Royal Brunei Navy
Encyclopedia
The Royal Brunei Navy 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
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...

 missions and to deter and defend the Brunei waters against attack mounted by sea-borne forces.

The Royal Brunei Navy was established on 14 June 1965, the second unit created after The Royal Brunei Armed Forces
Royal Brunei Armed Forces
The Royal Brunei Armed Forces was formed on 31 May 1961. Known as the Askar Melayu Brunei, it was honoured with the royal title on 31 May 1965, when the word 'Diraja' was added to the title. It was then known as Askar Melayu Diraja Brunei,...

. 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
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...

). The Royal Brunei Navy has been commanded by First Admiral (L) Hj Abdul Halim bin Hj Abu Hanifah since May 2008.

History

The Royal Brunei Navy was formed on 14 June 1965, four years after the formation of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces
Royal Brunei Armed Forces
The Royal Brunei Armed Forces was formed on 31 May 1961. Known as the Askar Melayu Brunei, it was honoured with the royal title on 31 May 1965, when the word 'Diraja' was added to the title. It was then known as Askar Melayu Diraja Brunei,...

. 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
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...

 in 1961 until 1964. This Boat Section was equipped with a number of aluminium boats, known as Temuai in Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...

 and Fast Assault Boats (FABs).

The role of the Boat Section was solely to provide transportation of infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...

 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.

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 Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...

ans, led by a qualified Commanding Officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...

. In the same year, the strength of the Boat Company was enhanced with Hovercraft
Hovercraft
A hovercraft is a craft capable of traveling over surfaces while supported by a cushion of slow moving, high-pressure air which is ejected against the surface below and contained within a "skirt." Although supported by air, a hovercraft is not considered an aircraft.Hovercraft are used throughout...

 Vessels type SR.N5, followed by SR.N6 in 1968.

The first Fast Patrol Craft
Fast Patrol Craft
Patrol Craft Fast , also known as Swift Boats, were all-aluminum, long, shallow-draft vessels operated by the U.S. Navy, initially to patrol the coastal areas and later for work in the interior waterways as part of the Brown Water Navy to interdict Vietcong movement of arms and munitions,...

 vessel was accepted in 1968 and named KDB Pahlawan. It became the first Flag Ship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...

 for the Boat Company.

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
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...

). It was one of the larger branches of Askar Melayu DiRaja Brunei. During that time, the estimated workforce strength of Angkatan Laut Pertama, Askar Melayu DiRaja Brunei was 42 personnel including an officer, while assets consisted of one Fast Patrol Craft Vessel, 3 River Patrol Boats, 2 Hovercraft Vessels, Fast Assault Boats, a few Long Boats and Temuai (aluminium boats).

In 1971, Angkatan Laut Pertama, Askar Melayu DiRaja Brunei received two more Coastal Patrol Craft
Patrol boat
A patrol boat is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defense duties.There have been many designs for patrol boats. They may be operated by a nation's navy, coast guard, or police force, and may be intended for marine and/or estuarine or river environments...

, the KDB Saleha and the KDB Masna.

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
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...

 after independence
Independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....

 from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

.

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
    Exclusive Economic Zone
    Under the law of the sea, an exclusive economic zone is a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources, including production of energy from water and wind. It stretches from the seaward edge of the state's territorial sea out to 200 nautical...

  • Maritime Search & Rescue operations
  • Support of units of the RBAF
    Royal Brunei Armed Forces
    The Royal Brunei Armed Forces was formed on 31 May 1961. Known as the Askar Melayu Brunei, it was honoured with the royal title on 31 May 1965, when the word 'Diraja' was added to the title. It was then known as Askar Melayu Diraja Brunei,...

     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:
  • Fleet
  • Administration
  • Training
  • Logistics

Current fleet

The current fleet of the Royal Brunei Navy is as follows:
Class or name Builder Type Quantity Year Entered ServiceDetails Ships
Darussalam Class Lurssen Werft Offshore Patrol Vessel 3 2011 80 meter Offshore patrol vessel ordered from Lurssen Werft
Bofors 57mm, '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
Exocet
The Exocet is a French-built anti-ship missile whose various versions can be launched from surface vessels, submarines, helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. Hundreds were fired in combat during the 1980s.-Etymology:...

 MM40
06 Darussalam
07 Darulehsan
08 Darulaman
Itjihad Class Lurssen Werft Corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...

4 2010 41 meter patrol vessel ordered from Lurssen Werft, Rheinmetall MLG 27, 'A' position 17 Itjihad
18 Berkat
19 Syafaat
20 Afiat
Waspada Class
Waspada class fast attack craft
The Waspada class is a class of fast attack craft that was built for the Royal Brunei Navy by Vosper Thornycroft in the late 1970s. Three vessels were built, and as of 2009 all three remain in service....

by Vosper Thornycroft guided missile
Guided Missile
Guided Missile is a London based independent record label set up by Paul Kearney in 1994.Guided Missile has always focused on 'the underground', preferring to put out a steady flow of releases and developing the numerous GM events around London and beyond....

 Patrol Craft
Patrol boat
A patrol boat is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defense duties.There have been many designs for patrol boats. They may be operated by a nation's navy, coast guard, or police force, and may be intended for marine and/or estuarine or river environments...

3 1978–1979 206 tons full load - 2 MM38 Exocet
Exocet
The Exocet is a French-built anti-ship missile whose various versions can be launched from surface vessels, submarines, helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. Hundreds were fired in combat during the 1980s.-Etymology:...

, 30mm BMARC-Oerlikon GCM-B01 AA and 2 7.62mm machine guns; modernized 1990s; To be paid off once the Darussalam Class comes into service, Waspada and the Pejuang are to be donated to Indonesia as training vessels and renamed as KRI Salawaku 642 and KRI Badau 643.
P02 Waspada
P03 Pejuang
P04 Seteria
Perwira Class Vosper Thornycraft inshore Patrol Boats
Patrol boat
A patrol boat is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defense duties.There have been many designs for patrol boats. They may be operated by a nation's navy, coast guard, or police force, and may be intended for marine and/or estuarine or river environments...

3 1974-75 Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

-built variant of Malaysian PX Class police boats; wooden hull; 1 ship decommissioned 1996; armed with 20mm BMARC-Oerlikon B01 AA and 2 7.62mm machine guns; To be replaced by Itjihad Class
KDB Perwira
KDB Penyerang
KDB Pemburu
Serasa Class Transfield Shipbuilding of Western Australia Amphibious Warfare
Amphibious warfare
Amphibious warfare is the use of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to project military power ashore. In previous eras it stood as the primary method of delivering troops to non-contiguous enemy-held terrain...

 Craft (LCM)
2 August 1996 armed with 2 x 20mm 90 caliber Oerlikon GAM B01 AA and 2 x 7.62mm machine guns L33 Serasa
L34 Teraban
2 × Teraban Class Cheverton, Cowes Landing Craft Utility
Landing craft
Landing craft are boats and seagoing vessels used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...

 (Loadmaster class LCM)
2 1976-77 unarmed and carries 30 tons of cargo L31 Damuam
L32 Puni
? ? small armed riverine patrol boat 17 armed with 7.62 mm machine gun; Used by the Special Combat Squadron; 4 retired ?
YFL Cheverton, Cowes Support Launch
Launch (boat)
A launch in contemporary usage refers to a large motorboat. The name originally referred to the largest boat carried by a warship. The etymology of the word is given as Portuguese lancha "barge", from Malay lancha, lancharan, "boat," from lanchar "velocity without effort," "action of gliding...

1 1982 used as tug and dive tender Burong Nuri
Bendeharu Class PT Pal, Surabaya   patrol boat 3 delivered 1991 12.7mm machine guns; used by marine police P01 Benderharu
P22 Maharajalela
P23 Kemaindera
14.5 metre class patrol boats Singapore SB and Engineering patrol boat 7 1987 armed with 7.62mm 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 SB & Engineering patrol boat 11 1987 used by marine police PDB01
PDB02
PDB03
PDB04
PDB05
PDB06
PDB07
PDB08
PDB09
PDB10
PDB11
FDB 512 class Rotork Marine patrol boats 2 ? armed with 7.62mm 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 defense force tasked with patrolling Bruneian waters and defending the offshore oil industry. It is currently undergoing a large-scale modernization, with the upgrading of the Muara
Muara, Brunei
Muara is a town in the Brunei and Muara district, Brunei. It contains the country's only deep-water port. Muara is the Malay word for estuary.-Location:...

 Naval Base
Naval base
A naval base is a military base, where warships and naval ships are deployed when they have no mission at sea or want to restock. Usually ships may also perform some minor repairs. Some naval bases are temporary homes to aircraft that usually stay on the ships but are undergoing maintenance while...

 and the purchase of 3 British-built Corvettes from BAE Systems Naval Ships
BAE Systems Naval Ships
BAE Systems Surface Fleet Solutions was a wholly owned subsidiary of BAE Systems, based at two shipyards on the River Clyde in Glasgow and BAE Systems' Filton offices...

, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. The contract was awarded to GEC-Marconi in 1995 and the Nakhoda Ragam class OPV
Nakhoda Ragam class OPV
The Nakhoda Ragam class is a class of corvette offshore patrol vessels originally built for the Royal Brunei Navy and named after the lead ship of the class, in turn named after a legendary Malay seafarer...

s were launched in January 2001, June 2001 and June 2002 at the then BAE Systems Marine
BAE Systems Marine
BAE Systems Marine Ltd. was the shipbuilding subsidiary of BAE Systems, formed in 1999, which manufactured the full range of naval ships; nuclear submarines, frigates, destroyers, amphibious ships....

 yard at Scotstoun. These have been completed but have not been delivered from BAE Systems Naval Ships
BAE Systems Naval Ships
BAE Systems Surface Fleet Solutions was a wholly owned subsidiary of BAE Systems, based at two shipyards on the River Clyde in Glasgow and BAE Systems' Filton offices...

 in Scotstoun
Scotstoun
Scotstoun is a historic district of Glasgow, Scotland, west of Glasgow City Centre. It is bounded by Yoker and Knightswood to the west, Victoria Park, Broomhill and Whiteinch to the east, Jordanhill to the north and the River Clyde to the south...

 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
Exocet
The Exocet is a French-built anti-ship missile whose various versions can be launched from surface vessels, submarines, helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. Hundreds were fired in combat during the 1980s.-Etymology:...

 anti-ship missile
Anti-ship missile
Anti-ship missiles are guided missiles that are designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea-skimming type, many use a combination of inertial guidance and radar homing...

s and MBDA Seawolf
Sea Wolf missile
Sea Wolf is a naval guided missile system designed and built by BAC, later to become British Aerospace Dynamics . It is an automated point-defence weapon system designed as a final line of defence against both sea-skimming and high angle anti-ship missiles and aircraft...

 surface to air missiles. The contract dispute is the subject of arbitration
Arbitration
Arbitration, a form of alternative dispute resolution , is a legal technique for the resolution of disputes outside the courts, where the parties to a dispute refer it to one or more persons , by whose decision they agree to be bound...

. 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. In 2007, Brunei contracted the German Lürssen
Lürssen
Lürssen is a German shipbuilding company based in Bremen-Vegesack.Lürssen designs and constructs yachts, naval ships and special vessels...

 ship yard to find a new customer for the three ships, as of 03/05/2011 the vessels remain unsold and laid up at Barrow-in-Furness
Port of Barrow
The Port of Barrow refers to the enclosed dock system within the town of Barrow-in-Furness, England. Morecambe Bay is to the east of the port and the Irish Sea surrounds it to the south and west...

.

Muara Naval Base

The administration of Angkatan Laut Pertama, Askar Melayu DiRaja Brunei moved to a new base at Jalan Tanjong Pelumpong Muara
Muara
Muara means Estuary in the Malay and Indonesian language, and is a name given to several locations in Southeast Asia.* Muara, Brunei is a town in the Brunei-Muara District, Brunei...

 in 1974. This base is now known as the Muara Naval Base
Muara
Muara means Estuary in the Malay and Indonesian language, and is a name given to several locations in Southeast Asia.* Muara, Brunei is a town in the Brunei-Muara District, Brunei...

. The Muara Naval Base serves as the headquarters of the Royal Brunei Navy. The Naval Base was expanded in 1997 to include facilities to support three offshore support vessels. Muara Naval Base is frequently visited by foreign warships, most notable are the frequent visits by Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 ships.

Joint Exercises and Training

The Royal Brunei Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy
Republic of Singapore Navy
The Republic of Singapore Navy is the naval component of the Singapore Armed Forces , responsible for the defence of Singapore against sea-borne threats and protection of its sea lines of communications. Operating within the crowded littoral waters of the Singapore Strait, the RSN is regarded as...

 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
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, Malaysia, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

, UK and United States of America.

Exercise SEAGULL 03-07, which was held in Brunei from 2 to 10 September 2007 between the Royal Brunei Navy and their Philippine Navy
Philippine Navy
The Philippine Navy is the naval arm of the Armed Forces of the Philippines . Its official name in Filipino is Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas, literally, "Sea Force of the Philippines"....

 counterparts. Participating ships include the Philippine Navy corvette BRP Rizal (PS-74)
BRP Rizal (PS-74)
The BRP Rizal is the first of two Rizal class ships in service with the Philippine Navy. She is formerly an ex-USN Auk class minesweeper that were produced during World War II, and is now classified as a patrol corvette protecting the vast waters of the Philippines...

 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.

See also

  • Royal Brunei Armed Forces
    Royal Brunei Armed Forces
    The Royal Brunei Armed Forces was formed on 31 May 1961. Known as the Askar Melayu Brunei, it was honoured with the royal title on 31 May 1965, when the word 'Diraja' was added to the title. It was then known as Askar Melayu Diraja Brunei,...

  • Royal Brunei Air Force
    Royal Brunei Air Force
    The Royal Brunei Air Force or Tentera Udara Diraja Brunei as it is known by its Malay name, is the air force of the sultanate of Brunei. It is mainly based at the Rimba Air Base within the Brunei International Airport...

  • Royal Brunei Land Forces
    Royal Brunei Land Forces
    The Royal Brunei Land Forces is the land component of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces...

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