The frigates were originally intended as a replacement for the aging Oslo-class frigates, with a primary focus on antisubmarine warfare (ASW). Eventually, the need for a robust anti-aircraft defense as well as the possibility of incorporating the Naval Strike Missile SSM produced by Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace led to a more multi-role design. The selection of Navantia as prime contractor led to the design being very similar to the Spanish Navy's Alvaro de Bazan-class frigates, including the incorporation of Lockheed Martin's AEGIS combat system.
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders: | Navantia, Ferrol, Spain |
| Operators: |  Royal Norwegian Navy |
| Preceded by: | Oslo class |
| In commission: | 5 |
| Active: | HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen HNoMS Roald Amundsen HNoMS Otto Sverdrup HNoMS Helge Ingstad HNoMS Thor Heyerdahl |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Multi-role Frigate (Guided Missile and ASW) |
| Displacement: | 5,290 tons full load |
| Length: | 134m |
| Beam: | 16.8m |
| Draft: | 7.6m |
| Propulsion: | Combined diesel and gas (CODAG) Two BAZAN BRAVO 12V 4.5 MW diesel engines for cruising One GE LM2500 21.5 MW gas turbine for high speed running MAAG gearboxes two shafts driving controllable pitch propellers Bow Thruster Retractable (Electric)1 MW Brunvoll Diesel Generators 4 × MTU 396 Serie 12V 1250 KVA |
| Speed: | 26+ knots (48+ km/h) |
| Range: | 4,500nm @ 16 knots (8,300 km @ 30 km/h) |
| Complement: | 120, accommodations for 146 |
| Sensors and processing systems: | Lockheed Martin AN/SPY-1F 3-D multifunction radar Reutech RSR 210N air/sea surveillance radar Sagem Vigy 20 Electro Optical Director MRS 2000 hull mounted sonar Captas MK II V1 active/passive towed sonar 2 × Mark 82 fire-control radar |
| Electronic warfare and decoys: | Terma DL-12T decoy launcher, Loki torpedo countermeasure |
| Armament: | 1 × 8-cell Mk41 VLS w/ 32 × RIM-162 ESSM 8 × Naval Strike Missile SSMs 4 × torpedo tubes for Sting Ray torpedoes Depth charges 1 × 76 mm OTO Melara Super Rapid gun 4 × 12,7 mm Browning M2HB HMG Sea Protector 2 x LRAD Long Range Acoustic Device Prepared for, but not equipped with: 1 × Otobreda 127 mm/54 gun to replace the 76 mm 1 × spare 76mm OTO Melara Super Rapid gun 1 × spare CIWS gun w/ calibre 40 mm or less 3 × spare 8- cell Mk41 VLS launchers Low cost ASW ECM: Active Off-board Decoy |
| Aircraft carried: | 1 × NH90 helicopter |
Improvements
The new frigates will prove a great improvement over their predecessors, the Oslo-class frigates, not only in size, but also in personnel, capabilities and equipment. Compared to the old Oslo-class vessels, the new ships will be 35 meters longer, nine meters taller and two meters deeper below water. They will also be five meters broader and have three times the water displacement of the old ships. This will go a great way to solving one of the problems with the Oslo class: lack of space and much discomfort for the crew. The frigates will also operate six new NFH NH90 helicopters, with the role as an extended "arm" of the frigates' ASW and ASuW capabilities.
