South African Corvette Program

The European South African Corvette Consortium (ESACC)

For most of the 1980s and 1990s, the South African Navy had no operational ships fulfilling the multi-purpose and multi-capable frigate role, which includes guided-missile anti-surface and anti-air warfare roles. The purchase of SAS Good Hope from France was stopped at the last minute in 1977 by United Nations Security Council Resolution 418; one of its three "Type 12" (Rothesay-class) anti-submarine warfare (ASW) frigates, the SAS President Kruger, was lost in an accident in 1982, while the last, the SAS President Pretorius (F145), was decommissioned in 1986 due to obsolescence.

Project Sitron was part of the Strategic Defence Package (commonly known as the arms deal) signed on December 3, 1999 with the European South African Corvette Consortium (ESACC). The contracts became effective on April 28, 2000. The Amatola arrived in South African waters in November 2004, the Isandhlwana in February 2005, the Spioenkop in May and the Mendi in September 2005.

The European South African Corvette Consortium (ESACC), which has a contract to supply the SA Navy with four new patrol corvettes, have proposed a revised delivery timetable to the SA Government.

I'm plan to drawing the candidate vessels of South African Corvette Program, final round have 5 ship plans from 4 Builders

- Bazan F590B (include F590A and F592)
- GEC (Yarrow) F3000 (first and final design)
- DCN Patrol Corvette
- GFC MEKO 200 SAN (Blohm+Voss, Thyssen Rheinstahl and Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werf)
- GFC MEKO A200 SAN

Starting with Non ESACC vessel Bazan F592 project (1994). 2500-2800 tons light frigate length 104 m, beam 12.9 m, 27-31 kn (depending on the selected prop.), 4.000 nm/18 kn, and 165 crew.

Weapons : 1xOto 76/62 naval gun, 1xMeroka CIWS, 8XHarpoon SSM, 16xVLS Mk48 for Sea Sparrow SAM, 2xMk-32 TLT 3Tubes, 4xSRBOC Decoy and 1xSH-60B ASW Helicopter

Sensors : 1xThales DA08 air search radar, 1xThales MW08 air/surface search radar, 2x navigation radar, 1xThales STIR 180 fire-control radar, 1xThales LIROD-8 radar optical fire control system.

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The original image have a very big hangar, one round SSM launcer and 2 missile directors. i'm modify a few area and hope it's looks nice and more realistic.

I think foremast wasn't fitted for STIR180 or MK-95, if add second STIR on hangar i should remove CIWS or DA08 radar.

may be Umkhonto or VL micra are very good for F592

Actually I think the original drawing has two Harpoon launchers, one on each beam pointing inwards / \
The original drawing has a gap in the railing outboard of the launcher so I'm pretty sure they're all the way at the edge. This would also explain the lack of a blast shield, since the exhaust goes straight overboard.

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Source Materiel is always welcome.

Very interesting topic and great work with F592.

This is going to be intresting thread

Nice work! And I think the most appropriate missile will be the Umkhonto.

This is going to be another most interesting thread.

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Thiel, eswube, Gollevainen, Judah14, Hood : thanks

, and this is small update likes original image. one row and two harpoon launchers, twin ladders at port side and starboard side.

[ img ]

Nice, but there should be a gap in the railing abeam the Harpoon launchers

yes Thiel, my eye very bad update a gap and thanks again

Go back to 1993, South African Navy decided to make arrangements for the purchase of four corvettes. Project Sitron was started in 1994, the number of countries still in contention was cut from five to two. with only Britain and Spain still in the running, and Bazan F590A had a good score.

However, the race is still open, and project sitron status = on-hold, South Africa had new defense project and included corvette program, the competition in a first round was closed and no the winner

Bazan F-590A

Base on F-592 light frigate but used weapons and sensor as South African Navy requirement

[ img ]

Armaments :

2xOto 76/62 mm Naval Guns
1xDenel 35mm Dual Purpose Guns (never built version)
8xSkerpioen Serface-to-Serface Missiles (or Gabriel Mk 2)
2xTriple mk32 torpedo tubes
2x12.7mm machine guns

Sensors:

1xThales MRR-3D NG Surveillance Radar
1xNavigation Radar
1xReutech RTS 6400 monopulse combined radar and optronics trackers for missile director (60 km instrumented-range fit for Skerpioen Missile)
2xReutech Electro-optical trackers for gun director
2to4xSuper Barricade chaff launchers
1XUnknown Sensor

Next program is GEC F3000 1994 (Yarrow) (i hope

). the other vessel in this program is Fincantieri from Italy, but i don't have information and SAN offical report show only the name.

Shipbucket

South African Corvette Program

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