Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1258433
on the grounds of financial nature, associated with the R&D effort. The probability of failure or delays was also quite high. In November 2019 Spain decided to provide financing for the building program. The gov- ernment approved the conclusion of an agree- ment worth EUR 1.638 bn., pertaining to the procurement of the first pieces of equipment for the new frigates. The vessels will have full displacement exceeding 6,100 t, at a length of 145 m. With a crew of 145, there will also be some extra space on board, for additional 70 persons: command staff, medics, or SOF oper- ators. The power plant will come in the COD- LAG layout (Combined Diesel Electric and Gas Turbines). Via shafts, the power plant would drive variable geometry screws. The cruise speed is to be provided by four MTU series 4000 license-manufactured engines, including two units enclosed in sound-proofed capsules - they would be acting in the role of electricity generators for two electric motors installed on the shafts. General Electric LM2500 gas tur- bines would be coupled with the whole system, providing the vessel with its top speed. This solution is to allow the new warships to trav- el at a top speed exceeding 27 knots. CODLAG configuration is becoming more and more com- mon among the surface combatants, especially the ones tasked with ASW operations. The die- sel engines enclosed in vibration-dampening capsules are not physically attached to the shafts - their power is solely transferred to the electricity generators that power the shafts. A layout as such eliminates the need to include a gearbox in the chain - and a gearbox is usual- ly one of the primary sources of noise. HYDROACOUSTIC SYSTEM The F-110 frigates would also receive an ad- vanced hydroacoustic system with several pieces of hardware forming the whole suite. The first one is the UMS 4110 Blue Master low-frequency hull-mounted sonar. It is going to be coupled with the primary sonar, name- ly the Thales CAPTAS 4 Compact array. The Thales's solution comprises a passive sonar's cable and the VDS element (Variable Depth So- nar). VDS capabilities are especially relevant in the context of fighting silent conventional sub- marines that use AIP (air-independent propul- sion). Spain would become the first user of the CAPTAS-4 Compact sonar. One of the system's distinctive features is the diminished surface area required to embed it on the ship. This has been achieved through the integration of both elements of the system - the cable of the towed passive sonar and the "fish" element of the ac- tive VDS. They constitute a single device that is lowered into the water with the use of a single cable. TUUM-6 UWT (underwater telephone) system would complement the sonar assets. NAVY