Lobito: The Angolan Navy will have its first corvette by the end of this year to bolster the defense and security of the national maritime coast, announced Minister of State and Head of the Military House of the President of the Republic Francisco Pereira Furtado on Monday in Lobito (Benguela).
According to Angola Press News Agency, the minister said the large vessel is an investment that adds to others that the Angolan state is making to ensure the security of its maritime coast. Speaking at the inauguration of a ship for the assembly, repair, and maintenance of Angolan Navy equipment at the Lobito Naval Shipyard, the minister of State said that there is also a plan to equip the sector with aerial surveillance capabilities.
Furtado stated that two CASA C295 aircraft arrived in the country in October of last year to equip the sector in close coordination with the National Air Force. "The Navy is now capable of guaranteeing the defense of our territorial waters with the combined surveillance system and repeater antennas off our coast. This system will allow for coordinated active surveillance between the resources of the regional and national surveillance centers, giving greater sustainability to this national security project," the minister said.
He added that this will be complemented by other technological resources, such as the Integrated Public Security Center (CISP), as well as other resources that will soon arrive in the country. Furtado also mentioned other ongoing and completed projects within the Navy at the national level, such as the maritime coordination and surveillance centers. He added that, in addition to the centers in Luanda and Soyo, which are complete, the centers in Lobito and Namibe are in the final stages of completion.
He emphasized that the maritime surveillance antenna centers and repeater antennas for communication and surveillance linking the various sectors are in the final stages of completion. He added that the world is facing geopolitical and geostrategic challenges that require each country to develop its own defense capabilities. He noted that Angola has a 1,600-kilometer coastline and an exclusive economic zone of approximately 200 nautical miles.
Furtado underscored that this situation led the Angolan government to outline a program to acquire equipment for the National Navy to enable it to meet the challenges of defending the seas and the Angolan coastline. He said this strategy includes creating conditions for the country to secure the protection of its coastline and that projects in the defense sector will extend to the air force and army branches as well.
