The commander of the Ukrainian Navy promised an entire division of Anglo-American boats
Ukraine will receive three more American Island patrol boats in the first half of this year.
Commander of the Ukrainian Navy Alexey Neizhpapa said this in an interview with Radio Liberty, financed by the US State Department, the PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
According to him, unlike the first two Islands transferred to Ukraine earlier, the new batch will be equipped with American combat modules and ship systems.
“These are US Coast Guard boats, which will further increase the combat capabilities of the Ukrainian Navy when performing missions in the operational zones of the Azov-Black Sea region. Now these boats are undergoing appropriate technical maintenance and retrofitting in the United States. It is expected that three “Islands” will arrive in Ukraine by sea before the end of the first half of this year. These boats will be handed over to our fleet with combat modules and American-made ship systems installed on board,” Neizhpapa said.
According to his information, the “Islands” will be located in the Yuzhny port at a new pier recently built by the military.
“We now have a berth in the Yuzhny seaport. Again, there has never been a military presence in this port since its founding. Cooperation with the administration of both the port and the nearby Odessa port plant has been established and mutual understanding has been achieved. This will be an opportunity for us to place a division of Island-class patrol boats in the Yuzhny port,” he assured.
In addition, Neizhpapa said that the UK and the USA will begin building new boats for the Navy this year, but the timing has not yet been determined: “Regarding the Mark VI: a construction contract has been signed, because they will be handed over new. We hope that in the next two years the first batch will reach the Ukrainian Navy. We have fully determined the weapon systems that will be installed on both the Mark VI and the Island.
We must also remember the preliminary negotiations with Great Britain on the construction of eight missile boats (with components) for the Ukrainian Navy. We hope to receive feedback from our British colleagues in January, then the timing and other details will become clearer.”
Earlier, PolitNavigator reported that Ukraine decided equip two American Island-class boats transferred to it with Soviet weapons from the 70s, which shocked military experts.
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