Maestrale Class Frigates*

The Maestrale class frigates were built by Fincantieri for the Italian Navy (Marina Militare). A fleet of eight frigates is currently in service with the Italian Navy. These frigates are expected to be replaced by the FREMM multi-purpose frigates
 by 2013. FREMM is designed by DCNS / Armaris and Fincantieri.
The Maestrale class frigates are primarily equipped for anti-submarine warfare (ASW). However, they also possess anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) and anti-surface warfare (ASuW) capabilities. They were deployed in various international missions and in the normal operations of the Italian Navy.
The first ship in the class, Maestrale (F570), was launched in February 1981 and commissioned in March 1982. Four frigates were commissioned in 1983 and the rest of the fleet was commissioned by May 1985.Maestrale class frigate design
The Maestrale class is derived from the Lupo class frigates, but has some differences in displacement and weapons fit. It has a larger displacement of around 500t and incorporates more sophisticated and powerful antisubmarine weapons than the Lupo class.
The large superstructure is made of light alloys. It extends without interruption until the hangar and includes one large turret and a single funnel. The hull is divided into fifteen watertight compartments.
Two non-retractable fin stabilisers provide stability to the ship and reduce the body roll by 30° to 3° at a speed of 18kt.Command and control
The IPN-20 command and control system, developed by Alenia Marconi Systems (now Selex Sistemi Integrati), is interfaced with the combat system and integrates the sensors and weapon systems.
It collects data from the onboard sensors and communications and data networks and provides tactical information.Maestrale missiles
The Maestrale class is armed with an Albatros / Aspide octuple launcher, firing Aspide medium range air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles. The system is reloaded by a Riva-Calzoni system.
The ship can carry an additional 16 missiles. Four TESEO Mk 2 missile launchers fitted above the hangar can launch Otomat / TESEO anti-ship missiles. The missile can engage targets within a 160km range, while carrying a 210kg warhead.Naval guns
The main gun mounted on the foredeck is an Otobreda 127mm gun. It can fire 40 rounds a minute at a range of 30km. Two Oto Melara Twin 40L70 DARDO close-in weapon systems (CIWS) are fitted on the vessel.
The CIWS can fire high explosive shells against anti-ship missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and other precision guided weapons. The fire control system and fire control radar assist the unmanned turret to react rapidly to incoming missiles.Torpedoes
The Maestrale class is fitted with two sets of 324mm triple torpedo tubes for Mk 32 torpedoes. There are two 533mm dual-purpose (ASW and AsuW) launch tubes for Whitehead A-184 wire-guided torpedoes.Sensors / radars
The sensor suite includes an RAN10S air and surface search radar, an SPN703 navigation radar, an RTN-10X fire control radar and two RTN-20X radars for the DARDO systems. DE 1164 variable depth sonar and DE1160B hull mounted sonar are fitted to detect and track submarines.Aircraft
The Maestrale class has a flight deck measuring 27m in width, allowing for the operation of AB-212 helicopters. The hangar can accommodate two helicopters.Countermeasures
Two SCLAR rocket-launchers onboard can launch chaff and infra-red (IR) decoys to deceive incoming missiles.
Payloads include Buck DUERAS chaff and IRRAS IR decoys, SNIA 105 LR-C chaff distraction, 105 LR-I illumination, 105 MR-C chaff seduction, 105 MR-IR IR seduction rounds, FR Countermeasures 105mm chaff and IR decoy rounds.
The system is controlled by an ESA-24 calculating system.Propulsion
The vessel is powered by a combined diesel or gas propulsion system integrating two shafts with five-bladed propellers. Two Fiat-General Electric LM-2500 gas turbines and two D Grandi Motori Trieste BL-230-20-DVM diesel engines deliver a total power of 50,000kW. The electrical system consists of two plants providing 3,120kW.
The engine is remotely operated by an electronic system known as the SEPA-7206 digital control system. The direction is changed by activating the two hydraulic rudders. The ship incorporates vibration and noise abatement measures to reduce noise and improve the survivability of the ASW vessels.

* Article publicat a Naval Technology. Compartim aquesta fitxa tècnica per complementar l'anterior informació.

PH to buy two Maestrale frigates from Italy*

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is set to buy two Maestrale-class frigates from Italy, a defense official said Wednesday, as the Asian nation races to upgrade its military amid mounting territorial disputes with China.
The frigates, along with 12 FA-50 fighter aircraft, are the most significant items on the government’s P75-billion ($1.7-billion) military modernization budget over the next five years, Defense Undersecretary Fernando Manalo said.
“We are modernizing not because we want to go to war with China,” he told a news conference.
He said the government had a sworn obligation to defend the “West Philippine Sea,” using the government’s preferred term for Philippine-claimed areas in the South China Sea.
“We are not saying that this is part of our preparations to assert our sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea. What we are saying is that we cannot just give them up.”
The frigates would add to two refurbished Hamilton-class cutters formerly used by the US Coast Guard that the Philippines acquired from its US ally to upgrade its ageing navy fleet, which includes some vessels that first saw action in World War II.
Manalo said the navy had already decided to acquire two new Maestrale-class frigates instead of buying used ones from the Italian navy, and had budgeted P18 billion for them.
The Philippines could be ready to tender by the end of the year, he added.
Meanwhile, the government had allotted P18.9 billion to acquire the fighter aircraft, which are built by South Korea, he added.
The modernization budget also provides for building or improving facilities to berth and provide maintenance to the vessels on the military’s shopping list, Manalo said.
President Benigno Aquino vowed Monday to rebuild the air force by 2016.
The Philippines, which has one of the weakest military forces in the region, retired the last of its US-designed F-5 fighters in 2005.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/79629/ph-to-buy-two-maestrale-frigates-from-italy

SSC Pacific recovers Historic Howell Torpedo*

By Elisha Gamboa
SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Space and Naval warfare Systems Center Pacific (SSC Pacific) has discovered and recovered one of the first self-propelled torpedoes developed and used by the U.S. Navy, known as the Howell torpedo.

Primarily the work of Lt. Cmdr. John A. Howell, the Howell torpedo was developed between 1870 and 1889. The Howell torpedo was an 11-foot long brass torpedo, driven by a 132-pound flywheel spun to 10,000 rpm prior to launch. It had a range of 400 yards, a speed of 25 knots, and a warhead filled with 100 pounds of gun cotton. 

"It was the first torpedo that could be released into the ocean and follow a track. Considering that it was made before electricity was provided to U.S. households, it was pretty sophisticated for its time," said Christian Harris, operations supervisor for the SSC Pacific Biosciences Division. 

The Howell torpedo was used by U.S. Navy (USN) battleships and torpedo boats until 1898, when it was replaced by the Whitehead. 

"There were only 50 Howell torpedoes made," said Braden Duryee, operations supervisor for the SSC Pacific Biosciences Division. Only two other such torpedoes are known to exist today.

The Howell torpedo recovered by SSC Pacific, is stamped "USN No. 24." The Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport, Wash. has one on display, and the Naval War College Museum in Newport R.I. holds the other. 

SSC Pacific discovered the Howell torpedo in March 2013, off the San Diego coast, near Hotel Del Coronado, during a mine-hunting training exercise with Navy dolphins. 

"Dolphins naturally possess the most sophisticated sonar known to man. They can detect mines and other potentially dangerous objects on the ocean floor that are acoustically difficult targets to detect," explained Duryee. 

The Navy has an entire program dedicated to studying and training marine mammals, called the Navy Marine Mammal Program (NMMP). The development, training, veterinary care and research facility that supports NMMP is centered in the Biosciences Division at SSC Pacific. 

With the NMMP, the Navy trains dolphins to find and mark the location of underwater objects. Some of the objects the animals find, such as non-explosive Navy training mines, are expensive to replace. Others could present a danger to Navy personnel and vessels. In this case, the object found was an important piece of naval history.

"The animals are very good at their job. We were just doing our daily training exercises with the animals, when one marked an object on the sea floor. About a week later, another animal marked the same object," said Duryee. 

During training and the actual hunting of mines, a dolphin waits to receive a cue from its handler before it begins to search a specific area. Once the dolphin completes its search, it reports back to its handler, giving one response if a target object is detected, and a different response if no target object is detected. 

This time the dolphin detected a mine-like target; the handler sent the dolphin to mark the location of the object so that Navy divers could recover it.

At first, the recovery team thought the object was an old tail section off an aerial drop mine, but once the object was recovered, it was obvious that the object was something completely different. 

"It was apparent in the first 15 minutes that this was something that was significant and really old," said Harris. "Realizing that we were the first people to touch it or be around it in over 125 years was really exciting."

After thorough research, the team discovered that the object was in fact a 130-year-old Howell torpedo. After the noteworthy discovery, SSC Pacific moved quickly to preserve this part of naval history. 

"The torpedo was in remarkably pristine shape, so to preserve it, Braden Duryee had the idea to submerge it into a tank of water to prevent it from breaking down in the surrounding oxygen," said Harris. "Later on, experts confirmed that Braden was correct."

SSC Pacific will continue to preserve the torpedo until it can be shipped by air to the Naval History and Heritage Command, located at the Washington Navy Yard. The Naval History and Heritage Command is an Echelon II command responsible for the preservation, analysis, and dissemination of U.S. Naval history and heritage for present and future generations.

* Notícia publicada al web de la US Navy. Tota una troballa la que van realitzar els dofins de la US Navy, de gran importància per la Història de la tecnologia en general, i militar en particular.

Royal Navy of Oman accepts first new ship from BAE Systems

Colourful streamers covered the jetty as the Omani navy accepted its first new ship from Portsmouth shipbuilders.
There was a ceremony this morning at Portsmouth Naval Base to mark the Omani navy’s interim acceptance of RNOV Al Shamikh.
In front of invited guests, workers lowered the BAE Systems flag before Omani sailors raised their own.
The ship, a Khareef-class corvette, will now embark on trials before a full acceptance by the Omani navy.
Nigel Stewart is the commercial director for BAE Systems’ maritime division.
He said: ‘It’s a huge and very proud moment for us.
‘It’s a major milestone in the project.
‘The ship will go out and deliver the capability that it was sent out to do.
‘The people of Portsmouth can be proud at having the skills required to build ships such as these.’
Work will continue on RNOV Al Shamikh’s sister ships, Al Rahmani and Al Rasikh.

* Notícia publicada a The Portsmouth News. Les corbetes Khareef, a banda de les seves qualitats, són una bona mostra de que l'aliança entre el Regne Unit i Oman segueix vigent