Valour class frigate
From Free net encyclopedia
The South African Valour class frigates are the major surface ships of the South African Navy. The German manufacturer designates them as the MEKO A-200SAN class, member of its MEKO family of naval ships. They are built to a stealthy design, through the extensive use of "X-form" structure design in which right angles and vertical surfaces are avoided and techniques to reduce the infrared signature, such as exiting the exhaust below the waterline. Blohm + Voss, the designers, claim the class has the radar cross section of a vessel half its size, 75% less infrared signature than previous designs as well as a 20% lower life cycle cost, 25% less displacement and 30% fewer crew.
Contents |
Ships of the class
| ship name | Builder | laid down | launched | delivered | in service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAS Amatola (F145) | Blohm + Voss Hamburg | 2 Aug 2001 | 6 Jun 2002 | 2003 | 2006 |
| SAS Isandlwana (F146) | Howaldtswerke Kiel | 26 Oct 2001 | 5 Dec 2002 | 2004 | — |
| SAS Spioenkop (F147) | Blohm + Voss Hamburg | 28 Feb 2002 | 2 Aug 2003 | 2004 | — |
| SAS Mendi (F148) | Howaldtswerke Kiel | 28 Jun 2002 | Oct 2003 | 2004 | — |
Specifications
Length, overall: 121 m
Length, waterline: 107,3 m
Beam, overall: 16,34 m
Max displacement: 3 700 tons
Draught, navigation: 5,95 m
Crew (incl helicopter): 124
Propulsion: CODAG WARP: (2 diesel engines 5920 kW each, 2 shafts for cruise; 1 gas turbine 20000 kW, 1 waterjet)
Speed (CODAG): About 30 knots
Speed, 1 x diesel only: 18 knots
Speed, 2 x diesels only: 23 knots
Speed, gas turbine only: 25 knots
Max Speed: 27 knots
Range at 16 knots: Over 8 000 nautical miles
Endurance (stores): 28 days
Note: CODAG WARP: COmbined Diesel And Gas turbine and Waterjet And Refined Propellors.
History
The four Valour class frigates are a German design by the firm Blohm + Voss, designated as MEKO A-200SAN by the shipbuilders, and are part of Blohm + Voss's MEKO series of frigates. Similar ships are being built in Poland for the Polish Navy.
They are/were built by Blohm + Voss shipyards in Germany, two in Hamburg and the other two in Kiel.
Armament
Each of the Valour class ships has the following armament:
- One Otobreda 76 mm gun.
- Two 35 mm LIW (Denel) 35DPG dual purpose twin-barreled guns.
- Two Oerlikon 20 mm guns.
- Eight MBDA MM 40 Exocet Block 2 surface-to-surface missiles (mounted in two four-cell launchers).
- Sixteen Umkhonto surface-to-air missiles (mounted in two eight-cell vertical launch systems).
- Torpedoes using two twin 324mm tubes (i.e. four tubes in total).
Each vessel will also carry a Westland Super Lynx medium-sized helicopter.
However, the flexibility of the hangar and flight-deck design enables a wide range of helicopter options to fit requirements, such as: 2 Westland Super Lynx helicopters (sea state 6 day and night operation); or 1 Westland Super Lynx plus 2 drone UAVs; or 1 Atlas Oryx (sea state 5 day and night operation); or 1 Rooivalk (sea state 5 day and night operation).