SAS Amatola (F145)

History

SAS Amatola (F145) is an active duty guided missile frigate/frigate serving with the South African Navy. She represents the leader ship of the Valor class of the Final Four.

These are the service's most powerful surface combatants, featuring an extensive weapons portfolio, state-of-the-art processing systems and sensors, and incorporating various stealth elements into their construction. A total of five ships were originally planned, but one ended up being cancelled.

Although described as a frigate, the Valor class exhibited a number of characteristics that led some sources to classify the group as a frigate.

SAS Amatola has 152 personnel, consisting of officers and enlisted personnel. She displaces 3,760 tons, has a length of 397 feet, a beam of 53.6 feet, and a draft of 19.5 feet. The onboard systems include a Thales MRR-3D NG G-band multipurpose radar, a Reutech electro-optical tracker unit and a Thales UMS4132 Kingklip sonar system.

Various decoys and jammers are installed for self-protection.

In terms of armament, SAS Amatola carries conventional and missile-guided weapons. 1 x 76 mm Otobreda (Italy), turret deck gun above the forecastle. A 1 x 35mm Denel Dual Purpose (DP) double-barreled cannon was installed along with a 2 x 20mm Oerlikon Mk 1 system for close range fire.

As a guided missile ship, she is equipped with a 2 x 4 cell Vertical Launch System (VLS) certified to fire MBDA MM40 "Exocet" Block 2 Surface-to-Surface Missiles (SSM). There is another 8-cell VLS handling the Umkhonto surface-to-air missile (SAM) to counter air threats.

You have a SuperLynx 300 (or similar) Navy helicopter on your aft helideck. This provides the ship with a variety of roles, including over-the-horizon reconnaissance/reconnaissance, search and rescue (SAR), and anti-ship/submarine warfare.

The hangar space is fully enclosed with full wing repair and retrofit capabilities.

SAS Amatola has been actively involved in the activities of the South African Navy in the region since 2006 - conducting various training and readiness operations and exercises (Good Hope II/III/IV, INTEROP WWEST, BOST, AMAZOLO, IBSAMAR I/ III and Altasur VII). Since 2011, she has been involved in anti-piracy activities in the Mozambique Channel ("Operation Copper").

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Wing