Italian Navy / Marina Militare Italiana Lupo class Frigate
Ships:
unit			in service		builder		status
F 564 ITS Lupo			1977		Cantiere Navale di Riva Trigoso, Italy		decommissioned / transferred to Peru 2004
F 565 ITS Sagittario			1978		Cantiere Navale di Riva Trigoso, Italy		decommissioned / transferred to Peru 2006
F 566 ITS Perseo			1979		Cantiere Navale di Riva Trigoso, Italy		decommissioned / transferred to Peru 2006
F 567 ITS Orsa			1980		Cantiere Navale di Riva Trigoso, Italy		decommissioned / transferred to Peru 2004
	Specifications:
	Length:	113,2 meters
	Beam:	11,3 meters
	Draft:	3,7 meters
	Displacement:	2500 tons (standard) / 2985 tons (full load)
	Speed:	35 knots (65 km/h) maximal with gas turbines / 21 knots (39 km/h) with diesels
	Range:	4300 NM (8000 km) at 16 knots (30 km/h)
	Crew:	up to 195
	Aviation:	flight deck (25,2 x 11,3 meters) and telescopic hangar for 1 AB-212ASW helicopter
	Propulsion:	CODOG (Combined Diesel or Gas) 2 x GE/Fiat-Avio LM2500 gas engines (50000 hp) 2 x Grandi Motori Trieste GMT A230-20 diesel engines (7900 hp) 2 shafts / 2 propellers
	Armament:	1 x Oto-Melara 5”/54 caliber compact (127mm) gun 2 x Oto-Melara 40L70 DARDO CIWS 8 x Otomat/Teseo SSM 1 x Albatros Mk-2 missile launching system for Selenia Aspide SAM (8 missiles + reload) 2 x ILAS-3 12,75” (324mm) triple torpedo tubes for A244 lightweight torpedos
	Systems:	1x SPS-774 (RAN-10S) early warning radar 1x SPQ-2F CORA OTH surface search radar 1x SPS-702 (or RAN-11L/X) air/surface search radar 1x SPG-70 (RTN-10X) fire control radar 1x Mk 95 fire control radar 2x SPG-74 (RTN-20X) fire control radar 1x SPN-748 navigation radar 1x DE 1160B (SQS-56) hull sonar SLR-4 ESM system SLQ-D ECM system SLQ-25 Nixie torpedo decoy 2x SCLAR decoy launchers
	NOTES:
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. A total of 18 Lupo class Frigates were built. 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. Peruvian Navy - Lupo/Carvajal class: 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 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 Villavicencio (FM-52) and BAP Montero (FM-53) have had their flight decks extended to allow SH-3D Sea King helicopters to land and refuel, even though they cannot be housed in the ship's hangar. In November 2004 two of the former Italian Lupo-class Frigates 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 two Italian Lupo’s arrived in Callao: BAP Quiñones (FM-58) ex Sagittario and BAP Bolognesi (FM-57) ex Perseo. Venezuelan Navy - Lupo/Mariscal Sucre class: Venezuela ordered six Lupo-class frigates from CNR in 1975 as a replacement for older warships. All units were built in Italian shipyards and 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. These units are: ARV Mariscal Sucre (F-21), ARV Almirante Brion (F-22), ARV General Urdaneta (F-23), ARV General Soublette (F-24), ARV General Salom (F-25) and ARV Almirante Garcia (F-26). Italian Navy - Lupo/Soldati class (ex Iraqi Hittin class): Iraq ordered four Lupo-class frigates from CNR in 1980 as part of a naval expansion program just before the Iran–Iraq War. 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. 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. 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 (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.
class images
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