The De Zeven Provinciën class frigates are highly advanced air-defense frigates in service with the Koninklijke Marine (Royal Netherlands Navy). This class of ships is also known as LCF (Luchtverdedigings- en commandofregat, air defense and command frigate). These ships were built for air-defense but they also have weapons onboard to attack surface and submarine targets, for example: the Harpoon Missile and Mk. 46 Torpedoes. The ships are similar to the German Sachsen class frigates. For anti-air the ships are equipped with several weapons. The primary weapon is the Mk41 Vertical Launch System, each with 32 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile and 32 SM-2 IIIA. During ballistic missile tests in the Pacific ocean near Hawaii, the SMART-L long-range air and surface surveillance radar proved its range capability: 2000 km max. Because of these results, the Dutch Government has decided to equip all four ships with about 8 Standard SM-3 per ship. Plans to equip some of the Zeven Provinciën-class frigates with a total of 32 BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles have existed but these were shelved in May 2005.
The De Zeven Provinciën class are classified as frigates by the Netherlands Navy but internationally are classified as destroyers as this better fits their armament and role. In most Dutch websites and books they are referred as frigates but in international websites and books referred as destroyers.| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators: |  Royal Netherlands Navy |
| In commission: | April 26, 2002 |
| Completed: | 4 |
| Active: | 4 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Air-defense and command frigate |
| Displacement: | 6,050 tonnes (full load) |
| Length: | 144.24 m (473.228 ft) |
| Beam: | 18.80 m (61.679 ft) |
| Draught: | 5.18 m (16.9948 ft) |
| Propulsion: | 2 propeller shafts, controllable pitch propellers 2 Wärtsilä 16V6ST diesel engines, 8.4 MW each 2 Rolls Royce Spey SM1C gas turbines, 18.5 MW each 4 GEC Alsthom Paxman diesel-generators, 1650 kW each |
| Speed: | 29kn |
| Range: | 4000+ nmi at 18 kn |
| Complement: | 202 + 30 |
| Sensors and processing systems: | 1 Thales Nederland SMART-L long-range air and surface surveillance radar 1 Thales Nederland APAR air and surface search, tracking and guidance radar (I band)1 DECCA NAV navigation radar 1 Thales Nederland Scout (Low Probability of Intercept)surface search/navigation radar 1 Thales Nederland Sirius IRST long-range infrared surveillance and tracking system 1 Thales Nederland Mirador optical surveillance and tracking system 1 Atlas Elektronik DSQS-24C hull-mounted sonar, medium frequency 1 MK XII IFF system |
| Electronic warfare and decoys: | 1 Thomson Racal (now Thales) Sabre ECM suite 4 Sippican Hycor SRBOC MK36 launcher 1 AN/SLQ-25 Nixie torpedo decoy |
| Armament: | 5×8 Mk41 vertical launch system with 8 cells each Standard armament: 8×4 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile and 32 SM-2 IIIA surface-to-air missiles Another 8 cell MK41 VLS can be added 2 Goalkeeper CIWS guns 2 quadruple Harpoon anti-ship missile launchers 1 Oto Melara 127 mm/54 dual-purpose gun 2 Oerlikon Contraves 20 mm machine guns 2 twin MK32 Mod 9 torpedo launchers with Raytheon MK46 Mod 5 torpedoes |
| Aviation facilities: | Hangar and flight deck for 1 AgustaWestland Lynx or NH-90 helicopter |
