The Slovenian Navy is one of the smallest among European countries. The Slovenian fleet has only 130 servicemen and two naval units: the Israeli-made Super Dvora MkII patrol boat and the russian-made Triglav patrol ship belonging to Project 10412 Svetlyak class.
How Slovenia got Triglav from russia is a separate interesting story. But first, let's start with the fact that the Slovenian Navy has commenced a large-scale modernization program for this patrol ship, Janes reports.
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In February 2024, the Slovenian military signed a contract with Desan, a Turkish shipbuilding company, for a full update of the on-board life support systems of the Triglav ship, including the ventilation and fire extinguishing systems. In addition, a contract was also concluded with the Croatian shipyard Iskra to upgrade the weapons systems, in particular, a new 30mm automatic gun will be installed.
Lastly, in early June 2024, the Slovenian Navy strikes the third deal with Hensoldt for the complete replacement of the electronic component on the Triglav ship. This contract encompasses integration of the Lyncea combat management system, the L22 data link, the Kelvin Hughes Mk11 SharpEye radar, and the GMJ9 jamming system.
As for the story of how Slovenia received its only patrol ship from russia, here's how it happened. Among the debts that the russian federation inherited from the Soviet Union was, particularly, a debt of USD 121 million to Slovenia as a country that arose after the breakup of Yugoslavia. As an alternative to a $35-million part in repayment, the russian government offered the Slovenians to build a patrol ship. It was laid down in September 2008 and handed over to the customer in November 2010.
But if we further analyze the specifications of the Triglav ship, it is possible that the russian side significantly overestimated the cost of its construction:
- hull dimensions: 49.5 meters in length and 9.2 meters wide;
- loaded displacement: 375 tons;
- maximum speed and operational range: up to 32 knots, within 2,200 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 13 knots;
- crew capacity and endurance: up to 40 people sailing for up to 10 days;
- armament: one 30mm AK-630M gun mount, two 30mm AK-306M gun mounts, two 14.5mm machine gun mounts, two missile launchers each carrying three Shturm-V guided missiles, 16 Igla MANPADS.
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