The Comandante João Belo class, is a class of four frigates of French design, identical to the Commandant Rivière class, with extra equipment for tropical climates. Ordered by the Portuguese Navy in 1964, the four ships of this class were constructed in Nantes' shipyard.
In the 1960s the Portuguese Navy was interested in the acquisition of British frigates of the Leander class, but because of British political opposition against Portugal this acquisition was impossible. Portugal was then forced to buy frigates of an already existing project due the urgency in the acquisition of naval ships for the defense of African, Macau's and Timor's waters.
The two remaining frigates in active service of this class were replaced, in 2008, by the Bartolomeu Dias class (Dutch Karel Doorman class) in the Portuguese Navy. The NRP João Belo and the NRP Sacadura Cabral were sold to the Uruguayan Navy, becoming, respectively the ROU Uruguay and the ROU Pedro Campbell.
| General characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Type: | frigate |
| Displacement: | 1,750 tons standard, 2,230 tons full load |
| Length: | 98 m |
| Beam: | 11.5 m |
| Draught: | 4.3 m |
| Propulsion: | 2 shaft diesel 16,000 hp |
| Speed: | 25 knots |
| Range: | 7500 nmi at 16 knots |
| Boats and landing craft carried: | LCPS boats |
| Complement: | 9 officers 67 non-commissioned officers 93 Quarter-masters and sailors |
| Sensors and processing systems: | DRBV22A sentry radar |
| Electronic warfare and decoys: | ARBR10 radar detector |
| Armament: | 3 x 100 mm guns (3x1) - one gun later replaced by 4 MM38 Exocet Missiles |
