In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in 1885 by Fernando Villaamil for the Spanish Navy as a defense against torpedo boats, and by the time of the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, these "torpedo boat destroyers" (TBDs) were "large, swift, and powerfully armed torpedo boats designed to destroy other torpedo boats". Although the term "destroyer" had been used interchangeably with "TBD" and "torpedo boat destroyer" by navies since 1892, the term "torpedo boat destroyer" had been generally shortened to simply "destroyer" by nearly all navies by the First World War.
A frigate is a type of warship. In different eras, ships classified as frigates have had very varied roles and capabilities.
The Aster missile series, primarily comprising the Aster 15 and Aster 30 are a family of Franco-Italian vertically launched surface-to-air missiles. The name "Aster" stands for "Aérospatiale Terminale" and from the mythical Greek archer named Asterion, Asterion likewise receiving his name from the ancient Greek word aster, meaning "star". Aster is manufactured by Eurosam, a European consortium consisting of MBDA France, MBDA Italy and the Thales Group (33%).
The South African Valour-class frigates are the major surface ships of the South African Navy. Their German manufacturer designates these warships as the MEKO A-200SAN type, member of its MEKO family of naval ships. They were designed and built using principles of stealthy design, including 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 expelling pre-cooled exhaust gasses just above the waterline. Blohm+Voss, the designers, claim that this class has the radar signature of a vessel one-half her size, 75% less infrared emissions than previous designs, as well as a 20% lower life-cycle cost, 25% lower displacement, and 30% fewer crewmen.
The La Fayette class is a class of general purpose frigates built by DCNS and operated by the French Navy. Derivatives of the type are in service in the navies of Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Taiwan.
The Cassard class was a class of two anti-air warfare destroyers of the French Navy introduced in the latter 1980s/early 1990s. The class was an air defence variant of the Georges Leygues class. The two classes have a different armament and propulsion system mounted on an identical hull. Their primary role was to provide air cover for a fleet, an aeronaval group, a convoy & a littoral point. Their secondary role was to manage air assets coordination & aircraft control for the force, especially through Link 16.They can also be used for research, identification or presence missions. Both ships were assigned to the Force d'Action Navale. The lead ship of the class, Cassard, was retired in 2019 followed by the retirement of Jean Bart in 2021.
The FREMM is a family of multi-purpose frigates designed by Fincantieri and Naval Group for the navies of Italy, France and also for export. The lead ship of the class, Aquitaine, was commissioned in November 2012 by the French Navy. In France the class is known as the Aquitaine class, while in Italy they are known as the Bergamini class. Italy has ordered six general purpose variants and four anti-submarine variants. France has ordered six anti-submarine variants, and two air-defense variants.
The Formidable-class multi-role stealth frigates are the latest surface platforms to enter into service with the Republic of Singapore Navy, and are multi-mission derivatives of the French Navy's La Fayette-class frigate. The six ships form the First Flotilla of the RSN.
The Sigma class is a Dutch-built family of modular naval vessels, of either corvette or frigate size, designed by Damen Group.
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.
The Zulfiquar-class frigate, also known as F-22P or in English: Sword class, is a class of multi-mission guided missile frigates, currently in service with the Pakistan Navy. The class is based on an updated model of the Chinese design, the Type 053H3. The frigates were designed and built jointly in Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in China and the KS&EW Ltd. in Pakistan.
The MEKO 200 is a frigate design by the Blohm + Voss shipyard of Germany, as part of the MEKO family of warships.
The Incheon-class frigates, also known as the Future Frigate eXperimental or FFX during development, are coastal defense frigates of the Republic of Korea Navy. The lead ship was launched on 29 April 2011. The Incheon-class frigates will replace the aging fleet of Pohang-class corvettes and Ulsan-class frigates, and take over multi-role operations such as coast patrol, anti-submarine warfare and transport support. Later batches are planned to be specialized on anti-air and anti-submarine warfare. An improved version is being introduced as the Daegu-class frigate; this was previously known as Batch II of the Incheon class.
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.
Carabiniere was a frigate operated by the Italian Navy. Launched in 1967, the vessel served in the anti-submarine role during the Cold War until 1992. The ship was then recommissioned as a testing platform for new weapons systems, including Aster, finally retiring in 2008.
ROCS Wu Chang (PFG-1207) is a Kang Ding-class frigate of the Republic of China Navy.
Makkah (814) is an Al Riyadh-class frigate of the Royal Saudi Navy.
Al Dammam (816) is an Al Riyadh-class frigate of the Royal Saudi Navy.
KD Lekiu is a Lekiu-class guided missile frigate currently serving in the Royal Malaysian Navy and one of the major naval assets for Malaysia. Together with her sister ship Jebat, Lekiu serves in the 23rd Frigate Squadron of the Royal Malaysian Navy.
Saudi Arabia
