating ships include the Philippine Navy corvette BRP Rizal (PS-74) and patrol gunboat BRP Federico Martir (PG-385), and Royal Brunei Navy ships KDB Pejuang P03, KDB Seteria P04, KDB Perwira P14 and KDB Penyerang P16. They conducted series of drills, including Mine Clearance, Under Water Operations, Replenishment at Sea, Night Encounter Exercise, Boarding Exercise and Other Naval Tactical Exercises.[18]
Future orders
De-commissioned landing craft will be replaced by an as-yet-unidentified class of six heavy landing craft.[19]
See also
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Navy of Brunei. |
Notes
- 1 2 Introduction - Royal Brunei Navy - Retrieved 19 April 2007
- 1 2 History - Royal Brunei Navy - Retrieved 19 April 2007
- 1 2 History - Royal Brunei Navy, page 2 - Retrieved 19 April 2007
- ↑ History - Royal Brunei Navy, page 3 - Retrieved 19 April 2007
- ↑ History - Royal Brunei Navy, page 4 - Retrieved 19 April 2007
- ↑ History - Royal Brunei Navy, page 5 - Retrieved 19 April 2007
- ↑ Organisation - Royal Brunei Navy - Retrieved 19 April 2007
- ↑ Fleet - Royal Brunei Navy - Retrieved 19 April 2007
- ↑ [The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World - Eric Wertheim - 15th Ed. 2007, p66-68]
- ↑ http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/brunei/navy.htm
- ↑ http://www.bt.com.bn/news-national/2011/02/26/indonesia-get-brunei-patrol-ships
- ↑ Brunei and BAE Systems dispute ship acceptance Jane's 26 April 2005 - Retrieved 19 April 2007
- ↑ BAE Systems, Brunei OPV dispute nears resolution Jane's 8 September 2006 - Retrieved 19 April 2007
- ↑ "Shipyard deadlock ends". September 2007 News. Ships Monthly. September 2007. Retrieved 26 December 2007.
- ↑ Story by ocnus.net
- ↑ page 15 GHD Annual Review 2002/2003
- ↑ Training - Royal Brunei Navy - Retrieved 19 April 2007
- ↑ Philippine Fleet Official Website. Exercise SEAGULL 03-07.
- ↑ Balikpapan-class landing craft heavy#cite note-WewakDODdecom-11
.svg.png)
