HTMS Naresuan (FFG 421) |
|
| Career (Thailand) | |
|---|---|
| Class and type: | Type 053 frigate |
| Name: | HTMS Naresuan |
| Builder: | China State Shipbuilding Corporation, Shanghai |
| Commissioned: | 1995 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 2,985 tons full load |
| Length: | 120.5 m |
| Beam: | 13.7 m |
| Draught: | 4.3 m |
| Draft: | 3.8 m |
| Propulsion: | 1 × General Electric LM2500+ gas turbine and 2 × MTU 20V1163 TB83 diesel engines, driving two shafts with controllable pitch propellers in CODOG configuration. |
| Speed: | 32 knots (59 km/h) max |
| Range: | 4000 nmi(7408 km) at 18 kn |
| Complement: | 150 |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
1 x Saab Sea Giraffe AMD 3D surveillance radar 1 x Thales LW08 long range search radar 2 x Saab Ceros 200 fire control radar 1 x Thales STIR fire control radar Combat management system:Saab 9LV 400 Mk.4 with Saab TIDLS |
| Armament: |
1 x 5 in/54 (127 mm) Mk-45 Mod 2 naval artillery gun 2 x Mk.141 RGM-84 Harpoon SSM launcher 2 x triple 324 mm Mk-32 Mod.5 tubes |
| Aircraft carried: | 1 x Super Lynx 300 |
HTMS (His Thai Majesty's Ship) Naresuan (FFG 421), (Thai: นเรศวร) hull number 621, commissioned in 1995, is a modified version of the Chinese-made Type 053 frigate, designed and built by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation in Shanghai. Her sister ship, HTMS Taksin was delivered in November 1995. The ships came at 2,000 million baht each, much less than the 8,000 million baht price tag for Western-built frigates.
When Thailand ordered four new 053 frigates in 1990, China built them to the (then) latest 053H2 (Jianghu III) standard. Two were modified with helicopter decks in the back. Although the price was excellent (2 billion baht each, compared to 8 billion baht for western ships), the Thai Navy complained of quality issues. The interior wiring was exposed and had to be re-wired. The ship's battle damage control system was very limited, with poor fire-suppression system and water-tight locks. It's said that if the ship's hull was breached, rapid flooding would lead to loss of ship. The Thai Navy had to spent considerable time and effort to correct some of these issues.[1]
The harsh criticisms lead to many improvements in China's shipbuilding industry. By the mid-1990s, the Thai Navy was confident enough to order two enlarged 053 hulls (F25T), later named HTMS Naresuan and HTMS Taksin, to be fitted with western engines and weapon systems.
On 3 June 2011, Saab announced[2] that it was awarded a contract for the upgrading of the two Naresuan class frigates. The scope of the upgrade will include Saab's 9LV MK4 combat management system, Sea Giraffe AMB, CEROS 200 fire control radar, EOS 500 electro-optics system and data link systems for communications with the newly acquired Royal Thai Air Force Erieye surveillance aircraft.