Royal Brunei Navy

This article is about the Royal Navy of Brunei. For other Royal Navies, see Royal Navy (disambiguation).

Royal Brunei Navy
Tentera Laut Diraja Brunei
Founded	14 June 1965
Country	Brunei
Type	Navy
Part of	Royal Brunei Armed Forces
Headquarters	Muara Base, Muara
Anniversaries	14 June
Website	http://www.navy.mindef.gov.bn/Theme/Home.aspx
Commanders
Commander of Royal Brunei Navy	First Admiral Spry bin Haji Serudi @ Seruji
Insignia
Naval Ensign

The Royal Brunei Navy (Template:Lang-ms, abbreviated TLDB) 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 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. 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). The Royal Brunei Navy has been commanded by First Admiral Pg Dato Seri Pahlawan Norazmi Pg Hj Muhammad since 13 March 2015.

History

The Royal Brunei Navy was formed on 14 June 1965, four years after the formation of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces. 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 in 1961 until 1964. This Boat Section was equipped with a number of aluminium boats, known as Temuai in Malay and Fast Assault Boats (FABs). The role of the Boat Section was solely to provide transportation of infantry 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 Bruneians, led by a qualified commanding officer. In the same year, the strength of the Boat Company was enhanced with hovercraft vessels type SR.N5, followed by SR.N6 in 1968.

The first fast patrol craft was accepted in 1968 and named KDB Pahlawan. It became the first flagship 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). It was one of the larger branches of Royal Brunei Malay Regiment. During that time, the estimated strength of Angkatan Laut Pertama, Askar Melayu DiRaja Brunei was 42 personnel including an officer, while assets consisted of one fast patrol craft, 3 river patrol boats, 2 hovercraft vessels, fast assault boats, a few long boats and Temuai (aluminium boats).

In 1971, the First Sea Battalion received two more coastal patrol craft, KDB Saleha and KDB Masna.

The First Sea Battalion was reorganised again on 1 October 1991 as the Royal Brunei Navy due to the growth of the armed forces in Brunei after independence from the United Kingdom.

In 2019, the RBN unveiled the Digital Disruptive Pattern BDU in digital blue colors at the 58th anniversary celebration at the Bolkiah Garrison.

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
• Maritime Search & Rescue operations
• Support of units of the RBAF 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

Ships of Royal Brunei Navy

See also: List of Royal Brunei Navy ships

The current fleet of the Royal Brunei Navy is as follows:

Class or name	Image	Builder	Type	Year entered service	Details	Ships
Template:Sclass-		Lürssen Werft, Bremen-Vegesack, Germany	Offshore patrol vessel	2011-2014	80-meter (260 ft) OPV ordered from Lürssen Werft. Armament : 1 × Bofors 57 mm Mk3 2 x Oerlikon 20mm/85 KAA 4 × Exocet MM40 Block 3	06 Darussalam 07 Darulehsan 08 Darulaman 09 Daruttaqwa
Itjihad class		Lürssen Werft, Bremen-Vegesack, Germany	Inshore patrol vessel	2010	41-meter (135 ft) PV ordered from Lürssen Werft. Armament : 1 x Rheinmetall MLG 27 mm gun 2 x 7.62 mm machine gun	17 Itjihad 18 Berkat 19 Syafaat 20 Afiat
Mustaed class		Marinteknik Shipyard Tuas, Singapore	Fast attack craft	2011	27-meter (89 ft) FAC based on Lürssen Werft FIB25-012 design. Built in Singapore. Armament : 2 x 7.62 mm machine gun.	21 Mustaed
Template:Sclass-		Vosper Thornycroft, Singapore	Fast attack craft	1978–1979	37-meter (121 ft) FAC ordered from Vosper Thornycroft. Total of 3 ships. 1 in Brunei service and 2 donated to Indonesia. Armament : 2 x Oerlikon 30 mm GCM-BO1 2 Aérospatiale Exocet MM38 (removed)	P02 Waspada (Indonesia) P03 Pejuang (Indonesia) P04 Seteria
Serasa class		Transfield Shipbuilding, Henderson, Australia	Amphibious warfare craft (LCM)	1996	Armament : 2 x 20 mm/90 calibre Oerlikon GAM B01 AA * 2 x 7.62 mm machine guns	L33 Serasa L34 Teraban
Damuan class		Cheverton Workboats, Cowes England	Landing craft utility	1976-1977	Unarmed and carries 30 tons of cargo	L31 Damuam L32 Puni
KH-27 class		Brunei	Inshore Patrol boat	2018	Armament : 3 x 7.62 mm machine gun	BT01-TD BT02-TD BT03-TD BT04-TD BT05-TD
14.5-metre class		Singapore Shipbuilding and Engineering, Singapore	Inshore Patrol boat	1987	Used by Marine Police. Armament : 7.62 mm machine guns	PDB11 PDB12 PDB13 PDB14 PDB15 PDB63 PDB68
PDB 0-1 class		Singapore Shipbuilding and Engineering, Singapore	Inshore Patrol boat	1987	Used by Marine Police	PDB01 PDB02 PDB03 PDB04 PDB05 PDB06 PDB07 PDB08 PDB09 PDB10 PDB11
YFL		Cheverton Boatworks, Cowes, England	Support launch	1982	Used as tug and dive tender	Burong Nuri
FDB 512 class		Rotork Marine, Bath, Somerset England	Inshore Patrol boat	1978 (Inactive)	Armament : 7.62 mm machine guns	S24 Behagia S26 Selmat
Bendeharu class		PT Pal Batam Shipbuilder, Surabaya, Indonesia	Inshore Patrol boat	1966 (Inactive)	Used by Marine Police. Armament : 12.7 mm machine guns	P21 Benderharu P22 Maharajalela P23 Kemaindera
Perwira class		Vosper Thornycroft, Portsmouth, England	Inshore patrol boat	1974-1975 (Inactive)	Singapore-built variant of Malaysian PX class police boats. 1 ship decommissioned in 1996. Armament : 1 x 20 mm BMARC-Oerlikon B01 AA 2 x 7.62 mm machine guns	P14 Perwira P15 Penyerang P16 Pemburu
Saleha class		Vosper Thornycroft, Portsmouth, England	Inshore Patrol boat	1971 (Inactive)	Armament : 2 x 7.62 mm machine guns	P11 Saleha P12 Masna
Pahlawan class		Vosper & Company, Portchester, England	Fast Attack Craft	1966 (Inactive)	Armament : 1 x Mk.38 Mod 2.25mm gun	P01 Pahlawan
Saunders Roe class		Westland, England	Hovercraft	1966-1968 (Inactive)	Unarmed	SR.N5 SR.N6

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)

Historical equipment

Pahlawan-class patrol boat

• • KDB Pahlawan P-01 (Brunei’s first Patrol Boat)
  • KDB Bakti

F2000 (Nakhoda Ragam-class) corvettes

Main article: Bung Tomo-class corvette

KDB Nakhoda Ragam (28) on the River Clyde on 14 July 2007.

The Royal Brunei Navy is currently undergoing a large-scale modernisation, with the upgrading of the Muara Naval Base and the purchase of 3 British-built corvettes from BAE Systems Naval Ships, Scotland. The contract was awarded to GEC-Marconi in 1995 and the Nakhoda Ragam class OPVs were launched in January 2001, June 2001 and June 2002 at the then BAE Systems Marine yard at Scotstoun. These have been completed but have not been delivered from BAE Systems Naval Ships in Scotstoun 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 anti-ship missiles and MBDA Seawolf surface-to-air missiles. The contract dispute is the subject of arbitration. 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 ship yard to find a new customer for the three ships, as of 3 May 2011 the vessels remain unsold and laid up at Barrow-in-Furness.

These ships have been purchased by the Indonesian Navy and renamed the Bung Tomo class.

Nakhoda Ragam-class Corvettes

Pennant Number	Name	Builder	Launched	Commissioned	Status
28 (358)	KDB Nakhoda Ragam KRI John Lie	BAE Systems Marine, Scotstoun, Scotland	13 January 2001	18 July 2014	Commissioned (Indonesia)
29 (359)	KDB Bendahara Sakam KRI Usman Harun	BAE Systems Marine, Scotstoun, Scotland	23 January 2001	18 July 2014	Commissioned (Indonesia)
30 (357)	KDB Jerambak KRI Bung Tomo	BAE Systems Marine, Scotstoun, Scotland	22 June 2002	11 July 2014	Commissioned (Indonesia)

Muara Naval Base

The administration of First Sea Battalion moved to a new base at Jalan Tanjong Pelumpong Muara in 1974. This base is now known as the Muara Naval Base. The Muara Naval Base serves as the headquarters of the Royal Brunei Navy. It 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 British Royal Navy ships. Persekutuan Pengakap Negara Brunei Darussalam visits the Naval base sometimes too.

Joint exercises and training

The Royal Brunei Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy 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, Brazil, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, 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 counterparts. Participating ships include the Philippine Navy corvette BRP Rizal (PS-74) 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.

Museum

KDB Maharajalela (P-22) is on display at Muzium Angkatan Bersenjata Diraja Brunei or Royal Brunei Armed Forces Museum, Bandar Seri Begawan.

Future orders

De-commissioned landing craft will be replaced by an as-yet-unidentified class of six heavy landing craft.

Gallery

• Royal Brunei Navy Gallery
• 
  Royal Brunei Navy Emblem
• 
  U.S. Navy divers suit up Chief Warrant Officer Superapto Suaji during CARAT 2002 on May 8, 2002.
• 
  Royal Brunei Navy divers are lowered from rescue and salvage ship USNS Safeguard (ARS-50) during familiarization dives on August 8, 2005.
• 
  KDB Nakhoda Ragam (28), KDB Bendahara Sakam (29) and KDB Jerambak (30) sitting outside BAE Scotstoun, Scotland on September 2, 2007.
• 
  Royal Brunei Navy personally salute stance as USS Jarrett (FFG-33) pulls into Muara Port, Brunei during CARAT 2007.
• 
  Members of the Brunei Special Forces rush towards the pilot house of USS Howard (DDG 83) during a visit, board, search and seizure exercise on Aug 18, 2008.
• 
  US Coast Guard directs Royal Brunei Navy Personal aboard USS Crommelin (FFG-37) during CARAT 2009.
• 
  USS Crommelin (FFG-37) crews played a game of Futsal with Royal Brunei Navy personal during CARAT 2009.
• 
  A Royal Brunei Navy sailor watch as Passage way aboard USCG Mellon (WHEC-717) during CARAT 2010.
• 
  US Navy sailors guiding Royal Brunei Navy Personals on Damage Control aboard USS Dewey (DDG-105) during CARAT 2011.
• 
  Royal Brunei Navy members exit across the bow of USS Dewey (DDG-105) during CARAT 2011.
• 
  USS Rodney M. Davies (FFG-60) alongside KDB Darulaman (OPV-8) during CARAT 2014.
• 
  INS Satpura (F-48) docked at Muara Naval Base, Brunei on 26 November 2017.

See also

• Royal Brunei Armed Forces
• Royal Brunei Air Force
• Royal Brunei Land Forces