French frigate Forbin (D620) |
|
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Horizon |
| Builders: | Horizon Sas (DCN, Thales, Fincantieri, Finmeccanica) |
| Operators: | Marina Militare French Navy |
| Succeeded by: | FREMM multipurpose frigates |
| In service: | 2008 |
| In commission: | 2007 |
| Planned: | 8 |
| Completed: | 4 |
| Cancelled: | 4 |
| Active: | 4 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Frigate |
| Displacement: | 5,600 tons (7,050 tons full [1] |
| Length: | 152.87 m |
| Beam: | 20.3 m |
| Draught: | 5.4 m |
| Propulsion: |
2 x 31,280 hp GE/Avio General Electric LM2500 gas turbines 2 x 4-blade propellers |
| Speed: | 29 knots (54 km/h)[1] (18 knots on diesel) |
| Range: | 7,000 nm at 18 knts, 3,500 nmi (6,480 km) at 25 knots (46 km/h) |
| Boats and landing craft carried: |
1 EDO |
| Capacity: | 32 passengers |
| Complement: |
26 officers |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
EMPAR Phased Array G band multifunction radar |
| Armament: |
8 × Exocet MM40 or 8 × TESEO Mk-2/A (Italian version) anti-ship missiles launchers |
| Aircraft carried: | 1 (capacity of 2) NH90 or EH101 helicopter (radar ENR, sonar Flash, LADT 11, Marte missiles or MU90 Impact torpedoes) |
The Horizon Common New Generation Frigate (CNGF) is a multi-national collaboration to produce a new generation of anti-air warfare frigates. Originally an alliance of Britain, France and Italy, the project is now a French/Italian effort following the withdrawal of Britain due to differing requirements. It is named Orizzonte in Italian and Horizon in French and English.
Contents |
France, Italy and the UK issued a joint requirement in 1992 after the failure of the NATO Frigate Replacement (NFR-90) project. The resulting CNGF program consisted of the Horizon frigate and its Principal Anti Air Missile System (PAAMS).
Problems emerged almost immediately: the primary problem was that of differing requirements: France wanted Anti-Air Warfare (AAW) escorts for its aircraft carriers, but only a limited range was necessary due to the self-defence capability of the Charles De Gaulle. Italy too required only close range capabilities, as in its home waters of the Mediterranean Sea the ships would operate under Italian Air Force cover or escorts for its aircraft carrier Cavour. The Royal Navy, however, required more capable ships which could throw a large defensive "bubble" over a fleet operating in hostile areas. The compromise which largely solved this problem was the adoption of a standard radar interface which allowed France and Italy to install the EMPAR multi-function radar and the UK to install the more capable SAMPSON radar - the SAMPSON radar has a higher data rate and adaptive beam forming allows a greater multi-tracking capability, long-range detection of low-RCS targets, a lower false-alarm rate, and overall higher tracking accuracy.[2]
1995 saw the establishment of an International Joint Venture Company (IJVC) comprising the national prime contractors, DCN (France,) GEC-Marconi (UK) and Orizzonte (Italy). In the period 1995-1996 significant arguments, changing requirements and technological problems led to the slippage of the in-service-date of the frigates to around 2006.
In early 1997 a disagreement emerged as to the choice of Vertical Launch System (VLS) for the PAAMS' MBDA Aster missiles. France and Italy favoured their own SYLVER launcher, while the UK was leaning toward the American Mk 41 - capable of firing the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile. This issue was eventually resolved when the SYLVER launcher was selected by the PAAMS development team.
On 26 April 1999 the UK announced that it was withdrawing from the CNGF project to pursue its own national design. The Financial Times summarised the main disagreements between the partner countries; the UK wanted a large destroyer which could patrol large areas such as the Atlantic, compared to France's desire for smaller aircraft carrier escorts and Italy's intention to use them in the Mediterranean; Secondly the UK wanted the ships with a wide-area defence capability, able to protect large numbers of ships rather than just protection from missiles targeted in the frigate's general direction; Finally the UK's desire to see Marconi appointed as prime contractor was accepted by France, but only in return for DCN being given the role as prime contractor for the combat management system. The UK, which wished to see a BAE-led consortium given this role, would not accept this.[3]
Summing up the changes from the original specification the UK's Chief of Defence Procurement is reported to have said "it's not common and it's not a frigate!". The resulting Type 45 destroyer is armed with the PAAMS missile system and has benefited from investment in the Horizon project.
France and Italy have continued their collaboration under the Horizon project, ordering two ships each which also deploy the PAAMS missile system.
The Marina Militare ordered two units, Andrea Doria and Caio Duilio, to replace the Audace-class destroyers. The French Navy has ordered two units, the Forbin and the Chevalier Paul.
Andrea Doria was accepted on 22 December 2007 and received the flag of the Navy. Full operation capability (FOC) was achieved in the summer of 2008.
France and Italy have launched a new generation of multimission ships, the FREMM multipurpose frigates, using the same company structure as the Horizon project.
| Name | Pennant number | Builder | Laid Down | Launched | Commissioned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| French Navy | |||||
| Forbin | D620 | DCN Lorient | 4 April 2002 | 10 March 2005 | December 2008 |
| Chevalier Paul | D621 | DCN Lorient | 23 October 2003 | 12 July 2006 | June 2009 |
| Italian Navy | |||||
| Andrea Doria | D553 | Fincantieri Riva Trigoso | 19 July 2002 | 15 October 2005 | 22 December 2007 |
| Caio Duilio | D554 | Fincantieri Riva Trigoso | September 2003 | 23 October 2007 | 3 April 2009 |
|
|||||||||||||
|
||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||