Gepard class fast attack craft

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S71 Gepard

The Type 143A Gepard class is Germany's last class of missile bearing Fast Attack Craft (FPB, Schnellboot in German) and the only one still in service with the Deutsche Marine (German Navy since 1990).

It's an evolution of the Type 143 Albatros class. It's planned that Gepard class vessels will gradually be supplemented by Braunschweig class corvettes starting in 2007.

[edit] Specifications

Length: 57.6m
Beam: 7.8m
Draft: 2.6m
Displacement: 391 tonnes
Propulsion: 13.235 kW
Speed: 40+ knots
Armament:
- 1 OTO-Melara 76mm gun
- 4 MM38 Exocet anti-ship missiles
- 1 GDC Rolling Airframe Missile launcher, 21 cells
- Mine laying capability
Countermeasures:
- Decoy launcher HOT DOG
- Chaff launcher DAG 2200 Wolke
Complement: 35

[edit] List of ships

NATO pennant number	Name	Call sign	Commissioned
P6121	S 71 Gepard	DRCE	December 7, 1982
P6122	S 72 Puma	DRCF	February 17, 1983
P6123	S 73 Hermelin	DRCG	April 28, 1983
P6124	S 74 Nerz	DRCH	July 14, 1983
P6125	S 75 Zobel	DRCI	September 28, 1983
P6126	S 76 Frettchen	DRCJ	December 16, 1983
P6127	S 77 Dachs	DRCK	March 22, 1984
P6128	S 78 Ozelot	DRCL	May 25, 1984
P6129	S 79 Wiesel	DRCM	July 12, 1984
P6130	S 80 Hyäne	DRCN	November 13, 1984

The boats are named after big cats and other mammal predators. The "S" and the number are part of the ship's full name i.e the "S 71 Gepard". When the ships were first commissioned, they were originally numbered (eg just "S 71"); however the crews petitioned for full names, and the decision was made to combine the original names with the additional animal name.

Since 1 July 2006, all FPBs are part of the 7 Schnellbootgeschwader (7th Fast Patrol Boat Squadron), whereas for the 8 years previously the flotilla was split into (hulls S 76—S 80) 2 Schnellbootgeschwader (2nd Fast Patrol Boat Squadron), and a smaller (hulls S 71—S 75) 7 Schnellbootgeschwader. The squadron is stationed in Warnemünde, where both predecessor squadrons were also based.

[edit] See also

Ship classes of the Deutsche Marine
Destroyers	101A Hamburg \| 103B Lütjens
Frigates and Corvettes	122 Bremen \| 123 Brandenburg \| 124 Sachsen \| F125 \| 130 Braunschweig
Fast Attack Craft	143 Albatros \| 143A Gepard \| 148 Tiger
Mine warfare	332 Frankenthal \| 333 Kulmbach \| 352 Ensdorf \| 742A Mühlhausen
Submarines	205B \| 206A \| 212A
Auxiliary ships	404 Elbe \| 423 Oste \| 441 Gorch Fock \| 520 Barbe \| 702 Berlin \| 703 Walchensee \| 704 Rhön \| 720 Helgoland \| 721 Eisvogel \| 722 Wangerooge \| 760 Westerwald