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Alvaro de Bazan (F101)


Guided-Missile Frigate Warship [ 2002 ]



In service since commissioning in 2002, Alvaro de Bazan forms the lead ship of the F100 class of guided missile frigates for the Spanish Navy.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 08/21/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]
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During the 1980s, the Spanish Navy required an all-new, all-modern class of guided-missile frigate - this requirement to be eventually fulfilled by the Alvaro de Bazon-class(also known as the "F100" class). The series would number six total planned ships led by Alvaro de Bazan (F101) herself and include sisters Almirante Juan de Borbon (F102), Blaz de Lezo (F103), Mendez Nunez (F104) and Cristobal Colon (F105). However, two of the group, Roger de Lauria (F105) and Juan de Austria (F106), ended as cancelled ventures (Cristobal Colon took the F015 designator when she was added to the mix).

Origins of the Alvaro de Bazon-class was from a 1980s NATO program involving eight powers seeking to develop a "common" warship to be used between them. This was arranged under the "NFR-90" program which involved Spain as one of the contributors. However, in 1989, the program fell to naught, leaving the Spanish Navy to pursue an indigenous design and thus the F100-class was forged. The group was specifically designed as guided-missile frigates and given inherent capabilities to cover the sub-hunting, air space denial and operations support roles. Local Spanish industry would, of course, benefitted from the death of the NATO initiative.

The result was a technologically advanced warship suitable for countering modern threats and projecting Spanish naval authority in the region. A CODOG (COmbined Diesel Or Gas) propulsion scheme was selected which involved 2 x General Electric LM2500 marine gas turbines paired with 2 x Navantia Caterpillar 3600 marine diesels. Power was driven to 2 x shafts and speeds could reach 29 knots out to 4,500 nautical miles.

Internally, the warship would be staffed by up to 250 personnel including up to 48 officers. The primary system aboard would become the powerful "AEGIS" combat system promoted by Lockheed Martin (its AN/SPY-1D 3D multi-function radar series fit). Additionally, the warship was stocked with the Raytheon SPS-67(V)/4 surface-search radar, Raytheon DE116-LF active/passive sonar units and 2 x ARIES systems - the latter aiding in navigation. For disrupting inbound threats, 4 x FMC (Sippican Hycor) SRBOC Mk 36 flare/chaff launchers were added as was the SLQ-25A "Nixie" system to counter torpedo threats.

Armament became a generous mix of both conventional projectile and missile installations led by a single 5" /54 caliber Mk 45 Mod 2 series turreted deck gun fitted over the forecastle. 1 x 48-cell Mk 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) provided the long-range missile capability which supported both the Standard SM-2MR Block IIIA missile series as well as the RIM-162 "Evolved Sea Sparrow" anti-aircraft missile. 8 x RMG-84 "Harpoon" anti-ship missiles gave the frigate a counter to surface threats and 4 x 324mm Mk 32 Mod 9 double-torpedo launchers (supporting 12 x Honeywell Mk 46 Mod 5 torpedoes) offered hope against enemy submarines. There was also provision given for a single 20mm FABA Meroka 2B Close-In Weapon System (CIWS).

Over the stern was added a helicopter landing pad to support a single Sikorsky SH-60B "Seahawk" (LAMPS III-equipped) navy helicopter. This could be used to broaden the warship's over-the-horizon capability and fulfill its anti-submarine requirement as the helicopters carried both sonar and missiles. There were also plans at some point to incorporate the Northrop Grumman "Fire Scout" helicopter UAV.

External measures were taken on the design to promote inherent stealth features such as the slab sides of the superstructure being well-integrated to the hull lines and many protrusions were purposely limited across the ship where possible. The aft superstructure was of a low-profile design which also included housing the smoke funnels, reducing the ship's radar signature and overall side profile. The main mast, however, was left exposed and of a pole-type arrangement.

With construction handled by Spanish shipbuilder NAVANTIA-IZAR, Alvaro de Bazan was officially launched in October of 2000 and formally commissioned in September of 2002 and remains in active service as of this writing (2017). Three similar vessels to the F100 standard were also ordered by the Royal Australian Navy.

Despite the class' categorization as frigates, some sources detail them as destroyers.©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.
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Specifications



Service Year
2002

Origin
Spain national flag graphic
Spain

Status
COMMISSIONED
In Active Service.
Complement
250
PERSONNEL


Class
Alvaro de Bazan-class / F100-class
Number-in-Class
6
VESSELS
Ships-in-Class


Alvaro de Bazan (F101); Almirante Juan de Borbon (F102); Blas de Lezo (F103); Mendez Nunez (F104); Cristobal Colon (F105); Juan de Austria (F106)


National flag of Spain Spain
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
Offshore Bombardment
Offshore bombardment / attack of surface targets / areas primarily through onboard ballistic weaponry.
Land-Attack
Offshore strike of surface targets primarily through onboard missile / rocket weaponry.
Maritime Patrol
Active patroling of vital waterways and maritime areas; can also serve as local deterrence against airborne and seaborne threats.
Airspace Denial / Deterrence
Neutralization or deterrence of airborne elements through onboard ballistic of missile weaponry.
Fleet Support
Serving in support (either firepower or material) of the main surface fleet in Blue Water environments.


Length
481.0 ft
146.61 m
Beam
61.0 ft
18.59 m
Draught
15.6 ft
4.75 m
Displacement
5,800
tons


Installed Power: 2 x General Electric LM2500 gas turbines with 2 x Caterpillar 3600 diesel engines in CODAG arrangement driving 2 x shafts.
Surface Speed
29.0 kts
(33.4 mph)
Range
4,519 nm
(5,200 mi | 8,369 km)


kts = knots | mph = miles-per-hour | nm = nautical miles | mi = miles | km = kilometers

1 kts = 1.15 mph | 1 nm = 1.15 mi | 1 nm = 1.85 km
1 x 5" /54 caliber Mk 45 Mod 2 deck gun
1 x 48-cell Mk 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS)
32 x SM-2MR Block IIIA surface-to-air missiles
64 x RIM-162 "Evolved Sea Sparrow" air-to-surface missiles.
8 x RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles
4 x 324mm Mk 32 Mod 9 triple-tube torpedo launchers (12 torpedo reloads).


Supported Types


Graphical image of a modern warship turreted deck gun armament
Graphical image of an air-to-air missile weapon
Graphical image of a medium-range air-to-air missile
Graphical image of an aircraft aerial torpedo
Graphical image of an aircraft anti-ship missile


(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)
1 x Medium-lift naval helicopter.


Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War period
Military lapel ribbon for early warship designs
Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War
Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War
Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War
Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Attack on Pearl Harbor
Military lapel ribbon for the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2


Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective naval campaigns / operations / periods.

Images Gallery



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Image of the Alvaro de Bazan (F101)
Image from the United States Department of Defense DVIDS imagery database.


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