Cassard class guided missile Frigate F70AA French Navy DDG

French Navy - Marine Nationale
Cassard class Guided Missile Frigate
(Type F70AA large air-defense Frigate / Frégate de Défense Antiaérienne)

cassard class f70aa air defense frigate fregate ffgh ddg destroyer french navy marine nationale dcns jean bart 24x

03/22

Ships:

D 614 FS Cassard (1988)
D 615 FS Jean Bart (1991)
D 616 FS Courbet (cancelled)
D 617 FS ? (cancelled)

Specifications:

Builder: DCNS, Lorient, Brittany, France

Displacement: 5000 tons (full load)
Length: 139 meters (456 feet)
Beam: 14 meters (46 ft)
Draft: 6,5 meters (21 ft)
Speed: 30 knots (55 km/h), max.
Range: 8000 NM (14800 km) at 17 knots (31 km/h) / 4800 NM at 24 knots
Complement: 250

Propulsion:
4 x SEMT Pielstick 18PA6 V280 BTC Diesel Engines (31760 kW / 42590 hp)
2 shafts, 2 propellers

Armament:

1 x Mk-13 single-arm Guided Missile Launching System (GMLS)
for
40 x RIM-66 Standard Missile SM-1MR SAM

- - - - -

1 x DCN/GIAT 100mm/55-caliber Mod.68 Compact DP Gun

8 x MBDA MM40 Exocet SSM missiles

2 x SADRAL CIWS launcher (6-cell) for Mistral SAM

2 x GIAT 20F2 20mm machine guns

2 x 533mm fixed single torpedo tubes for L5 Mod.4 heavy torpedoes

Aviation:
flight deck (16,2 x 11 m) & hangar (12,5 x 9 m) for 1 helicopter
AS565 Panther or similar
SAMAHE automatic helicopter landing system

Systems:
Thomson-CSF DRBJ-11B 3D air search radar
replaced by
Thales SMART-S medium to long-range air and surface surveillance multibeam passive electronically scanned array 3D radar
(SMART-S = (Signaal Multibeam Acquisition Radar for Tracking, S band)

Thomson-CSF DRBV-26C air and surface search radar
2 x Racal-Decca DRBN 34A navigation radar
Thomson-CSF DRBC-33A fire control for guns
2 x Raytheon AN/SPG-51C fire control radar for missiles
DIBV-2A Vampir infrared search & track system (IRST)
DUBA-25A sonar (D 614) or DUBV-24C (D 615)
SENIT 68 combat data system
Syracuse 2 SATCOM
OPSMER command support system
Thomson-CSF ARBB-33 radar jammer
Thomson-CSF ARBR 17B radar warning system
SAIGON radio emmission detector
DIBV 2A infra-red alert system
SLQ-25 NIXIE torpedo decoy system
2 x SAGAIE NG chaff/decoy launchers
2 x DAGAIE chaff/decoy launchers

The Cassard class (Type F70 AA) is a class of anti-air warfare destroyers of the French Navy. The class is an air defence variant of the Georges Leygues class. The two classes have a different armament and propulsion system mounted on an identical hull. Their primary role is to provide air cover for a fleet, an aeronaval group, a convoy & a littoral point. Their secondary role is to manage air assets coordination & aircraft control for the force, especially through Link 16.They can also be used for research, identification or presence missions. Both ships are assigned to the Force d'Action Navale.

Design:
The Cassard-class frigate was initially designed to replace the four T 47 Surcouf class anti-air warfare vessels in service at the time. Initially procured with four ships in the class, (the third and fourth hulls authorized for construction in 1983), the class was cut back to two vessels after the United States chose to terminate the production of the Standard SM-1MR missile. The prolonged design period led to the plans being redrawn several times.

The class shares a common hull design with the Georges Leygues class (F70AS). The superstructure is composed of a lightweight aluminum alloy that is resistant to fire and corrosion. However the adoption of a similar propulsion system was abandoned early on. The hot exhaust from the Olympus turbines found on the Georges Leygues class was thought to be incompatible with the numerous arrays required in the new design. The ships are crewed by 244 personnel but can accommodate 251.

The class carries one anti-submarine helicopter on a deck placed aft with a hangar provided for storage. Originally supplied with a Eurocopter AS 565 Panther, they were later replaced with the Westland Lynx. The SAMAHE 210 helicopter handling system is adaptable to different types of undercarriages on helicopters and had munitions trucks to position weapon loadouts to assist the arming of the helicopters.

Propulsion:
The Cassard class is powered by four SEMT Pielstick 18 PA6V 280 BTC diesels creating a sustained 43,200 hp (32,200 kW) driving two shafts. This gives the ships a maximum speed of 29.5 kn (54.6 km/h; 33.9 mph) and a range of 8,000 nmi (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at 17 kn (31 km/h; 20 mph). The SEMT Pielstick diesels are capable of double super-charging. The engines are placed upon flexible mountings reducing the noise signature of the ship.

Armament:
The Cassard frigates are armed with one Mk. 13 launcher for the 40 Standard SM-1MR anti-air missiles. The missiles have semi-active rader homing out to 46 km (29 mi) at Mach 2 with a ceiling limit of 18,288 m (60,000 ft). The Mk 13 single arm launchers and SPG 51 tracker/illuminators were taken off the T 47 destroyers Bouvet and Kersaint and refurbished.

The Cassard's are also provided with two Sadral sextuple launchers for 39 Mistral CIWS anti-air missiles. The Mistrals have infrared homing out to 4 km (2.5 mi) and have a 3 kg (6.6 lb) warhead. They are anti-sea skimmer missiles and are able to engage incoming targets down to 10 ft (3.0 m) above sea level.

For anti-ship weaponry, the class is provided with eight MM40 Exocet anti-ship missiles. The MM40 Exocet missiles are sea-skimmers with a warhead of 165 kg (364 lb) and have a range of 70 km (43 mi) at Mach 0.9. The frigates also have two fixed torpedo tubes for ten L5 mod 4 torpedoes. These torpedoes have active and passive homing with a range of 9.5 km (5.9 mi) at 35 kn (65 km/h; 40 mph). They carry a 150 kg (330 lb) warhead and can travel to a depth of 550 m (1,800 ft).

The Cassard class is armed with a Creusot-Loire Compact 100 mm/55 Mod 68 DP gun. The gun can fire 80 rounds per minute out to 17 km (11 mi) in an anti-surface role and 8 km (5.0 mi) against aerial targets. Initially the class was designed to have a second 100 mm main gun on the quarterdeck, however during the design phase the guns were removed and replaced with the helicopter hangar and two Sadral launchers. The vessels are also supplied with two 20 mm F2 anti-aircraft guns and four 12.7mm machine guns.

Electronics:
1 x DRBV26C sentry radar
1 x Thales SMART-S Mk.2 (replacing the DRBJ11B)
1 x DIBV2A infra-red alert system
2 x DRBN34 navigation and landing radar
1 x DUBV 24C hull sonar
Syracuse II satellite communication system
1 x ARBR 17 radar detector
1 x SAIGON radio emission detector
1 x ARBB 33 jammer
2 x SAGAIE NG decoy launchers
2 x DAGAIE decoy launchers

source: wikipedia (11/20)

class + detail images
for more images go to the individual ship's page

cassard class type f70aa guided missile air defense frigate french navy sm-1mr standard d-614

D 614 FS Cassard

cassard class type f70aa guided missile air defense frigate french navy sm-1mr standard d-615 jean bart

D 615 FS Jean Bart

ARMAMENT & DETAILS

cassard class f70aa air defense frigate armament standard missile sm-1mr sadral mistral sam mm40 exocet ssm

cassard class air defense frigate f70aa guided missile armament 10mm/50 gun 20f2 machine sagaie dagaie decoy launcher

cassard class f70aa guided missile air defense frigate french navy armament 04a

cassard class f70aa guided missile air defense frigate french navy armament 04

cassard class f70aa guided missile air defense frigate french navy armament 07 mm40 exocet ssm

SAGAIE and DAGAIE decoy launchers + MM40 Exocet SSM launcher

cassard class f70aa guided missile air defense frigate french navy armament 06 flight deck hangar sadral mistral sam ciws

cassard class f70aa guided missile air defense frigate french navy armament 06 flight deck hangar sadral mistral sam ciws

flight deck & hangar / SADRAL CIWS missile launcher and Mk-13 single-arm missile launcher

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