Frag Out! Magazine

Frag Out! Magazine #25

Frag Out! Magazine

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ultimately handed off to the Navy. As the future has shown, the aforesaid schedule also did not stand the test of time. Ślązak went out for the first time on 14th November 2018, with the sea trials lasting until the end of January 2019, over the course of which propulsion system, NBC protection and firefighting systems were all put to the test. The foreign ex- perts were supervising the tests of navigation and communi- cation suites. Also, the first tests of the combat system and armament began, including the first fire tests with the use of training rounds. The Polish engineers, supported by the for- eign experts, were also repairing minor faults of the systems onboard. The SAT stage was finalized in late January. It was on 28th January when the handing off tests began. MOD is responsible for complex assessment of the status of the systems onboard the vessel. For that reason, members of the hand off committee formed by the Armament Inspec- torate can be spotted onboard. The experts check whether the vessel is capable of carrying all the tasks defined within the test schedule. The whole propulsion system has been t e s t e d , along with auxil- iary systems and general systems such as the safety equip- ment and both rigid inflatable boats. More live fire tests were carried out, communication and cryptography elements of the combat system were verified in collaboration with the Navy. Air Force's and Navy Aviation Brigade's aircraft were working with Ślązak as well. F-16 jets and Bryza aircraft made it possible to verify, in a complex Thales Netherlands was chosen on 12th December 2013 as contractor. Another agreement signed on that date covered the delivery of an integrated navigation suite and integrated comms suite. These elements were to be delivered by Enam- or. As the agreements concerning the remaining electronics were being signed, finishing works on the hull. Launching of the vessel and christening ceremony happening in July 2015 were to highlight the work progress. It was estimated that the work would be finalized by the end of 2016, in line with the annex signed. However, this did not happen. During 2016 the shipyard was working on combat and com- munication systems: armament, sensors, antennas for radio and satellite communications, navigation systems and CIC / radio rooms equipment. Ultimately, the trials began a year later. The HAT (Harbor Ac- ceptance Tests) trials began in August 2017 and were to last for 4-6 months. Following the aforesaid stage were the SAT (Sea Acceptance Test) processes that were to take another few months. The last stage would come in a form of hand-off tests that, if finalized positively, would result in handing off the vessel to the Navy. All of the above was being hampered by the property changes at the SMW shipyard. The compa- ny was transferred from the insolvency administrator to the new owner, the PGZ. And this fact hampered and delayed the whole process to a significant extent. PGZ, PGZ Naval Shipyard and the Armament Inspectorate signed an agreement ultimately on 29th June 2018, aimed at finalizing the work and sea trials of the Ślązak. The new plan assumed that HATs would continue in July 2018, with SATs and hand-off procedures to follow. Then the vessel was to be www.fragoutmag.com

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