The Spanish Navy.A Navy with a lot of history.A navy which ruled the Atlantic Ocean for many years and a navy that was a pain in the [edited]for the British.Today the Spanish Navy is a medium-size ,modern and balanced Navy with proven response capability in any scenario where its presence is required.The Spanish Navy has 12 Frigates.The Santa Maria Class ,based on the US Navy Oliver Hazzard Perry Class...and the Alvaro de Bazán class.
Today I will talk about the classifacation problem of the Alvaro de Bazán class.
But first ,what is a Alvaro de Bazán class frigate?
This "frigates" (ill explain the " " later) are are a new class of Aegis Combat system,AN/SPY1-based air defence "frigates" serving the Spanish navy.They own five of them,all of them named after important spanish sailors:
Álvaro de Bazán (2002)
Almirante Juan de Borbón (2003)
Blas de Lezo (2004)
Méndez Núñez (2006)
Cristóbal Colón (2012)
Armament: 1 × 5-inch/54 Mk45 Mod 2 gun
Provision for one CIWS FABA 20mm/120 Meroka system.
1 × 48 cell Mk 41 vertical launch systems
32 × Standard SM-2MR Block IIIA
64 × RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile
8 × McDonnell Douglas RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile
4 × 324 mm Mk32 Mod 9 double Torpedo launchers with 12 Honeywell Mk46 mod 5 Torpedo
__________________________________________________- Length: 151.7m Beam: 19.6m Draft: 4.75m
Speed: 28.5 knots Range: 4,500 nm at 18 knots
Complement: 265 (50 officers)
This informations shoud be enough to understand about this vessel class.
Now Nato is asking the Spanish Navy to change the ACTUAL FRIGATE STATUS to a GUIDED MISSILE DESTROYER STATUS.Why ? Easy . This class has the weaponry,length and complement (tripulation) to be named a Destroyer. The Spanish Navy is hardly thinking about this change as having a Destroyer fleet is a sign of combat capability.
Next Embrilia Topics:
-The German Gepard-class patrol vessels.
- Navy in Video Games : Just Cause 2
