Espora class frigate

The "Espora" class (MEKO 140A16 type) corvettes were all commissioned between 1985 and 2004 for the Argentine Navy, the first four (P-41 to P-44) in 1985-1990 and the last two (P-45/46) in 2001-2004.

Based on a design by the German shipyard Blohm + Voss, all the ships of the class were built in Argentina at the “AFNE Rio Santiago” shipyard, in close to the city of La Plata, province of Buenos Aires. Contract was signed on August 1st 1979.Although considered by its designers to be frigates, the "Espora" class vessels have been classed in Argentina as corvettes.

The ships currently serve in the High Seas Fleet (“Flota de Mar”) of the Argentine Navy, based on Puerto Belgrano Naval Base, close to the city of Bahia Blanca, province of Buenos aires, Argentina.

pecifications

*Displacement: n/a tons (empty); 1,790 tons (full load)
*Length: n/a ft (91.2 m)
*Beam: n/a ft (11.1 m)
*Draught: n/a ft (4.5 m)
*Propulsion:
**2 shafts / propellers
**2 Semt-Pielstick 16 PC2-5 V 400 diesel engines, 20,400 shp tot.
**Max shaft horsepower: n/a shp max
*Speed: convert|27|kn|km/h|0
*Range: convert|4000|nmi|km|-3 at convert|18|kn|km/h|0
*Armament
**4 Aerospatiale MM 38 Exocet SSM
**1 3/62 (76 mm) OTO Melara DP compact gun
**2 twin 40 mm 70-cal. OTO Melara (Breda Bofors) AA guns
**2 12.7 mm machine guns
**2 triple 324 mm ILAS-3 ASW torpedo tubes (Whitehead AS-244 torpedoes, quantity n/a)
*Aircraft: aft helicopter deck (and telescopic hangar in the second batch vessels); 1 SA-319B Alouette III or 1 AS-555-SN ‎Fennec helicopter
*Complement:100
*Radar:
**Air/Surface Search & helicopter control: Signaal DA05 (equipped with IFF).
**Fire Control: Signaal WM2
**Navigation: Decca TM 1226
*Sonar: Atlas Elektronik ASO 4 (hull)
*Electronic Warfare
**Decoys: (no details available)
*Datalink: Signaal Sewaco
*Weapons Control System: Signaal WM22/41, Lirod director (radar/optronic)
*Concept/Program: German designed, Argentine built general purpose frigates (classified as “corvettes” by the Argentine navy).
*Builder: AFNE “Rio Santiago” shipyard, La Plata, Argentina.
*Designer: Blohm + Voss, Hamburg, Germany.
*Design: MEKO 140 modular design.

Ships in the class

First Batch:
*ARA "Espora"
*ARA "Rosales"
*ARA "Spiro"Second Batch:
*ARA " Parker "
*ARA " Robinson "
*ARA " Gómez Roca"

External links

* [http://www.hazegray.org/worldnav/americas/argent.htm World Navies Today: Argentina]
*es icon [http://www.ara.mil.ar/pnav_buques.asp#03 Argentine Navy (ARA) official site – High Seas Fleet page, with class specifications & pictures for all the ships of ARA. (this class is under the heading: Corbetas Clase "ESPORA (MEKO 140)"]
*es icon [http://www.ara.mil.ar/poder_naval/buques_superficie/pnav_esp_corbeta_espora.htm Argentine Navy (ARA) official site – direct link to this class specifications & pictures]
* [http://www.tk-marinesystems.de/index.php?level=4&CatID=101&inhalt_id=177&product=30&subprod=1 ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems website – Surface vessels page (formerly Blohm+Voss shipyards), only lists “current” products]