Almirante Padilla-class frigate
The Almirante Padilla-class frigates is a series of frigates operated by the Colombian Navy. The designation of this class is Type FS 1500 and there are four ships in service. The ships were built by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft at Kiel, West Germany in the 1980s, with the first vessel commissioning in 1983 and the last in 1984. The frigates have undergone significant modification over their careers with the 2012 Orion Program Upgrade significantly modernising the vessels. Two similar ships operate as the s in the Royal Malaysian Navy.
Design and description
Colombia ordered four frigates of the West German Type FS 1500 design in 1980 with the first ship intended to be delivered in 1982. The Colombian Navy intended to upgrade these frigates as funding became available as they became the most powerful ships in their arsenal with the retirement of the older destroyers. Two vessels of a modified design serve with the Royal Malaysian Navy. They initially had a standard displacement of that by 2009 had been reduced to and a fully loaded displacement of that climbed to by 2009. The ships originally measured long overall and between perpendiculars with a beam of and a draught of. This was later increased to long overall maintaining the same beam but increasing the draught to. They initially had a complement of 92 which rose to 94 by 2009. The ships are equipped with fin stabilizers.Propulsion
The Almirante Padilla class is powered by a CODAD propulsion system. The frigates were powered by four MTU 20V 1163 TB92 diesel engines driving two shafts and developing maximum and sustained turning two controllable pitch propellers. These were the first ships to mount these engines. This gives a maximum speed of, and a range of at. The ships carried of fuel and were capable of generating 2,120 kW of power.Electronics
Almirante Padilla-class frigates were initially equipped with one Thomson-CSF Sea Tiger air search radar, one Castor IIB fire control radar. The Sea Tiger radar had a range of for a target and the Castor IIB radar, a range of for a target. a Thomson-CSF Vega II fire-control system and two Canopus optronic directors. The vessels had a Krupp Atlas AS04-2 hull-mounted sonar, a Racal Scimitar electronic warfare jammer and two Dagaie chaff launchers. The ships have been improved through the years later receiving Thomson-CSF TAVITAC combat action data systems and Argo AC672 electronic support measures.Armament
The frigates were originally armed with eight MM 40 Exocet anti-ship missiles in two quad mounts located amidships, each carrying a warhead with a range of. The Almirante Padilla class were also armed with an OTO Melara /62-calibre Compact naval gun, mounted forward firing projectiles to a range of, 85 rounds per minute. For anti-submarine warfare, the vessels were equipped with six torpedo tubes in two triple mounts sighted to either side of the aft superstructure using Whitehead A244S torpedoes carrying a warhead with a range of.For anti-air defence, the frigates were initially armed with twin-mounted Breda guns and four Emerlac guns in two twin mounts. By 2009 the 30 mm guns had been removed. The twin-mounted 40 mm guns are situated aft of the landing platform at the rear of the ship and are capable of firing 300 rounds per minute to a range of. A space was left in front of the bridge to allow for the later installation of surface-to-air missiles. The French Mistral SAM system was chosen composed of two twin Matra Simbad launchers. The Mistral SAM has a warhead of and a range of for use against sea-skimming missiles.