Niterói-class frigate

Class of Brazilian frigates

União in 2020

Class overview
Name| Niterói class, Mk10
Builders| Vosper Thornycroft, Arsenal de Marinha do Rio de Janeiro
Operators|  Brazilian Navy
Succeeded by| Tamandaré-class
Built| 1975–1986
Completed| 7
Active| 6
Retired| 1
General characteristics
Type| Frigate
Displacement|

* 3,355 tons standard
* 3,707 tons full load

Length| 129.2 m (423 ft 11 in)
Beam| 13.5 m (44 ft 3 in)
Draught| 5.5 m (18 ft 1 in)
Installed power|

* Two Rolls-Royce Olympus TM-3B gas turbines (56,000 hp (42,000 kW) combined)
* Four MTU 16V 956 TB91 diesel engines (18,000 hp (13,000 kW) combined)

Propulsion| Combined diesel or gas, two shafts
Speed|

* 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) (maximum)
* 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) (diesels only)

Range|

* 5,300 nautical miles (9,800 km; 6,100 mi) at 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph)
* 4,200 nautical miles (7,800 km; 4,800 mi) at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)
* 1,300 nautical miles (2,400 km; 1,500 mi) at 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph)

Endurance| 45 days
Complement| 217
Sensors and
processing systems|

* Before modernization:
* AWS2 air search radar
* ZW-06 surface search radar
* 2 × RTN-10X fire control radar (not in F42/43)
* EDO-610E hull-mounted sonar
* EDO-700E variable-depth sonar (not in F42/43)
* Computer-Aided Action Information System (CAAIS)
* After modernization:
* RAN-20S air search radar
* Terma 'Scanter Mil' surface search radar
* 2 × RTN-30X fire control radar
* Saab EOS-400 optronic director
* upgraded EDO-610E hull mounted sonar
* SICONTA Mk 2 C3I system

Electronic warfare
& decoys|

* Before modernization:
* RDL-2/3 ESM
* Two 12 × 102 mm rocket launchers
* After modernization:
* Cutlass B1W ESM
* ET/SQL-1 ECM
* Two 12×102 mm rocket launchers

Armament|

* After modernization:
* Exocet MM40 anti-ship missiles;
* Aspide anti-aircraft missiles
* 1 × Vickers 4.5-inch (113 mm) Mk 8 gun
* 2 × Bofors 40 mm Mk3 Sea Trinity
* 2 × triple torpedo tubes for Mk-46 torpedoes
* 4 × M2 Browning machine gun
* 1 × double-barrel Bofors Boroc anti-submarine rocket launcher

Aircraft carried|

* Westland Super Lynx Mk.21A (locally designated as AH-11A); or
* Eurocopter AS-350/355 Squirrel (locally assembled by Helibrás as UH-12/UH-13 'Esquilo')

Aviation facilities| Helipad and hangar

The Niterói-class frigates are a class of frigates of the Brazilian Navy.

## History

[edit]

The Niterói class were designed and built by the British shipyard Vosper Thornycroft (VT) in the 1970s. These frigates were designated the Mk 10 by Vosper Thornycroft and are the largest of a series of ships built by that shipyard for both foreign buyers and the Royal Navy.

All of them were extensively modernized between 1996 and 2005 under the 'ModFrag' program. The projected completion was 2001, but due to lack of funds and sea trials to verify the new software, the entire program had been slipped to 2005.

A total of six ships were built. Two of the anti-submarines (ASW) and both of the general purpose (GP) version were built in England. The remaining two ASW ships were built at the Arsenal da Marinha in Rio de Janeiro with assistance from VT. The ASW ships had an Ikara missile launcher in Y position aft of the flight deck. This was removed as part of the modernisation programme. The GP ships had a second 4.5-inch (114 mm) gun in "Y" position. A seventh ship was built as the navy's main training unit. The ship is identical to the other ships of the class, but is not fitted with weapons or sensors.

From 2024, the class will be gradually replaced by the modern Tamandaré-class frigates, the survivors will be modernized and revitalized with the new combat system SICONTA MkII Mod. 1, developed by the Brazilian company Akaer Engenharia and transferred to patrol duties in the fleet.[1]

## Ships

[edit]

No.  | Name  | Type[2] | Laid down[2] | Launched[2] | Commissioned[2] | Status

|
|
|
|
|
|

F40  | Niterói | ASW  | 8 June 1972  | 8 February 1974  | 20 November 1976  | Decommissioned 28 June 2019[3]
F41  | Defensora | ASW  | 14 December 1972  | 27 March 1975  | 3 March 1977  | In service
F42  | Constituição | GP  | 13 March 1974  | 15 April 1976  | 31 March 1978  | In service
F43  | Liberal | GP  | 2 May 1975  | 7 February 1977  | 18 November 1978  | In service
F44  | Independência | ASW  | 11 June 1972  | 2 September 1974  | 3 September 1979  | In service
F45  | União | ASW  | 11 June 1972  | 14 March 1975  | 12 September 1980  | In service
U27  | Brasil | Training  | 18 September 1981[4] | 2 September 1983[4] | 21 August 1986[4] | In service

## Gallery

[edit]

* Niterói-class Frigate Gallery
* Defensora operating with the tanker Almirante Gastão Motta on 18 November 2007.

* União underway on 22 January 2008.

* Constituição on 2 June 2009.

* Brasil under way in 2011.

* F-44 Independência and F-42 Constituição on patrol in 2017.

* União during Aspirantex 2018.

* Liberal during Aspirantex 2018.

* F-45 União at nightfall during Aspirantex 2018.

* Escort to the G-40 Bahia During Aspirantex 2020.

* F-43 Liberal and F-45 União during Aspirantex 2020.

* F-43 Liberal and F-45 União during Aspirantex 2020.

* Liberal conducts drills with the Spanish Navy's Tornado in the Gulf of Guinea, 2023.

## See also

[edit]

* List of naval ship classes in service

## References

[edit]

### Citations

[edit]

1. ^ "Akaer revitalizará consoles do sistema SICONTA MkII Mod. 1 de três fragatas classe Niterói". Poder Naval (in Portuguese). 31 May 2019.
2. ^ a b c d Saunders 2002, p. 61.
3. ^ "FOTOS: Mostra de Desarmamento da Fragata Niterói – F40". 28 June 2019.
4. ^ a b c Saunders 2002, p. 70.

### Sources

[edit]

* Marinha do Brasil (Brazilian Navy)
* Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995
* Cicalesi, J.C. e Del Gaizo, Cesar: La Marina brasiliana oggi, RiD magazine, Chiavari, June 2006, pag. 50–55
* Saunders, Stephen. Jane's Fighting Ships 2002–2003. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Information Group, 2002. ISBN 0710624328.

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to Niteroi class frigate at Wikimedia Commons

* v
* t
* e

Niterói-class frigates

* Niterói
* Defensora
* Constituição
* Liberal
* Independência
* União
* Brasil

* Followed by: Tamandaré class

* List of ships of the Brazilian Navy

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