La Fayette class frigate

The La Fayette class units are light multi-mission frigates built by DCN and operated by France (Marine Nationale), Saudi Arabia, Singapore (Republic of Singapore Navy) and Taiwan (Republic of China Navy).

These frigates are referred to as "stealth" frigates. Their reduced radar cross section is achieved by a very clean superstructure compared to conventional designs, angled sides and Radar Absorbent Material (RAM), a composite material of wood and glass fiber as hard as steel, light, and resistant to fire.

All informations gathered by the onboard sensors are managed by the Information Processing System, the electronic brain of the operation centre of the ship. It is completed by an electronic command aid system.

The La Fayette notably carries the Aster 15 missile, the state-of-the-art anti-air European weapon, the Crotale short-range defence system, and Exocet missile, mounted in two quad launchers.

The ships are designed to accommodate a 10 tonne-helicopter in the Panther or NH90 range (they are capable of harbouring the Super Frelon and such heavy helicopters). These helicopters can carry anti-ship AM39 or AS15 missiles, and can be launched by a 5 or 6 sea state, thanks to the Samahé helicopter manutention system.

France ordered five ships of the La Fayette class in 1988, the last of which entered service in 2002.

The ships are

• F710 La Fayette
• F711 Surcouf
• F712 Courbet
• F713 Aconit
• F714 Guépratte

Contents

1 Export 1.1 Al Riyadh class: Saudi Arabia 1.2 Formidable class: Singapore 1.3 Kang Ding class: Taiwan 2 Trivia 3 External links

Export

Al Riyadh class: Saudi Arabia

The three Al Riyadh ships are an expanded version of the French La Fayette class, displacing about 4,700 tonnes. The ships combat systems are produced by Armaris (a DCN/Thales joint venture) and are armed with the MBDA Aster 15 missile. The Aster missiles use the DCN SYLVER launcher. As with the La Fayette class the primary offensive weapon is the anti-surface MBDA Exocet.

Maximum speed is 24.5 kts with a maximum range of 7,000 nm.

Formidable class: Singapore

The Republic of Singapore Navy's six Formidable class frigates are of comparable size to the La Fayette class but differs from that class and the Saudi Al Riyadh class in the armament carried. In place of the Exocet is the Boeing Harpoon. The Formidable class also uses the SYLVER launcher/Aster missile combination.

The first ship, RSS Formidable, was built by DCN, while the remaining ships were constructed by Singapore Technologies Marine.

Maximum speed is 27 kts with a maximum range of 7,200 nm.

Kang Ding class: Taiwan

As Taiwan's defensive stance is aimed towards the Taiwan strait the Taiwanese Navy is constantly seeking to upgrade its anti-submarine warfare capabilites. The agreement with France in the late 1980s is an example of this procurement strategy, the six ships are configured for both ASW and surface attack. The Exocet is replaced by a Taiwanese surface attack missile and the AAW weapon is the Chaparral. Some problems have been reported regarding integrating Taiwanese and French systems. In additional, the antiquated Chaparral SAM system is considered totally inadequate for even rudimentary self-defence. Coupled with various other issues, the Taiwanese La Fayettes are definitely the least capable variant of the class currently in operation.

The Taiwan frigate deal has produced a large political scandal, both in Taiwan and France. A former French foreign minister has claimed that up to $500,000 was paid by Thomson-CSF (now Thales), the prime contractor, as a "sweetener" as the ships did not strictly meet Taiwan's requirements. Eight deaths of people involved in the contract have also been questioned (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3244148.stm) as suspicous. Six ROC naval officers have been indicted on corruption charges relating to the affair.

Maximum speed is 25 kts with a maximum range of 7,000 nm.

Trivia

• The lead ship, La Fayette (F710) was featured in the 17th James Bond film GoldenEye in 1995.

External links

• NetMarine.net (http://www.netmarine.net/bat/flf/lafayet/index.htm)