Algerian National Navy

The Algerian National Navy (القوات البحرية الجزائرية) is the naval branch of the Military of Algeria. The navy operates from multiple bases along the country's nearly 1000 km coastline, fulfilling its primary role of monitoring and defending Algeria's territorial waters against all foreign military or economic intrusion. Additional missions include coast guard and maritime safety missions as well a projection of marine forces (fusillers marins). Algerian forces are an important player in the Western Mediterranean and are the largest African naval force in that sea zone.

As with other Algerian military branches, the navy was built and structured with assistance from the Soviet Union during the Cold War, but has also relied on other sources for equipment in some areas. Since the end of the Cold War, Russia has remained an important partner, but Algeria has increasingly sought additional sources for equipment as well as building its own shipbuilding capacity.

Bases
Principal naval bases are located at Algiers, Annaba, Mers el-Kebir, Oran, Skikda and Tamentfoust. Mers el Kébir is home to the OMCN/CNE shipbuilding facilities where several Algerian vessels have been built. Algeria's naval academy at Tamentfoust provides officer training equivalent to that of the army and the air force academies. The navy also operates a technical training school for its personnel at Tamentfoust.

Equipment
The bulk of the Algerian Navy is still based on Cold War designs, although work is being done to both acquire new platforms as well as modernize existing equipment. The surface fleet is equipped with a mixture of smaller ships well suited to coastal and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) patrol work. The fleet is led by three Koni class frigates which have been updated with more modern systems. These are due to be augmented in the coming years by a pair of MEKO A-200 frigates which will represent the most modern equipment of the navy when they enter service. A mixture of six corvettes and off-shore patrol vessels complement the frigates, while a large number of smaller boats cover the role of coastal patrol. Algeria had maintained a relatively large fleet of Osa class fast attack craft by the end of the Cold War, but it is questionable whether any of these remain in operational use.

Algeria has had a small submarine presence in the Mediterranean with a pair of Kilo class patrol submarines, though the recent acquisition of an additional two upgraded boats will expand this presence significantly. Their amphibious warfare capacity has traditionally been limited with a small group of landing ships essentially for coastal transport roles. This capacity will be greatly upgraded with the planned acquisition of an amphibious transport dock capable of supporting more robust operations. In the area of civil support, the purchase of seagoing rescue tugs will mark the first ability of an African nation to provide valuable services to economic and commercial operators in the Western Mediterranean.

The Algerian military has long maintained a strong veil of secrecy over its organization and equipment, making an exact accounting of operational vessels difficult to ascertain. Open sources are known to vary widely in their reports of several aspects of Algerian equipment.

Modernization
The Navy is upgrading itself with thefollowing technological developments. The existing units were modernized, the submarine force strengthened by two new Kilo class submarines(last generation).


 * 2 Kilo class submarines ordered in 2012
 * 3 Unknown Chinese light frigates 2 800 tons fully loaded, powered by MTU diesel engines ordered in 2012.

Munitions
Anti-ship Missiles
 * RBS-15 Mk. III
 * SS-N-25
 * C-802
 * SSC-3 Styx
 * 3M-14E
 * SS-N-2C