Álvaro de Bazán Class

The Álvaro de Bazán class, also known as the F-100 class, is a class of Spanish-manufactured frigates currently used by the Spanish Navy. They receive the name Álvaro de Bazán class in memory of Admiral Álvaro de Bazán, Marquis of Santa Cruz.

They relieved the Balearic class frigates in the composition of the 31st Squadron. They have been developed and manufactured in the Navantia shipyards (Ferrol) and are equipped with the Aegis combat system, of American origin. They have an AN/SPY-1D radar capable of detecting aircraft within a radius of approximately 500 km at high altitudes, although the detection range will be reduced depending on the size of the target and its altitude. Currently, there are five F-100 frigates in service, in addition to three units contracted by Australia (Hobart Class), to be built in the southern country. A reduced version was also developed based on this model, of which five units have been sold to Norway (manufactured in Spain), the Fridtjof Nansen class (F-310). The costs have been from €430 million (F-101 to F-104) to €822.99 million (F-105). The F-100 class also served as the basis for selling its 3 Hobart-class frigates to Australia. The US Navy, the Lockheed Martin company and several Spanish military electronics industries have collaborated in the construction of these frigates, providing technology and supervision.

In 2006, construction of the F-105 Cristóbal Colón began, which entered service in 2012. The Spanish Navy was awaiting approval of the F-106 (Juan de Austria), a ship that would have closed the series, however the context of the 2007 crisis left the series at the 5 mentioned, starting a new series in the future. However, during his investiture debate, the president of the government Mariano Rajoy, announced that an effort would be made in relation to a sixth frigate of this class for the Navy, although, finally, on June 8, 2012, the Chief of Defense Staff, Admiral Fernando García Sánchez, announced that the F -105 would close the series.

Design

The F-100 “Álvaro de Bazán” class frigates are the first European warships with the Aegis system. They have the capacity to detect and track more than 90 moving targets and direct anti-aircraft and surface projectiles.

They are the first Spanish ships with the new high-strength steel ballistic protection hull. It completes its protection with engines mounted on elastic parts, which do not transmit noise to the hull, making them more difficult to detect by submarines. During the development phase, special emphasis was placed on the design of the ship's shapes with the aim of minimizing its "eco" radar. The F-100 are also equipped with Indra Aldebaran countermeasures and electronic warfare systems, of Spanish design and manufacture, and an AN/SLQ-25A Nixie anti-torpedo acoustic system.

It has two quadruple RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile launchers; two twin Mk-46 torpedo launchers; a five-inch Mk-45 type cannon with a firing capacity of 20 projectiles per minute and a 23 km range; and a Mk-41 vertical launcher with 48 cells; four chaff launchers that emit decoys to confuse enemy missiles and an SH-60B Seahawk helicopter prepared for anti-submarine and anti-surface combat.

Several countries were looking to have a modern frigate, which is why the multinational NFR-90 program was created, which sought to equip several NATO countries with a single and common ship model during the Cold War (in Spain they would have become in the F-90 class). The program ended up failing because each country wanted different specifications and requirements. From the ill-fated NFR-90 program were born the Spanish Álvaro de Bazán class and the American Arleigh Burke. The latter was equipped with the AEGIS combat system, and served as inspiration for the F-100.

The program that led to the development of the F-100 frigates was born in the early 1990s after the cancellation of the NFR 90 program, due to the need of the Spanish Navy to have state-of-the-art ocean escorts, optimized to act as command ships in conflict scenarios, capable of providing full coverage to expeditionary forces, high anti-aircraft capacity and suitable for the integration of Spanish-made weapons systems, as well as full integration with the most advanced units of the allied countries, with the objective of providing naval power to the fleet of the highest level.

In June 1995, the Spanish Navy decided to integrate the AEGIS system for the development of the anti-aircraft segment of the combat system. This combat system is considered the most advanced in the world, and currently only the US, Korean, Japanese, Spanish and Norwegian navies have AEGIS units, the latter with ships built in Spain. The core of the AEGIS system is composed of a SPY-1D three-dimensional phased antenna radar capable of simultaneously performing search, tracking and guidance functions for enemy missiles, over a radius of 500 km and simultaneously tracking more than 90 targets, as well as controlling with great precision the trajectories of anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles to their targets.

Construction

On January 31, 1997, the execution order was signed for the construction in the Ferrol shipyards of Izar (today Navantia) of the first four frigates of the F-100 class, which would bear the names of Álvaro de Bazán, Admiral Juan de Borbón, Blas de Lezo and Méndez Núñez. These four ships have already entered service (see table). Given the excellent results they have shown during the military maneuvers in which they have participated, the Spanish Navy decided to commission the construction of one more unit and has indicated to the government the need for a sixth, which is pending budget approval. On February 29, 2000, the Norwegian Navy ordered 5 Fridtjof Nansen class frigates, based on the F-100, from Izar.

Operational history

The first frigate of the F-100 series, the F-101 Álvaro de Bazán, which entered service on September 19, 2002, was the first Spanish ship that has collaborated with the US Navy as part of a naval combat group, escorting the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt between September 2005 and March 2006, for which it had to carry out a training phase on the East Coast of the United States between May and July 2005. This decision generated quite a bit of controversy because it was used during the invasion of Iraq, despite the official position of the Spanish government regarding said war.

The Álvaro de Bazán was in Australia in March 2007 as part of its circumnavigation trip, a fact that is considered fundamental for the achievement of the contract for three F100 units for Australia as part of the air defense destroyer program. These three units receive the Hobart Class designation.

The F-103 Blas de Lezo was integrated into the combat group of the French nuclear aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle for two months. Subsequently, it ran aground on September 25, 2007 during exercises of the NATO in Scotland. In the crash there were no personal injuries, although there were material injuries, since one of the propellers suffered serious damage. An emergency repair was carried out at the Navantia-Ferrol facilities, which was later completed at the same company's shipyard in Fene. Upon his return to service he assumed command of a NATO fleet in Denmark, position in which it relieved F-101.

At the end of 2006, the Pentagon authorized the sale to the Navy of an initial order of 24 Tomahawk cruise missiles intended for the F100 and S-80 class submarines. During the first years, Spain will not have real capacity to use of the same, because the missile flies to its target at a low altitude, which is why it needs a network of communications and observation satellites that is currently not available in Spain. In October 2009, the Minister of Defense Carme Chacón informed the Pentagon that Spain was renouncing the purchase of the Tomahawk missiles, although it reserved the ability to acquire the tubes that could use the aforementioned missiles.

The Government of Mariano Rajoy wanted to order a sixth F-100 frigate but the Spanish Navy itself rejected it, arguing that it was preferable to invest in the new next-generation F-110 frigate as soon as possible, with the idea that the Fleet and naval industry were up to date and competitive.

Components

Structure

System	Country	China	Notes
Casco		Navantia Bath Iron Works	developed by Navantia from a Bath Iron Works license from the Arleigh Burke Class design

Electronics

System	Country	China	Notes
Integrated Platform Control System (SICP)		FABA Systems	Navantia Philly
Combat system		Navantia Lockheed Martin	American AEGIS System F-101 to F-104, SCOMBA F-105
Shooting control system (DORNA)		FABA Systems	Model RTN-30 for your cannon
MOS system (MIDS On Ship) of communications, navigation and identification of data distribution		Indra Sistemas
Consoles multifunction CONAM		Sainsel	Model DLT-309
Warship Electronic Chart Display and Information System (WECDIS)		Sainsel
Navigation system		Diana Sperry Corporation Thales Group	Model SPERRY F-101 to F-104, DIANA at F-105
Main radar		Lockheed Martin	SPY-1D model. The F-105 incorporates the SPY-1D (V) version
Navigation radar		Indra Sistemas Lockheed Martin	Model AN/SSPS-73 of Lockheed Martin F-101 to F-104, and ARIES NAV in the F-105
Surface radar		Indra Sistemas Raytheon	Model SPS-67(V) F-101 to F-104, ARIES CS at the F-105
Secondary Radar		Indra Sistemas	Model ARIES model CIT-25DF
Radar of the shooting control system		Raytheon	Model AN/SPG-62 FCR (Fire Control Radar) for SM-2MR anti-ear missiles Block IIIA (RIM-66M-2) and RIM-162 ESSM currently bearing and other models in the future (SM-3 and SM-6), two units
Radar ESM/ECM		Indra Sistemas	Rigel model
Hull sonar		Indra Sistemas	Model LWHP53SN, developed from a Lockheed Martin license. Originally incorporated model DE 1160LF manufactured in Spain by ENOSA under Raytheon license
IFF		Indra Sistemas	Including modes 5 and mode S
ICCS-5 Integrated Communications System		EID
Link-11 and Link-22 Data Link Systems		Tecnobit	LINPRO
Optronic Surveillance System		Tecnobit	F-105: ARGOS model
Laser detection and countermeasure system		Indra Sistemas	Composed of an ESM/ECM: Indra SLQ-380 Interceptor/disturber will be killed and a CESELSA Regulus Mk 9500 interceptor
Throw them out.		BAE Systems	4 launchers model FMC SRBOC Mk36
Towed decoy for torpedoes		Lockheed Martin	Model SLQ-25A Enhaced Nixie

Weapons

Like the Arleight Burke destroyers of the United States Navy, Bazán's Álvaro class has detection capacity for defense against ballistic missiles (BMD), mainly ICBM and IRBM, but unlike destructive Americans, F-100 frigates have no interception capacity, so they must transfer the data monitoring data to other ships that if they have interceptor missiles. They do not carry CIWS proximity armament systems, (although it is believed that this lack is compensated by the ESSM), they lack an integrated anti-submarine warfare system and are not equipped with the Missile BGM-109 Tomahawk of American origin, even though The Pentagon authorized the sale to Spain of these cruise missiles, in 2009 the Spanish government finally rejected the purchase, thus reducing its abilities to attack land whites. In 2022, the Navy made the decision to acquire the Naval Strike Missile, an anti-mushroom missile that also acts as a naval cruise missile, will replace the AGM-84 Harpoon anti-mission missile, and will equip the Bonifaz class frigates.

System	Country	China	Notes
Canyon		FABA Systems OTO Melara	Model Mk.45 Mod.2 of 127 mm manufactured by FABA Sistemas. Originally it was planned to incorporate the version of BAE Systems until OTO Melara was licensed
Vertical launch system		Indra Sistemas	Developed from an American license of the 48-cell Mk.41 model,
Surface-air missiles		Raytheon	Up to 48 units of Standard SM-2MR Block IIIA/RIM-66L (1 unit per VLS cell)
Surface-air missiles		Raytheon NAMMO	Up to 192 units of model RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow (4 units per VLS cell)
Anti-Buke Missiles RGM-84 Sub-Harpoon block II		Boeing Integrated Defense Systems	2 quadruple assemblies
Torpedo		Alliant Techsystems	2 Mk.32 Mk.32 Mod.9 324 mm with 12 Mk.46 torpedoes Mod.5
Machine guns		Browning Arms	4 units of 12.7 mm Browning M2 model
20 mm guns [chuckles]required]		Oerlikon	2 units per F-101 frigate to F-104[chuckles]required]
25 mm guns		BAE Systems	2 units in the F-105 frigate[chuckles]required]
Pislotes		Indra Sistemas	Browning Arms

Propulsion

System	Country	China	Notes
CODOG
Turbines		General Electric	2 gas turbines model General Electric LM2500
Motors		Navantia	2 diesel engines model Bazán Bravo-Caterpillar 3600
Generators		Navantia	Model 12V396TE54 manufactured under MTU license
Propellers		NAVALIPS	Now Wärtsilä Propulsion Spain, S.A.

Units

Identification	Name	Launch date	Date of entry into service	Call indicator	Image
F-101	Alvaro de Bazán	31 October 2000	19 September 2002
F-102	Admiral Juan de Borbón	28 February 2002	3 December 2003
F-103	Blas de Lezo	16 May 2003	16 December 2004
F-104	Méndez Núñez	12 November 2004	21 March 2006
F-105	Christopher Columbus	4 November 2010	23 October 2012

The F-105 closed the Álvaro de Bazán class, it being estimated that in the event of a new acquisition of ships the series would begin with the F-110.