Angolan Navy

The Angolan Navy (Portuguese: Marinha de Guerra Angolana) or MGA is the naval branch of the Angolan Armed Forces and is tasked with protecting Angola's 1,600 km long coastline. The Angolan Navy has approximately 1,000 personnel.^[1]

Angolan Navy
Marinha de Guerra Angolana
Founded	1977
Country	Angola
Type	Navy
Size	1,000 Personnel^[1] 40 Ships
Engagements	Angolan Civil War

History

The Angolan Navy was officially founded on 10 July 1976, though it traces its origins to 11 November 1975 when Angolans took over naval facilities abandoned by the Portuguese Navy.^[2] Angolan Navy forces participated in the Angolan Civil War from 1975 until 2002. United States Navy Vice Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr., then commander of the US 6th Fleet, visited Luanda during the 35th anniversary of the MGA on July 9, 2012.^[3]

Modernization

Angola's oil wealth is allowing it to modernize its naval forces as most of the existing fleet are Soviet Navy exports from the 1980s. It was reported in 2009 that Angola was hoping to sign a US$800m deal with Germany for 3 new border protection Fast Attack Craft,^[4] probably Lurssen PV80's. They were still trying to complete the deal in 2011^[5] and there has been no word on it since.

In December 2013 it was reported that Angola would be buying a package of old ships from the Spanish Navy. Príncipe de Asturias (R11) a small (16,000t) Harrier carrier, to be transferred along with Pizarro (L42) a Newport class landing ship, Diana (F32) a Descubierta class corvette converted to minesweeper support ship, Chilreu (P61) lead ship of its class of ocean patrol vessels, and Ízaro (P27) an Anaga class patrol ship.^[6]

Structure

• Naval War Institute (INSG)
• Naval Academy
• Naval Specialist School
• 3 Coastal Surveillance Companies (CRTOC)
• 1 Naval Infantry Unit - 1 Light Amphibious Battalion (4 Marine Companies, 1 Naval Police Unit, 1 Amphibious Operations Unit)
• Special Forces, heavy weapons, snipers, boarding units, and an armored section.^[7]

Equipment

Surface Vessels

Fast Missile Craft

Small ships or boats designed to fire anti-ship missiles. First used by the Soviet Union, missile-armed FAC's could be used to sink much larger enemy naval ships.

Class	Photo	Number of Ships	Notes
OSA-II		6	OSA-II 205ER Missile Boat (Soviet Navy: Project 205 Moskit)^[8]

Fast Torpedo Craft

Small ships or boats designed to fire torpedoes. First used in the Second World War by both the Royal Navy and the Kriegsmarine, FAC's could be used to sink much larger enemy naval ships.

Class	Photo	Number of Ships	Notes
Shershen-class		6	Shershen-class Torpedo Boat (Soviet Navy: Project 206 Shtorm)^[9]

Inland/Coastal Patrol Boats

Small border protection craft often used for anti-piracy, anti-smuggling, and border patrolling. May be designed for use on estuaries and rivers (brown water) or oceanic (blue water) environments.

Class	Photo	Number of Ships	Notes
Argos-class		4	built in Portugal
Aresa PVC-170		5	^[7]
Poluchat-I-class		2
Zhuk-class		1 or 2
Bellatrix-class		4 or 5
Mandume-class		4	^[7]
Patrulheiro-class		3	^[7]
Namacurra-class		2	^[7] harbour patrol boat

On 5 September 2014, the Angolan Minister of Defence João Manuel Lourenço and Brazil's Minister of Defence Celso Amorim signed a Memorandum of Understanding as part of Angola's Naval Power Development Program (PRONAVAL). The MOU specifies that Angola will acquire seven Macaé-class patrol vessel, four to be built in Brazil, and three in Angola. The Brazilian EMGEPRON will have the lead in the project, overseeing the Angolan shipyard and training in addition to overall project management.^[10]

Mine Warfare Craft

Small ship designed for either clearing up minefields or deploying new minefields.

Class	Photo	Number of Ships	Notes
Yevgenya-class		2	Yevgenya-class (Soviet Navy: Project 1258 Korund) minesweeper^[11]

Amphibious Vessels

Ship designed to deploy troops on coasts and beaches during amphibious assault operations.

Class	Photo	Number of Ships	Notes
Polnocny-class		4	Polnocny-class Landing Ship (Soviet Navy: Project 770 (A)/Project 771 (B)) - 1 Polnocny-A Boat, 3 Polnocny-B Boats.^[12]^[13]
Alfange-class		1
Landing Craft Tank		1
LDM-400		9 or 10	9 or 10 Ships.^[7] from US c. 1964

 

An Angolan speed craft

Coastal Defense Equipment

Defensive equipment, both active and passive, used to defend Angola's coasts.

1. SS-C1 Sepal Radar System.

Maritime Patrol Aircraft

Aircraft designed for maritime patrols, often involving anti-ship, anti-submarine, and search and rescue duties.

Aircraft	Manufacturer Origin	Type	Version	Image	Notes
Fokker F27 Friendship	Netherlands	Maritime Reconnaissance	F27 Maritime Enforcer or F27 200-MAR
Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante	Brazil	Maritime Reconnaissance	EMB 111A

References

1. International Institute for Strategic Studies (25 February 2021). The Military Balance 2021. London: Routledge. p. 448. ISBN 9781032012278.
2. . Marinha de Guerra Angolana (in Portuguese). Forças Armadas Angolanas. Archived from the original on 30 June 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
3. . Navy.mil. Archived from the original on 2020-07-13. Retrieved 2013-06-07.
4. "Angola to buy Navy ships". News24. 23 November 2009. Retrieved 2013-12-04.
5. Mendes, Candido (2011-07-14). "Germany Seeks to Sell Patrol Ships to Angola to Modernize, Dos Santos Says". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2013-12-04.
6. "Solución de última hora de la Armada: Angola compra el 'Príncipe de Asturias'". El Confidencial Digital. 2 December 2013.
7. "Angola". DefenceWeb. 2013-02-05. Retrieved 2013-06-07.
8. . Russian-ships.info. Archived from the original on 2013-11-10. Retrieved 2013-06-07.
9. . Russian-ships.info. Archived from the original on 2014-05-12. Retrieved 2013-06-07.
10. Barreira, Victor (17 September 2014). "Angola orders patrol boats from Brazil". Jane's Defence Weekly. 51 (38): 19.
11. . Russian-ships.info. Archived from the original on 2010-11-30. Retrieved 2013-06-07.
12. . Russian-ships.info. Archived from the original on 2010-11-30. Retrieved 2013-06-07.
13. . Russian-ships.info. Archived from the original on 2010-11-30. Retrieved 2013-06-07.