HOME | DD

Description
The need for a larger, more capable ship in the mould of the Danish Absalon-class was one of the key focuses of the Portugal 2035 report. The report recommended the purchase of two such “command frigates” that would also be able to carry and land troops.
  After examining several proposals, an order was placed with Dutch shipbuilders Damen. The key reason for this order was financial: Damen proposed a fixed-price package for the Marinha Portuguesa, based on the service ordering seventeen ships of various types with the company. These ships would be built in both Dutch and Portuguese yards, under Damen’s overall project control and utilise off-the-shelf, proven equipment to keep down costs.

The Damen Crossover 139 would form the basis of the Porto-class command frigate, with several tweaks to meet Portuguese requirements. These Portuguese ships were a hybrid of the FC and A models, featuring the 127mm Oto-Melara naval gun, twin helicopter landing spots and two 40-tonne LCVP davits pf the A-model and the FC’s anti-air optimised missile armament and higher top speed. Other changes from the baseline include the Vulcan Phalanx CIWS and the Portuguese choice of missiles, which in turn determined the sensor suite.
  Portuguese ships would have four 8-cell Sylver-50 vertical launch silos on the foredeck, aft of the gun. These launchers were intended to take a mix of Aster 30 and quad-packed Sea Ceptor SAM’s, therefore requiring a compatible radar system. The chosen combat system was essentially a repeat of that used on the French air defence frigates Alsace and Lorraine, built around the Herakles search/fire control radar. Anti-submarine warfare armament consisted of two triple torpedo tubes, capable of launching any 324mm torpedo. After some consideration, the MP settled on the MU90 torpedo to replace its obsolescent Mark 46 weapons. The class also carries eight launchers for Rbs-15 anti-ship/land attack missiles amidships and has provision for multiple Rhinemettal 20mm cannon and 12.7mm or 7.65mm machine guns.
  The flight deck can accommodate any helicopter in Portuguese service, but hangar space is limited. As a rule, on normal operations a single NH90-NFH is embarked. Up to 125 troops can be carried by the Porto-class when operating in the amphibious support role; the ship’s normal complement is 125, depending on the number of helicopters and associated support staff embarked.

Specifications:

Length: 139 metres
Beam: 19.6m
Draft: 4.7m
Displacement: 5,600 tonnes max
Speed: 18 knots (cruising); 28 knots (max)
Endurance: 5,000 nmi
Combat System: Thales Group TACTICOS with 12 x Multifunction Operator Consoles Mk.4
Radar: Héraklès multi-purpose passive electronically scanned array radar (air/surface search & fire control); Thales TSB 2520 IFF; Sperry Marine BridgeMaster E navigation radar; Leonardo NA-25 DARDO-F fire control radar.
Sonar: Thales UMS 4132 Kingklip medium frequency active/passive ASW hull mounted sonar; SAPTAS 2/UMS 4229 (VDS) (can be removed)
Armament: 32-cell Sylver-50 VLS for MBDA Aster 30 and quad-packed Sea Ceptor SAM; 2 x quad-Rbs-15 anti-ship/land attack missiles; 2 x triple Torpedo launching system EuroTorp B515, MU90 turpedoes; 1 x Oto-Melara Otobreda 127/64 127mm gun; 1 x Phalanx Block 1B 20mm CIWS; Rheinmetall Mk 20 Rh-202 20mm cannon; provision for 12.7mm and/or 7.62mm machine guns.
Complement: 125 standard; can accommodate up to 250 in overload conditions
Helicopter: pad and hangar for two NH90 or single AW101. Can accommodate helicopters up to CH-47/CH-53 size, but unable to hangar them.

Description
The need for a larger, more capable ship in the mould of the Danish Absalon-class was one of the key focuses of the Portugal 2035 report. The report recommended the purchase of two such “command frigates” that would also be able to carry and land troops.
  After examining several proposals, an order was placed with Dutch shipbuilders Damen. The key reason for this order was financial: Damen proposed a fixed-price package for the Marinha Portuguesa, based on the service ordering seventeen ships of various types with the company. These ships would be built in both Dutch and Portuguese yards, under Damen’s overall project control and utilise off-the-shelf, proven equipment to keep down costs.

The Damen Crossover 139 would form the basis of the Porto-class command frigate, with several tweaks to meet Portuguese requirements. These Portuguese ships were a hybrid of the FC and A models, featuring the 127mm Oto-Melara naval gun, twin helicopter landing spots and two 40-tonne LCVP davits pf the A-model and the FC’s anti-air optimised missile armament and higher top speed. Other changes from the baseline include the Vulcan Phalanx CIWS and the Portuguese choice of missiles, which in turn determined the sensor suite.
  Portuguese ships would have four 8-cell Sylver-50 vertical launch silos on the foredeck, aft of the gun. These launchers were intended to take a mix of Aster 30 and quad-packed Sea Ceptor SAM’s, therefore requiring a compatible radar system. The chosen combat system was essentially a repeat of that used on the French air defence frigates Alsace and Lorraine, built around the Herakles search/fire control radar. Anti-submarine warfare armament consisted of two triple torpedo tubes, capable of launching any 324mm torpedo. After some consideration, the MP settled on the MU90 torpedo to replace its obsolescent Mark 46 weapons. The class also carries eight launchers for Rbs-15 anti-ship/land attack missiles amidships and has provision for multiple Rhinemettal 20mm cannon and 12.7mm or 7.65mm machine guns.
  The flight deck can accommodate any helicopter in Portuguese service, but hangar space is limited. As a rule, on normal operations a single NH90-NFH is embarked. Up to 125 troops can be carried by the Porto-class when operating in the amphibious support role; the ship’s normal complement is 125, depending on the number of helicopters and associated support staff embarked.

Specifications:

Length: 139 metres
Beam: 19.6m
Draft: 4.7m
Displacement: 5,600 tonnes max
Speed: 18 knots (cruising); 28 knots (max)
Endurance: 5,000 nmi
Combat System: Thales Group TACTICOS with 12 x Multifunction Operator Consoles Mk.4
Radar: Héraklès multi-purpose passive electronically scanned array radar (air/surface search & fire control); Thales TSB 2520 IFF; Sperry Marine BridgeMaster E navigation radar; Leonardo NA-25 DARDO-F fire control radar.
Sonar: Thales UMS 4132 Kingklip medium frequency active/passive ASW hull mounted sonar; SAPTAS 2/UMS 4229 (VDS) (can be removed)
Armament: 32-cell Sylver-50 VLS for MBDA Aster 30 and quad-packed Sea Ceptor SAM; 2 x quad-Rbs-15 anti-ship/land attack missiles; 2 x triple Torpedo launching system EuroTorp B515, MU90 turpedoes; 1 x Oto-Melara Otobreda 127/64 127mm gun; 1 x Phalanx Block 1B 20mm CIWS; Rheinmetall Mk 20 Rh-202 20mm cannon; provision for 12.7mm and/or 7.62mm machine guns.
Complement: 125 standard; can accommodate up to 250 in overload conditions
Helicopter: pad and hangar for two NH90 or single AW101. Can accommodate helicopters up to CH-47/CH-53 size, but unable to hangar them.