Lupo-class frigate

Peruvian Navy frigate BAP Carvajal participating in Southern Seas 2010
Class overview
Name: Lupo class
Builders:
Operators:
Preceded by: Alpino class
Succeeded by: Maestrale class
Subclasses:
  • Carvajal class
  • Mariscal Sucre class
  • Artigliere (Soldati) class
In commission: 1977
Planned: 18
Completed: 18
Active: 17
Laid up: 1
General characteristics
Type: guided missile frigate
Displacement: 2,506 tonnes (2,986 tonnes full load)
Length: 113.2 m (371 ft)
Beam: 11.3 m (37 ft)
Draft: 3.7 m (12 ft)
Propulsion:
Speed:
  • 35 kn (65 km/h) with gas turbines
  • 21 kn (39 km/h) with diesels
Range: 4,300 nmi (8,000 km) at 16 kn (30 km/h)
Complement: 185 (20 officers)
Sensors and
processing systems:
  • SADOC 2 combat management system
  • 1 SPS-774 (RAN-10S) early warning radar
  • 1 SPQ-2F CORA OTH surface search radar
  • 1 SPS-702 (or RAN-11L/X) air/surface search radar
  • 1 SPG-70 (RTN-10X) fire control radar
  • 1 Mk 95 fire control radar
  • 2 SPG-74 (RTN-20X) fire control radar
  • 1 SPN-748 navigation radar
  • 1 DE 1160B (SQS-56) hull sonar
Electronic warfare
& decoys:
Armament:
Aircraft carried: 1 AB-212ASW helicopter
Aviation facilities:
  • Flight deck: 25.2 m × 11.3 m (83 ft × 37 ft)
  • Telescopic hangar for 1 medium helicopter.

The Lupo class is a class of frigates built by Cantieri Navali Riuniti (CNR) for the Italian Navy. Designed as multipurpose warships with emphasis on anti-surface warfare (ASuW), they have enjoyed some success in the export market, being acquired by the navies of Peru and Venezuela. A small run of a slightly updated version is known as the Soldati class.

Design

In the early 1970s, the Marina Militare faced an increased Soviet naval presence in the Mediterranean Sea which constituted a threat to its sea lines of communication as well as to its extensive coastline. To parry this menace, Italy started a naval expansion program which included frigates focused on ASuW (Lupo class) and on ASW (Maestrale class).

For the first part of the requirement, CNR presented a design for a 2,500-ton frigate with a high speed and a heavy weapons load. The ship employed a CODOG propulsion plant to achieve 35 knots, making it one of the fastest warships at the time. Armament included 8 SSMs, 8 SAMs, several gun systems, 2 triple torpedo tubes and an ASW helicopter, which was equivalent to that carried by larger warships. Lupo-class frigates have a crew of around 200.

Italian Navy

The Marina Militare commissioned four Lupo-class frigates between 1977 and 1980. These ships were deployed to the Persian Gulf first as escorts for tankers during the last stages of the Iran–Iraq War (1987–1988) and then as part of the Coalition forces during the 1990–1991 Gulf War. After this operations the whole class underwent modernization which included fitting an SPS-702 CORA surface search radar and SATCOM equipment. After two decades in service, the four Italian Lupo-class frigates were decommissioned and sold to Peru in the early 2000s.

In 1996 four new Lupo-class frigates which had been built for Iraq in 1985-87, were incorporated into the Marina Militare as the Artigliere class. These ships feature a telescopic hangar; they were refitted as patrol ships and changes made for Italian service included the removal of all ASW equipment. The four ships are Artigliere ("artilleryman" - pennant F 582), Aviere ("aviator" - F 583), Bersagliere ("sharpshooter" - F 584) and Granatiere ("grenadier" - F 585), and are used in fleet escort or long range patrolling duties.

Ships

Lupo class
Pennant number Ship Builder Laid down Launched Commissioned Fate
F 564 Lupo Cantieri Navali Riuniti, Riva Trigoso 11 October 1974 29 July 1976 12 September 1977 Transferred to Peru, renamed Palacios
F 565 Sagittario 4 February 1976 22 June 1977 18 November 1978 Transferred to Peru, renamed Quiñones
F 566 Perseo 28 February 1977 12 July 1978 1 March 1980 Transferred to Peru, renamed Bolognesi
F 567 Orsa Cantieri Navali Riuniti, Muggiano 1 August 1977 1 March 1979 1 March 1980 Transferred to Peru, renamed Aguirre
A starboard view of the Italian Lupo-class frigate Sagittario underway during exercise Distant Drum in 1983
BAP Villavisencio underway off Dungeness Spit, Washington, June 2015

Soldati-class patrol frigate

Iraq ordered four Lupo-class frigates from CNR in 1980 as part of a naval expansion program just before the Iran–Iraq War.[1] These ships, which feature a telescopic hangar were completed between 1985 and 1987. Due to restrictions on arm sales to Iraq because of the Iran-Iraq War placed by the Italian prime minister Bettino Craxi, the ships remained interned in Italy until the end of that war in 1988. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein then tried to renegotiate the price of these ships (and the other ships purchased from Italy), claiming he should receive a discount due the delay in delivery of the ships.[1] Negotiations and court proceedings were still ongoing when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990 and a new arms embargo against Iraq was placed by the United Nations, again blocking the sale.[1] In 1993 all of them were seized and, after being refitted as patrol ships, incorporated to the Marina Militare as the Soldati class in 1996. Changes made for Italian service included the removal of all ASW equipment. The four ships are Artigliere (pennant F 582), Aviere (F 583), Bersagliere (F 584) and Granatiere (F 585), and are used in fleet escort or long range patrolling duties. The Soldati class is among the items the Philippines is taking into consideration for acquisition as the Philippines and Italy recently signed a 5-year agreement for a fast track procurement of Italian-supplied new and used military equipment.[2]

Artigliere has been placed in reserve.[3]

Soldati class
Pennant number Ship Builder Laid down Launched Commissioned Fate
F 582 Artigliere (ex-Hittin) Fincantieri, Ancona 31 March 1982 27 July 1983 28 October 1994 Placed in reserve
F 583 Aviere (ex-Thi Qar) 3 September 1982 19 December 1984 4 January 1995 In active service
F 584 Bersagliere (ex-Al Yarmouk) Fincantieri, Riva Trigoso 12 March 1984 18 April 1985 8 November 1995 In active service
F 585 Granatiere {ex-Al Qadisiya) Fincantieri, Ancona 1 December 1983 1 June 1985 20 March 1996 Placed in reserve

Peruvian Navy

Peruvian frigate BAP Carvajal maneuvers through the Caribbean Sea during UNITAS 46-05

Peru became involved early in the Lupo-class frigate program, ordering four ships in 1973. The Peruvian ships were built to a modified design which included different radars, Aspide instead of Sea Sparrow SAMs and a fixed instead of a telescopic hangar. The first two were built by CNR at its shipyard in Riva Trigoso, Genoa, and commissioned in 1979.

Construction work for the second pair was carried out under license by SIMA (Servicio Industrial de la Marina, Navy Industrial Service) at Callao, with the ships commissioning in 1984 and 1987. Of the Peruvian Lupos, BAP Carvajal (FM-51), BAP Mariátegui (FM-54), BAP Villavisencio (FM-52) and BAP Montero (FM-53) have had their flight decks extended to allow ASH-3D Sea King helicopters to land and refuel, even though they cannot be housed in the ship's hangar.

In November 2004 other ex-Italian Lupo-class vessels were incorporated into the Peruvian Navy: BAP Aguirre (FM-55) (ex-Orsa) and BAP Palacios (FM-56) (ex-Lupo). Finally in August 2006 the last Italian Lupo ships arrived in Callao: BAP Quiñones (FM-58) and BAP Bolognesi (FM-57). In 2013, Carvajal was transferred to the Peruvian Coast Guard and renamed Guardiamarina San Martin.[4]

Ships

Peruvian Carvajal-class frigates, Montero and Mariátegui.
Carvajal class
Pennant number Ship Builder Laid down Launched Commissioned Fate
FM-51 Carvajal Cantieri Navali Riuniti, Riva Trigoso 8 August 1974 17 November 1976 5 February 1979 Transferred to Peruvian Coast Guard in 2013, renamed Guardiamarina San Martin
FM-52 Villavisencio 6 October 1976 7 February 1978 25 June 1979 Active in service
FM-53 Montero SIMA, Callao October 1978 8 October 1982 25 July 1984 Active in service
FM-54 Mariátegui 1979 8 October 1984 10 October 1987 Active in service
ex-Italian Lupo class
FM-55 Aguirre (ex-Orsa) Cantieri Navali Riuniti, Muggiano 1 August 1977 1 March 1979
FM-56 Palacios (ex-Lupo) Cantieri Navali Riuniti, Riva Trigoso 11 October 1974 29 July 1976
FM-57 Bolognesi (ex-Perseo) 28 February 1977 12 July 1978
FM-58 Quiñones (ex-Sagittario) 4 February 1976 22 June 1977

Venezuelan Navy

A starboard bow view of ARV General Salom prior to its upgrade
ARV General Soublette (F-24) and ARV General Salóm (F-25) docked alongside in port

Venezuela ordered six Lupo-class frigates from CNR in 1975 as a replacement for older warships. These units were commissioned between 1980 and 1982. In general terms, their appearance and equipment is similar to those built for Peru, except for some small differences in electronics. The first two ships, ARV Mariscal Sucre (F-21) and ARV Almirante Brión (F-22) were upgraded by Ingalls Shipbuilding over a four years period (1998–2002). Modifications of this two ships included:

The other ships in Venezuelan service were expected to undergo an austere version of this upgrade, but finally three ships were out of service.

Ships

Mariscal Sucre class
Pennant
number		 Ship Builder Laid down Launched Commissioned Fate
F-21 Mariscal Sucre Cantieri Navali Riuniti, Riva Trigoso 19 November 1976 28 September 1978 10 May 1980 Active
F-22 Almirante Brión June 1977 22 February 1979 7 March 1981 Active
F-23 General Urdeneta 23 January 1978 23 March 1979 8 August 1981 Out of service
F-24 General Soublette 26 August 1978 4 January 1980 5 December 1981 To be modernized in Cuba
F-25 General Salom 7 November 1978 13 January 1980 3 April 1982 Out of service
F-26 Almirante Garcia (ex-José Felix Ribas) 21 August 1979 4 October 1980 30 July 1982 Out of service

References

Sources

External links

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