Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1220268
new vessels is also well known, with a large superstruc- ture spreading between the bow gun and the hangar in the back. The superstructure features three masts and two exhaust chimneys. The largest external change is the increased (at the cost of the missiles) number of bays for rigid inflatable boats and unmanned platforms. At the moment four spaces as such exist. Two are closer to the central part of the ship, just in front of two original ones. The sensors and weapons set also seems to be already arranged, to a certain degree. However, some minor changes may take place at the final stage of the design effort. The main sensor that is going to be most proba- bly integrated on the warships is the Thales NS-200 mul- tifunctional radar. Alternatively, its NS-110 lighter variant could be used here as well. Thanks to fusion of 360-de- grees coverage radar and weapons control radar in one sensor, two Mirador fire control systems with optical sensors would be enough to complement the radar's ca- pacity. The first one would be installed on the roof of the bridge, while the second one is expected to be placed on top of the hangar, thus providing a full, 360-degrees FOV. Alongside, the CAMM datalink would be located. Two nav-radars will be used for navigation purposes and for the purpose of working with the embarked helicopter. Thales Vigile D would act as the radar warning receiv- er coupled with a decoy dispenser suite. Hydroacoustic equipment will be quite modest: the vessel will only fea- ture the Thales UMS 4110 hull-mounted sonar. However, the warships are expected to carry quite mighty artillery package - a single 57 mm Bofors Mk 3 gun on the bow and two 40 mm Bofors Mk 4 cannons. The first one of the two would be placed at the bow, above the main gun, while the second one will be installed on top of the hangar. This armament will be complemented by four M-134 Miniguns. The air/missile defense capac- ity will be provided by the Sea Ceptor system with 24 VLS-launched CAMM missiles. CAMM (Common Anti-Air Modular Missile) is a modern single-stage anti-aircraft missile making use of an active radar guidance system plus, at the early stage of the flight, trajectory adjust- ments are made via a radio datalink installed on the mothership. The missiles have been introduced into the Royal Navy's arsenal in 2018, replacing the legacy Sea Wolf Block 2 effectors onboard the Type 23. Modernization Potential Type 31, as mentioned above, are to act in a support role, complementing the more advanced vessels, namely the Type 45 destroyers and new Type 26 ASW frigates. However, the current and future environment of mar- itime operations with terrorist organizations and other violent non-state actors getting access to advanced www.fragoutmag.com