HTMS Bhumibol Adulyade (FFG-471) (Tachin)

2019 MODERN NAVY

• 1 HTMS Bhumibol Adulyade (FFG-471) (Tachin) History
• 2 HTMS Bhumibol Adulyade (FFG-471) (Tachin) Specification
  • 2.1 BASICS
  • 2.2 CLASS INFORMATION
  • 2.3 OPERATORS
  • 2.4 ROLES
  • 2.5 DIMENSIONS & WEIGHTS
  • 2.6 POWER & PERFORMANCE
  • 2.7 ARMAMENT
  • 2.8 AIRCRAFT

HTMS Bhumibol Adulyade (FFG-471) (Tachin) History

HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej (FFG-471) is a stealth-centric fighting frigate of the modern Royal Thai Navy. The vessel was constructed by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering of Busan, South Korea and saw her keel laid down on May 15th, 2016. Launched on January 23rd, 2017, the warship was formally commissioned on January 7th, 2019. She maintains an active presence in the Royal Thai fleet as of this writing (2020).

The ship is the lead-ship of the Bhumibol Adulyadej-class which currently includes just Bhumibol Adulyadej herself and is part of the "High-Performance Frigate Boat Project" initiative pushed by the Royal Thai Navy for modernization of its fleet capabilities. Its design is based largely in the existing, proven Gwanggaeto the Great-class destroyers of the South Korean Navy though with reduced dimensions to better follow frigate conventions - and maintain a smaller, more stealth-like profile.

The Thai ship displaces 3,700 tons under full load and has a running length of 124. 1 meters with a beam measuring 14. 4 meters and a draught down to 8 meters. This gives the warship the capability to operate relatively close-to-shore while also maintaining qualities that allow for Blue Water operation.

Power is from a combination diesel-gas arrangement which sees 2 x MTU 16V1163 M94 marine diesels of 8,000 horsepower output installed alongside 1 x General Electric LM2500 gas turbines of 29,000 horsepower. The ship can, therefore, more efficiently call upon either installation to accomplish general cruising or high-speed dashing tasks as needed. Maximum speed in ideal conditions reaches 33. 3 knots and endurance is out to a useful 4,000 nautical miles.

Aboard is a complement of 141 officers and sailors.

Conventional, projectile-based armament includes 1 x 76mm /62 caliber Super Rapid turreted deck gun, 2 x 30mm DS30M Mark 2 guns, 1 x 20mm Phalanx Close-In Weapon System (CIWS), and 2 x M2 Browning machine guns. The missile portion of the armament suite is comprised of 1 x 8-cell Mk 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) for up to 32 x RIM-162 "Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile" medium-range Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs) and/or 8 x RUM-139C Anti-Submarine ROCkets (ASROC). Rounding out the suite are 2 x SEA torpedo launchers giving the frigate a solution for each type of at-sea threat (aerial, surface, undersea).

Installed systems include the "Sea Giraffe" 4A Active, Electronically-Scanned Array (AESA) long-range surveillance radar, Wartsila X-band and S-band navigation radars, and twin Saab CEROS 200 series fire control radar. Electronic Warfare (EW) is also managed by way of various Western systems including the Harris ES-3601 Radar-ESM and R7F DDF-255 Communication-ESM.

HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej is given a most-modern design appearance relying primarily on sloping, slab sides with limited protrusions. This includes a largely plain forecastle seating just the turreted deck gun and missile bay directly aft. Aft of this is the low-profile bridge superstructure which contains an enclosed, pyramid-style main mast seating all manner of sensors, communications, and processing systems. The smoke funnels are full-enclosed and of a low-profile design, integrated into the hull superstructure near midships. At the aft-section of the hull is a combination hangar-helipad which supports up to 2 x medium-lift helicopters - the role currently fulfilled by the Sikorsky S-70B "Seahawk" or Sikorsky MH-60S "Knight Hawk" types

While largely unproven, HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej is undoubtedly an impressive addition to the Royal Thai Navy ranks at a time when regional stability is of the utmost importance.

HTMS Bhumibol Adulyade (FFG-471) (Tachin) Specification

BASICS

Service Year

2019

Origin

Thailand

Status

COMMISSIONED

In Active Service.

Complement

285

PERSONNEL

CLASS INFORMATION

Class

Bhumibol Adulyade-class (DW3000F)

Number-in-Class

2

VESSELS

Ships-in-Class

HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej (FFG-471) (formerly known as HTMS Tachin); Unnamed Vessel #2

OPERATORS

Thailand

ROLES

Offshore Bombardment

Offshore bombardment / attack of surface targets / areas primarily through onboard ballistic weaponry.

Land-Attack

Offshore strike of surface targets primarily through onboard missile / rocket weaponry.

Maritime Patrol

Active patroling of vital waterways and maritime areas; can also serve as local deterrence against airborne and seaborne threats.

Airspace Denial / Deterrence

Neutralization or deterrence of airborne elements through onboard ballistic of missile weaponry.

Fleet Support

Serving in support (either firepower or material) of the main surface fleet in Blue Water environments.

DIMENSIONS & WEIGHTS

Length

444. 6 ft

135. 51 m

Beam

46. 6 ft

14. 20 m

Draught

13. 8 ft

4. 21 m

Displacement

4,300

tons

POWER & PERFORMANCE

Installed Power:

2 x General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines with 2 x SSangYong Motor Company TB. 82 diesel engines driving power to 2 x Shafts under stern.

Surface Speed

30. 0 kts

(34. 5 mph)

Range

4,519 nm

(5,200 mi | 8,369 km)

kts = knots | mph = miles-per-hour | nm = nautical miles | mi = miles | km = kilometers1 kts = 1. 15 mph | 1 nm = 1. 15 mi | 1 nm = 1. 85 km

ARMAMENT

1 x 76mm OTO-Melara turreted deck gun. 1 x 8-cell Mk. 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) (supporting RIM-162 "Evolved Sea Sparrow" Missile (ESSM) or SM-2 Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) OR Vertically-Launched Anti-Submarine ROCkets (VL-ASROC) types. 2 x 4-cell Harpoon anti-ship missiles. 4 x Mk. 32 torpedo launchers (supporting Mark 54 torpedo family). 1 x 20mm Phalanx Close-In Weapon System (CIWS). 2 x DS-30M CLIWSs.

AIRCRAFT

1 OR 2 x Sikorsky SH-70 "Sea Hawk" or similar navy helicopter supported through stern-based hangar/helipad facilities.