Including material from our European correspondent, Adrian Davis. Now that the French have two La Fayette class ships in service, they are starting to formulate doctrine to use them. They are designed as patrol ships, successors to the Commandant Rivieres, but the French are also considering the best way to use them with the rest of the fleet. Special Forces insertion has been touted (though how a 3,600 ton frigate is stealthy/stealthier than a sub is anyone's guess) but the main role is above water warfare, with a leaning toward antiship work. The La Fayette would be positioned well in front of a task force to act as a scout. In littoral environments, it would be placed close inshore, again as a scout. Whilst extending detection ranges, especially if placed on the horizon and in datalink range of the task force, if the platform were to go active it would lose its stealthiness so what would be achieved? The two class members, La Fayette and Surcoufare to join the Mediterranean fleet in 1996, so we'll see what the French end up doing. The next batch of La Fayette frigates will be pretty different. They will have vertical-launch Aster missiles and the appropriate missile FC equipment. The Saudis have bought two of a slightly modified design, and the Taiwanese have ordered six, three of which are already in the water. La Fayette Batch 2 FF Displacement: 3000 Num in Class: 0+3 Damage Points: 82 10C: 1998-2000 DP Modifier: 0.75 Speed:26 Propulsion: Diesel-Electric Crew: 164 Size Class: Small Signature: Very Small ECM Rating: Total Mounts: 11 Weapons: ROF Aft Pad(1)1 SA.365F Panther B PB&SB(4)2 MM40 Exocet w/4 msls 4 D F&A(16)1 Aster 15//1 Arabel 15 D P/S(1)2 F2 20mm/80 C F(1)1 Compact CADM 100mm/55//1 Castor II C Sensors: DIBV 10 Vampir (IR sensor) 2 DRBN 32, DRBV 15, DRBV 26 J Remarks: 'FL 3000' class. Fitted with Prairie-Masker, rafted machinery (Quieted). GRP superstructure sloped 10 degrees to reduce radar cross section, RAM coating. Deck fittings and lifeboats under cover. (Low RCS design) 8 manual reloads for Crotale. Accommodation for 12 naval commandos. No ASW sensors or armament. Have special facility in stem to deploy special warfare divers or inflatable boats up to sea state 5-6 at speeds of up to 7 knots. Provision for a DSBV 61 towed array. Will later carry NH90 helicopter. Will normally carry only 4 MM40. Damage and Speed Breakdown Damage Points 0 20 41 61 74 82 Surface Speed: 26 20 13 6 0 Sinks The French are also developing a soft-kill anti-torpedo system. From what I have heard it is an acoustic decoy that first senses the incoming torpedo in both range and bearing using a small towed array. Once the incoming weapon is detected a decoy is launched (range: 300 to 3000 m). Upon hitting the water, a wideband jammer or decoy programme is initiated. It is going to go on Charles de Gaulle, and the Project Horizon frigates. The US Navy is giving high-value units improved AAW protection. The LSD-41 class, Tarawa LHAs, Wasp LSDs, and aircraft carriers will be fitted with the Surface Ship SelfDefense System, which integrates the existing ship's sensors and point-defense weapons, allowing the weapons to be cued autonomously by the SPS49 or SLQ-32 systems. Right now the system can control the ship's chaff launchers, Sea Sparrow and Phalanx. RAM launchers are also being added and the Evolved Sea Sparrow missile will be added after it is developed. It is being tested on an LSD-41 class ship. More information has become available on the Russian Shkval rocket-powered torpedo. It probably entered service in 1992 or '93 with the Russian navy. It is designated BGT , which is the Russian Acronym for "large evasion torpedo." This rather confusing label can be understood only if its role is known. The plan was to carry two of these weapons on the Bars [Akula], Sierra, and other classes. They would not be used offensively, but defensively. The Russians know that the Western navies have acoustically superior subs, and that there is a fair chance that the first time they would know of a Western sub's presence was when they hear an incoming torpedo. This assumption shows up in a lot of ways. Their emphasis on submarine survivability. The way they escort their boomers, and run their attack subs in pairs. The way they depend on air and surface support for their submarine operations. The Shkval or BGT would be immediately counterfired down the bearing of a launch transient or incoming torpedo. Knowing the preferred firing range of a US sub torpedo attack (about 10,000 yards) they know the Shkval can almost certainly reach the firing sub, especially at 200 knots. Any fuzz in the target's location would be taken care of by the nuclear warhead. The Shkval has a maximum range of 6.5 nm at Shallow Depth, and half that at Intermediate Depth down to a maximum depth of 400 m. It leaves the sub at 50 knots and once clear, the rocket fires. The nuclear warhead is triggered by a timer. It must have the acoustic signature of a Led Zeppelin concert, which serves to mask the Russian from further observation by the attacking Western sub. This allows the Russian to dear datum and set up elsewhere for its own counterattack, or evasion if it chooses. The Western sub probably won't be able to see whether its own weapon has hit, because it will be forced to evade at maximum speed, almost certainly breaking the wire. It's sort of like firing a shot with a rifle, and getting a 105mm with canister fired back at your muzzle flash. The Russians are marketing a new ASW standoff weapon. The Medvedka is being sold as a light, cheap, weapon suitable for frigates and corvettes, and maybe even smaller vessels. Carrying a 320mm ASW torpedo, Medvedka is unguided and has a range of 12.4 nm and a minimum range of .7 nm. Little more has been announced except that the torpedo appears to be very capable, with a maximum depth of 500 m. It can be fired from a twin or quad canister launcher. Canada will not buy Britain's four Upholder SSs. They've let their option to buy lapse. Iran claims to have developed inflight refuelling capability for its 35 MiG-29 Fulcrums. BT Back to The Naval Sitrep #5 Table of Contents Back to Naval Sitrep List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1995 by Larry Bond and Clash of Arms. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history and related articles are available at http://www.magweb.com