Skjold class patrol boat

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Career

Ordered:	July 1996
Laid down:	August 4, 1997
Launched:	September 22, 1998
Commissioned:	April 17, 1999
General characteristics
Length:	47.5 metres
Beam:	13.5 metres
Draft:	1.0 metres
Displacement:	274 tonnes full load
Propulsion:	2 x Twin gas turbines →12,170 kilowatts Twin diesel engines →1,490 kilowatts
Complement:	16 men
Armament:	8 Naval Strike Missile SSMs (when available) kept in an internal weapons bay 76mm Oto Breda Super Rapid multi-role cannon Mistral missile SAM 12.7mm gun
Speed:	In rough sea: 45 knots In calm sea: 60 knots
Sensors:	Thales MRR-3D-NG air/surface radar Ceros 200 FC CS-3701 electronic warfare suite Sagem Vigy 20 Electro-optical sensor
Soft kill:	MASS decoy (32)
Other:	Link 11 and Link 16

The Skjold class patrol boats (skjold means "shield" in Norwegian) is a new class of superfast, large stealth missile craft, also known as MTBs (missile torpedo boats). This design is completely Norwegian, and they are built at the Umoe Mandal yard. They are among the fastest warships in the world and can reach speeds of up to 60 knots / 110 km/t. The Skjold-Class MTBs will be added to the pool of "old" Hauk class MTBs. The Skjold class MTBs consist of six ships, whereas 4 ships are launched. The remaining two are under construction. Ship # 2,Storm, is to be delivered in April 2008. Following that, one new ship will be delivered every three months until Gnist is delivered in June 2009.

The first of the class, the Skjold was commissioned in 1999, and operated by the Norwegian Navy. The U.S. Navy had expressed interest in the design and leased the vessel for a period of year. During this time it was operated by a 14-man Norwegian crew out of Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek.

To ensure stealth capabilities radar absorbent materials (RAM) have been used in the load-bearing structures over large areas of the ship. This strategy leads to significant weight saving compared to conventional construction techniques of applying RAM cladding to the external surfaces. The ship's profile has a faceted appearance with no right angle structures and few orientations of reflective panels. Doors and hatches are flush with the surfaces and the windows are flush without visible coaming (edge of window aperture) and are fitted with radar reflective screens.

The final design will see some changes compared to the prototype Skjold, which itself is being rebuilt to the new specifications. Most notably, the new vessels will use 4 gas turbines, two big ones and two small ones (no diesel engines), giving even more power. Furthermore, the foredeck will be strengthened due to the 76-mm Super Rapid gun chosen, the production of the hull material is being done using a different method to improve strength and minimize the fire vulnerability, and the bridge will also see some changes.

[edit] Vessels

*Skjold* class — significant dates
#	Name	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Notes
P960	Skjold	August 4, 1997	September 22, 1998	April 17, 1999
P961	Storm	October, 2005	November 1, 2006	Due to enter service spring 2008	Sea trials as of Jan 08
P962	Skudd	March, 2006	April 30, 2007	Due to enter service mid 2008
P963	Steil	October, 2006	January 15, 2008	Due to enter service late 2008
P964	Glimt	May, 2007		Due to enter service spring 2009
P965	Gnist	December, 2007		Due to enter service mid 2009