December 27, 2017:
In November Bangladesh commissioned (put into service) two locally built Durjoy class corvettes. This was fast as the first one was launched 11 months ago and the second one followed five months later. It took the Bangladesh shipyard 24 months to build this pair of ships, using a combination of locally obtained and imported Chinese components. Each ship cost $96 million, which was 25 percent cheaper that the two Chinese built Durjoys Bangladesh already had. These two were built in China according to Bangladeshi specifications and entered service in 2013.
The Durjoys are based on the Chinese Type 056 corvettes; 1,500 ton ships that have performed very well since the first one entered service in 2013 and 40 are already in service or on order for China. The Durjoys are 650 ton vessels that are obviously smaller (and cheaper) than the Type 056 but have the same size crew (60) and similar, but fewer, weapons. These include two C-704 anti-ship missiles, one 76mm gun, two 20mm autocannon and two six tube launchers for ASW rockets. Top speed is 50 kilometers an hour and max endurance is 15 days. The Durovs are built for coastal patrol but also have some ability to detect and attack submarines.
The Durjoys are part of process that began in 2011 when Bangladesh bought seven 250 ton patrol boats from China. Two were built in China and the rest Bangladesh. These 30 meter (93 foot) vessels are part of a continuing effort to rebuild the Bangladeshi Navy at a cost (as low as possible) that Bangladesh can afford. Most other nations in the region are also building their own warships. This includes India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia. With projects like the Durjoys China demonstrated that their project management technology is also exportable and capable of enabling local shipyards to produce modern warships quickly, cheaply and to the same standards as the Chinese. These techniques were used to build the new Chinese aircraft carrier in record time and similar performance building destroyers and amphibious ships designed along Western lines.
