- The first of three advanced new frigates built in France
has been formally delivered to the Royal Saudi Navy. The ship, the "Al
Riyadh", which features stealth capabilities and advanced armament,
gives the Royal Saudi Navy one of the most advanced naval weapons systems
in the region.
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- "Al Riyadh", which received the Saudi naval
number 812, was formally handed over at the DCN-Lorient shipyard, in the
presence of French and Saudi officials. Launched in August 2000, she has
spent the last two years being outfitted with a range of the most advanced
weapons and electronics the French defense industry has to offer. "Al
Riyadh" will spend the next eight months in Toulon while her crew
undergoes training.
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- "Al Riyadh" is the first of three ships of
her class being built in France for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Her sister
ships are "Makkah", which is currently undergoing acceptance
trials, and "Al Damman", which is soon to be launched. "Al
Riyadh" and "Makkah" were ordered as part of the Sawari
II contract signed by France and Saudi Arabia on 19 November 1994, and
"Al Damman" was a follow-on order in 1997.
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- The Saudi vessels are based on DCN's "La Fayette"
class of stealth frigates. They have an overall length of 133 meters and
a beam of 17 meters for a displacement of 4,500 tons. The Saudi Stealth
Frigates have a unique hull featuring a blended design, giving a much reduced
radar cross section and making them harder to detect. They feature highly
automated combat management systems developed jointly by Thales and DCN,
and advanced weapons fit. The Frigates are fitted out for long endurance
missions, and have excellent sea keeping qualities thanks to computer-managed
stability.
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- Al RiyadhThe key task of the Saudi Sawari II warships
is Anti-Aircraft Warfare. The ships carry 32 Aster 15/30 missiles, Arabel
3D multifunction radar, and 2D long-range radar. The ships combat systems
are managed through integrated computer-based systems offering high-level
automation. An automatic AAW mode gives fast engagement and multiple target
abilities.
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- The Saudi ships carry the advanced new Aster anti-aircraft
missiles, capable of hitting both enemy aircraft and incoming missiles
while operating in an intense electronic-warfare arena. The Aster 15 can
hit targets 30Km away, while the Aster 30 has a range of 80 Kilometers.
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- Aster missile in flightThe Aster is a brand new design
from France, which has just recently completed its highly successful test
program. During the test program, an Aster 15 Naval missile intercepted
an aircraft flying at the speed of sound (mach 1) 100 meters above sea
level and scored a direct hit 10 kilometers from its launch point and 15
seconds after launch. The missile also demonstrated its anti-missile capability
when it successfully intercepted a sea-skimming anti ship missile flying
just a few meters above the surface of the water.
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- The Aster missiles are carried and launched from Sylver
naval vertical launchers on the Saudi frigates. These launchers can also
carry a wide range of current and planned tactical weapons, including France's
future ANF anti-ship weapon, Standard, ASROC, Tomahawk and ESSM missiles,
etc.
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- As an additional part of the contract, France will construct
a large (20,000 square meter) facility in Jeddah for training and maintenance,
and will undertake crew and engineer training of over 700 Saudi trainees.
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- With their advanced design, long range, and highly capable
combat systems, the new Frigates give the Royal Saudi Navy a long and powerful
reach, capable of operations throughout the Middle East region. (www.albawaba.com)
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- http://www.albawaba.com/headlines/TheNews.php3?action=story&sid=223515&lang=e&dir=News
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