Al Madinah-class frigate

Last updated

Royal Saudi Navy Al Madinah-class Frigate 2(1).jpg
Al Madinah in 2017
Class overview
NameAl Madinah class
Builders
OperatorsNaval Ensign of Saudi Arabia.svg  Royal Saudi Navy
Succeeded by Al Riyadh class
Built1981–1986
In commission1985–present
Planned4
Completed4
Active4
General characteristics
Type Frigate
Displacement
  • 1,990 tons standard
  • 2610 tons full load
Length377 ft 4 in (115.01 m)
Beam41 ft (12 m)
Draught15 ft 4 in (4.67 m)
Installed power32,500  bhp (24,200 kW)
Propulsion2 shaft, SEMT Pielstick diesel engines
Speed30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Range8,000 nmi (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement179
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Radars
    • 2 x Decca 1226, Thompson CSF – Sea Tiger DRBV-15, DRBC-32E
    • Castor 2 (fire control)
  • Sonar
    • Hull-mounted Thompson CSF Diodon, Diodon-Sorel VDS
Electronic warfare
& decoys
  • Thompson CSF DR4000 ESM, SENIT VI CCS,
  • Decoys: Two CSEE Dagaie chaff launchers
Armament
  • 8 × Otomat mk 2 anti ship missiles
  • 1 × 100 mm/55 compact gun
  • 2 × twin 40 mm/70 Breda Bofors guns
  • 1 × 8-cell Crotale surface to air missile launcher (24 missiles)
  • 4 × 550 mm torpedo tubes (F17P torpedoes)
Aircraft carried1 × SA365F Dauphin helicopter
Aviation facilitiesFlight deck and hangar

The Al Madinah class are a series of four frigates built for the Royal Saudi Navy. The ships are named after Saudi cities. The first, Al Madinah was commissioned in 1985, and the fourth, Taif was commissioned in 1986. The four Al Madinah-class frigates are based in the Red Sea.

Contents

Description

The frigates were ordered in October 1980 as part of the "Sawari" programme. The Al Madinah class was built in France at the Arsenal de Marine, Lorient (French Government Dockyard and CNIM, La Seyne in the mid-1980s. Their full load displacement is 2,610 tons and they are armed with eight Otomat surface-to-surface missiles, one 8-cell Crotale surface-to-air missile launcher, with 26 missiles total. The vessels are also armed with one 100 mm/55 dual purpose gun, two 40 mm anti-aircraft guns, four torpedo tubes. The frigates have an aft helicopter deck and hangar for use by one Dauphin helicopter. [1]

Ships in class

ShipBuilderLaid downLaunchedCompleted
702 Al MadinahArsenal de Lorient15 October 198123 April 19834 January 1985
704 HofoufCNIM, La Seyne14 June 198224 June 198331 October 1985
706 AbhaCNIM, La Seyne17 December 198223 December 19834 April 1986
708 TaifCNIM, La Seyne1 March 198325 May 198429 August 1986

Service history

In August 2013, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the French ODAS agency signed a contract to upgrade and modernize the Al Madinah-class frigates. [2]

On 30 January 2017, Al Madinah was attacked by Yemeni Houthi militia along the western coast of Yemen in the Red Sea. Two Saudi sailors were killed and three injured in the attack. [3] [4]

Citations

  1. "Al Madinah". deagel.com. 7 April 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  2. "DCNS, Thales, MBDA win billion-euro defense contract to upgrade Royal Saudi Navy vessels". navyrecognition.com. 30 August 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  3. "Royal Saudi Navy Al Madinah-class Frigate Damaged Following Attack by Houthi Militia Off Yemen". navyrecognition.com. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  4. "Photos: Saudi Al Madinah-class frigate which was targeted by Houthis arrives to Jeddah". defense-watch.com. 5 February 2017. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2017.

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frigate</span> Type of warship

A frigate is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.

<i>Halifax</i>-class frigate Class of Canadian frigates

The Halifax-class frigate, also referred to as the City class, is a class of multi-role patrol frigates that have served the Royal Canadian Navy since 1992. The class is the outcome of the Canadian Patrol Frigate Project, which dates to the mid-1970s. HMCS Halifax was the first of an eventual twelve Canadian-designed and Canadian-built vessels which combine traditional anti-submarine capabilities with systems to deal with surface and air threats as well. All ships of the class are named after the capital cities most of the Canadian provinces plus the capital of Canada, Ottawa as well as the major cities of Calgary, Montreal, and Vancouver.

<i>La Fayette</i>-class frigate French general purpose stealth frigates

The La Fayette class is a class of general purpose frigates built by DCNS in the 1980s/90s and still operated by the French Navy today. Derivatives of the type are in service in the navies of Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Taiwan.

ROCS <i>Yueh Fei</i> Taiwanese Cheng Kung-class frigate

ROCS Yueh Fei, is a Cheng Kung-class guided-missile frigate of the Republic of China Navy (ROCN). She is the fourth ship of the class. Named for the famous Chinese commander Yue Fei, the ship was constructed by the China Shipbuilding Corporation at their yard in Kaoshuing, Taiwan. The Cheng Kung-class frigates are based on the American Oliver Hazard Perry class and share many of the same characteristics, the main difference being armed with Taiwanese Hsiung Feng II and Hsiung Feng III surface-to-surface missiles and different sensors. Yueh Fei was laid down on 5 September 1992, launched on 26 August 1994 and commissioned into the ROCN on 7 February 1996.

Spanish frigate <i>Reina Sofía</i> Santa María-class frigates

Reina Sofía (F84) is the fourth of six Spanish-built Santa María-class frigates of the Spanish Navy. The Santa María class is based on the American Oliver Hazard Perry-class design, providing an anti-air warfare platform with anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare capabilities at a reduced cost. Reina Sofía was constructed by Bazan and was laid down on 12 October 1987 and launched on 19 July 1989. The ship was commissioned in 1990 and has seen service in the Mediterranean Sea and off Somalia.

Spanish frigate <i>Victoria</i> Santa María-class frigates

Victoria (F82) is the second of the six Spanish-built Santa Maria-class frigates of the Spanish Navy, based on the American Oliver Hazard Perry class design. Constructed in 1983, the vessel was launched on 23 July 1986 and commissioned on 11 November 1987. The frigate has been assigned to Operation Atalanta, fighting piracy of the Somalian coast.

HMCS <i>Ottawa</i> (FFH 341) Royal Canadian Navy frigate

HMCS Ottawa is a Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate. Ottawa is the twelfth and final ship of the Halifax class that were built as part of the Canadian Patrol Frigate Project. She is the fourth vessel to carry the name HMCS Ottawa. The first three were named for the Ottawa River. This ship is the first named for Canada's national capital, the City of Ottawa. She is assigned to Maritime Forces Pacific (MARPAC) and is homeported at HMC Dockyard, CFB Esquimalt. Ottawa serves on MARPAC missions protecting Canada's sovereignty in the Pacific Ocean and enforcing Canadian laws in its territorial sea and Exclusive Economic Zone. Ottawa has also been deployed on missions throughout the Pacific and to the Indian Ocean; specifically the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea on anti-terrorism operations.

HMCS <i>Winnipeg</i> (FFH 338) Royal Canadian Navy frigate

HMCS Winnipeg is a Halifax-class frigate that has served in the Royal Canadian Navy since 1996. Winnipeg is the ninth ship in her class, whose design emerged from the Canadian Patrol Frigate Project. She is the second Canadian warship to carry the name HMCS Winnipeg. Winnipeg serves on Canadian Forces MARPAC missions protecting Canada's sovereignty in the Pacific Ocean and the Arctic Ocean and in enforcing Canadian laws on its territorial oceans and Exclusive Economic Zone. The vessel has been deployed on missions throughout the Pacific, and also to the Indian Ocean; specifically on anti-terrorism operations in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea, and counter-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia. The ship is assigned to the Maritime Forces Pacific (MARPAC), and she has her home port at the Canadian Forces Maritime Base at Esquimalt.

ROCS <i>Tian Dan</i> Cheng Kung-class frigates

ROCS Tian Dan is the eighth ship of the Cheng Kung-class guided-missile frigates of the Republic of China Navy (ROCN), which was based on the Oliver Hazard Perry class of the United States Navy. Tian Dan was intended to be the first hull of the second batch of the class, with improved armament and electronics. However, delays in the development of the weapon systems and electronics led to the second batch being cancelled. In 1999, the first ship of the second batch was re-ordered to the standard design with all the improvements to the design. The ship was constructed beginning in 2001 by the China Shipbuilding Corporation in Taiwan and the frigate was launched in 2002 and entered service with the ROCN in 2004. In 2014, Tian Dan was among the Taiwanese vessels sent to assist in the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 flight.

<i>Almirante Padilla</i>-class frigate

The Almirante Padilla-class frigates is a series of frigates operated by the Colombian Navy. The designation of this class is Type FS 1500 and there are four ships in service. The ships were built by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) at Kiel, West Germany in the 1980s, with the first vessel commissioning in 1983 and the last in 1984. The frigates have undergone significant modification over their careers with the 2012 Orion Program Upgrade significantly modernising the vessels. Two similar ships operate as the Kasturi-class corvettes in the Royal Malaysian Navy.

Krivak-class frigate Class of frigates built for Soviet/Russian navy

The Krivak class, Soviet designation Project 1135 Burevestnik, are a series of frigates and guard ships built in the Soviet Union primarily for the Soviet Navy since 1970. Later some sub-branches, like the Nerey (Nereus) were designed for coastal patrol by the KGB Border Troops. Until 1977, the ships in the class were considered to be large anti-submarine warfare vessels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Saudi Navy</span> Navy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The Royal Saudi Navy or Royal Saudi Naval Forces, is the maritime arm of the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces and one of the five service branches of the Ministry of Defense of Saudi Arabia. Its primary role is monitoring and defending the Saudi territorial waters against military or economic intrusion, and participating in international naval alliances.

<i>Rothesay</i>-class frigate Class of frigate of the Royal Navy

The Rothesay class, or Type 12M frigates were a class of frigates serving with the Royal Navy, South African Navy and the Royal New Zealand Navy.

<i>Cheng Kung</i>-class frigate

The Cheng Kung-class frigates are eight guided-missile frigates in service in the Republic of China Navy (ROCN). They are based upon the U.S. Oliver Hazard Perry class and built by China Shipbuilding Corporation in Kaohsiung, Taiwan under license throughout the 1990s as part of the Kuang Hua I project. These frigates served as the mainstay of the ROCN's area air defense capability prior to the acquisition of the Keelung (Kidd)-class destroyers in 2005. They are designated with the hull classification PFG rather than FFG used by the Oliver Hazard Perry class.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RIM-66 Standard</span> US medium range surface-to-air missile

The RIM-66 Standard MR (SM-1MR/SM-2MR) is a medium-range surface-to-air missile (SAM), with a secondary role as an anti-ship missile, developed for the United States Navy (USN). A member of the Standard Missile family of weapons, the SM-1 was developed as a replacement for the RIM-2 Terrier and RIM-24 Tartar that were deployed in the 1950s on a variety of USN ships. The RIM-67 Standard (SM-1ER/SM-2ER) is an extended range version of this missile with a solid rocket booster stage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Arab Emirates Navy</span> Naval warfare branch of the United Arab Emirates military

The United Arab Emirates Navy is the naval branch of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces. It is small force of about 3,000 personnel. It maintains 12 well-equipped coastal patrol boats and eight missile boats. Although primarily concerned with coastal defense, the Navy is constructing a six-unit class of blue water corvettes in conjunction with French shipbuilder CMN. The UAE maintains a battalion-sized marine force called the UAE Marines equipped with BMP-3 armoured personnel carriers from Soviet union/Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yemeni Navy</span> Maritime component of the armed forces of Yemen

The Yemeni Navy and Coastal Defence Forces is the maritime component of the Yemeni Armed Forces. Yemen's navy was created in 1990 when North and South Yemen united.

HTMS <i>Chao Phraya</i>

HTMS Chao Phraya (FFG-455) is the lead ship of her class of frigates for the Royal Thai Navy, a variant of the Chinese-built Type 053H2 frigate.

HTMS <i>Bangpakong</i> (FFG-456) Thai frigate

HTMS Bangpakong (FFG-456) is the second ship of Chao Phraya-class frigate of the Royal Thai Navy, a variant of the Chinese-built Type 053H2 frigate.