The Macabees
28-04-2005, 22:41
Azores class Fast Attack Craft
http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/visby/images/Visby_8.jpg
http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/visby/images/Visby_6.jpg
With the Macabee navy going through a massive refit, and new ships being designed for the new navy of the Empire, including the Elusive class Battleship, it would only be necessary for the creation of the Macabee's first national Fast Attack Craft, or the Azores class. The Azores class Fast Attack Craft is designed for coastal defense operations, which embodies speed, stealth, and firepower, while staying small, cheap, yet effective. Hard pressed for the best design the entire way Macabee engineers have finally unveiled their latest creation, and happy of the progress the Macabee administration has opened it for export.
Hull Design
The vessel is capable of operation in rough seas up to Sea State 7. The hard chine hull features a transverse step and a transom flap. The bottom of the hull is equipped with stabilising fins, which are controlled by electric servo drives. The stabilising fins give rise to a 2 to 2.5 reduction in the roll, a 1.5 fold reduction in pitch and vertical acceleration by 20 to 50%. The boat remains afloat even when one watertight compartment is completely flooded.
The ship's configuration uses an Air Cushion Catamaran (ACC) design, which is an advanced variant of Surface Effect Ship (SES) technology. The ACC is based on a catamaran hull with an air cushion between the hulls and has been successfully proven with the Norwegian Oksoy class minehunters and minesweepers which entered service in 1994. The low area of wetted surface of the hulls gives an improved level of shock resistance and significantly reduced wave resistance compared to that of a conventional displaced or semi-displaced hull configuration.
VT Maritime Dynamics provides the vessel's stabilisation systems, including a ride control system that monitors and regulates the pressure of the air cushion by controlling vent valves and a stern fan system that controls the stern seal pressure.
The elevated position of the magnetic components reduces the magnetic signature. The combination of the twin hull and water jet propulsion provides very high and very responsive manoeuvrability. Vital systems have been duplicated for enhanced survivability and the ship remains operational with one engine room set lost.
The low draft of 0.9m on cushion gives an advantage of access to shallow coastal waters and lower vulnerability to impact against surface or tethered mines or other debris.
The hull is of composite construction. The hulls are laminated inside and outside with fibre reinforced plastic composed of glass fibre and carbon laminates bound with vinyl ester and polyester resin. A scrimp manufacturing process is used in construction, involving vacuum assisted resin injection. Carbon fibre and carbon loaded materials have been selected for the beams, mast and supporting structures, which need high tensile strength, for example the support structures for the gun and the electro-optical and radar weapon director.
The hatches, doors and windows have been fitted with Wave-X RADAR absorbent material. Wave-X incorporates the best of honeycomb absorbent material, as well as foam absorbers. WAVE-X works at a frequency of 100MHz - 6GHz and has a surface resistivity of 1MΩ. It works in extreme temperatures, -54° - +177°C, and is the best in existance up to now.
Dimensions:
The Azores class FAC has a total displacement, fully loaded, of three hundred and ninety-two tons. It measures sixty meters in length and seven and two tenths in beam.
Weapon Systems:
The Azores is equipped with a suite of ASW 127mm rocket powered grenade launchers, depth charges and torpedoes. There are three fixed 500mm torpedo tubes for MT-3 MADCAP torpedoes.
The ship is also armed with eight Shockhound Avenger I (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=8601244&postcount=27) anti-ship missiles. The Shockhound Avenger I was a missile jointly developed by Guffingford and the Macabees, with a total range of around 450 kilometers, using its Reichs Metalwerken AXIS RAMjet fuel and hydrogen injection propulsion.
The boat is equipped with an AK-306 automatic artillery system and eight Igla-1M portable air defence missile systems.
The 30mm Hali-203 automatic artillery system is supplied by the Fedala Engineering Plant JSC and the Sporting and Hunting Guns Research and Design Bureau both based in Macabea City. The Hali-203 is installed on the front deck and provides defence against lightly armoured land and sea targets, floating mines and isolated airborne targets. The system is equipped with an AO-18L six-barrel automatic gun with an electrically driven revolving barrel cluster. The gun mount magazine holds a 500-cartridge ammunition-loaded belt. The firing rate is up to 1,000 rounds/min and the muzzle velocity is 880m/s. Air targets can be engaged at a range up to 4,000m and sea and coastal targets up to 5,000m.
The patrol boat also has spaces for the installation of pedestal mounts for two 14.5mm machine guns together with 1,000 rounds of ammunition.
The Azores class FAC has a single Praetorian battery. The Praetorian V is a massive improvement over the Praetorian IV system, which was basically copied off the Bisonic S-500 SAM system. The Praetorian V should provide better accuracy, as well as better quality, to the consumers of this product. Using a twenty rocket launch system, four rows of five missiles, the Praetorian V SAM system can provide massive fire support in case of massive bomber, or missile raids, allowing the Aozres to put up a quality defense against belligerents, and ensuring survival on the deadly waters. Each Praetorian V missile can be interchanged by another SAM, assuming that the chosen SAM is smaller, or the same size. The Praetorian V is rather small, and uses either a conventional engine to engage sea-skimmers, or a scramjet engine to seek and destroy conventional high flying missiles, or aircraft.
The Praetorian V SAM system incorporates the MLT-1 LIDAR system onboard each Azores class Fast Attack Craft, which as a range of about 165 miles (or about 300kms). The MLT-1 LIDAR system uses normal LIDAR, which uses a laser to detect the range of the target, as well as Doppler LIDAR which is used to detect the velocity of the target. DIAL is also used to detect chemical composition of the target. The Praetorian Vs are also hooked up to the MRT-1/N RADAR system used by Macabee Naval vessels. The MRT-1 is based off the TENEX SPY-6 RADAR system, however uses a larger power box, as well as a larger computer network to catch enemy flyers at 700kms. However, the MRT-1 is restricted to altitude of over thirty meters in height (around 100 miles), and for lower altitudes (100 miles to 1,000 miles) is severely restricted in range. The MRT-4 RADAR system is used for sea-skimming missiles, or low flying aircraft. It uses radio waves to track below the minimum range of the MRT-1. The advantages in having two systems do what one could do are that now we have specialization of jobs, and the MRT-4 can focus on one thing, while the MRT-1 focuses on another. To support this massive computer system the CPU uses ln2 coolant to over clock a twenty gigahertz system to thirty gigahertz.
The actual Praetorian V has its own CPU installed on the backside of the missile, above the scramjet engine, and it uses its own MLT-2 LIDAR system, which has a range of two kilometers, and is used for final phase target location purposes. The Praetorian V missile uses the computers to still use the ship based MRT-1, MRT-4 and the MLT-1 systems. This provides a very accurate and effective surface to air missile system. The Praetorian V can be used as an anti-missile, as well as an anti-air SAM.
The Praetorian V system uses an advanced reload system using hydraulic propulsion to lift the missile out of stock racks and push into the barrel of the Praetorian V launch platforms.
The Azores class Fast Attack Craft also has a single of the brand new Conhort Close-in Weapons Systems. The Conhort uses a variant of the GAU-8 Avenger cannon. The GAU-8 itself weighs 281 kg (620 lb), but the complete weapon, with feed system and drum, weighs 4,029 lb (1,830 kg) with a maximum ammunition load. The entire system is 19 ft 10.5 in (5.05 m) long. The magazine can hold 1,350 rounds, although 1,174 is the more normal load-out. Muzzle velocity with armor-piercing incendiary (API) ammunition is 3,250 ft/s (988 m/s), almost the same as the substantially lighter M61 Vulcan.
The Conhort's system consists of an autocannon and an advanced radar which tracks incoming fire, determines its trajectory, then aims the gun and fires in a matter of seconds. The system is fully automatic, needing no human input once activated. The kinetic energy of the 30mm rounds is sufficient to destroy any missile or shell. The system can also be deployed to protect airfields. However, like the Dutch Goalkeeper and the American Phalanx the Conhort is a last-chance weapon, although considerably accurate. It uses a seperate, smaller, LIDAR Gaussian Transmitter and RADAR tranmitter in order to lock on potential targets and blow them out of the air. Several advantages the Cohort has over the Phalanx system are that it is more accurate, it has a greater kenitic energy impact, more tracking, it's reloaded under the deck, and it can operate under three modes: Auto, Semi-Auto and Manual allowing full operator operability.
For underwater defenses the Azores has a single ASHUM gun, which basically work as underwater close-in weapon systems. The magazines can hold 1,200 rounds and they're reloaded in compartments placed above the guns. The ASHUM guns placed on the Azores are trained through the ship's SONAR, as well as blue-green Guassian LIDAR transmitters placed for the individual guns.
Detection Systems:
The Aozres has an onboard SONAR array, capable of searching through the mixed layer. However, for under the layer searches it also has the TB-2016, used in the Macabee Leviathan class SSN, which is rolled from a seperate compartment, and is long enough to sit right on the deep sound channel axis, giving the SONAR a full read, leaving no shadow zone. The power of the Macabee SOANR systems has been applauded before, and the Azores is a testament to it.
The Azores is also given the same SONAR system which the Elusive was equipped with. The Poseidon SONAR system, which is capable of detecting louder shipping at up to one hundred kilometers away at the right circumstances, and advanced submarines at a maximum range of ten kilometers, burning through anechoic tiling quite easily. The Poseidon is considered one of the better SONAR systems used presently. The Poseidon is also programmed to detect the “black hole” effect which submarines using MHD have; making it easier to detect MHD propelled submarines.
The Azores also has a new thin line towed array called the TB-163, which is three times as long as the Elusive class Battleship, using thousands of hydrophones to detect submarine presence at up to forty kilometers away (ca. 28 miles). The TB-163 uses a strong steel line to ensure that it doesn’t snap, although this could be potentially dangerous to the crew if its used stupidly. The Azores also has another towed array called the TB-87 which focuses on shorter distances, using powerful hydrophones to detect close enemies.
Macabee ships use the MRT-1 RADAR system to detect enemy aerial assets anywhere from 120 kilometers minimum to 700 kilometers maximum; depending on the circumstances, stealth levels, and altitude. The MRT-1 use a very powerful super computer and several screens to detect, filter, and portray enemy aerial assets. Based of the TENEX SPY-6 this well built system is, again, one of the better ones in use around the world, and provide the Macabees with a reliable early warning system.
Additionally, Macabee ships integrate the MRT-4 RADAR system which was built to focus on sea-skimmers. RADAR radio waves are able to catch both missiles and other objects, such as waves, and filter what is a wave, and what is a missile; and quite easily, and through regular technology. Simply, by using a supercomputer and C based program, the computers can detect range, vector, and velocity – hence, it can distinguish what is a missile or aircraft, and what isn’t. A wave doesn’t last at the same altitude, velocity and vector for ever – the wave falls short quite quickly – while a missile lasts in the air for quite a while (of course). Hence, it wasn’t too difficult to design a system capable of picking sea-skimmers up.
Finally, the Macabee ships include an MLT-1 LIDAR system which as a range of about 250 kilometers (165 miles). The MLT-1 uses regular LIDAR to detect range, Doppler LIDAR to detect velocity, and DIAL LIDAR to detect chemical composition. The newer Gaussian LIDAR system used by Macabee ships has two charged plates placed parallel to each other, one charged negative, the other positive. This in turn begins an electrical current. The Gaussian system doesn't work on reflected waves. Instead, it relies on electrical impulses, rendering current anti-LIDAR techniques inefficient and obsolete.
Countermeasures:
Azores class vessels are equipped with the MASS (Multi-Ammuntion Softkill) decoy system from Rheinmetall Waffe Munition (formerly Buck Neue Technologien) of Germany. MASS can launch up to 32 omni-spectral projectiles in a time-staggered configuration against anti-ship missiles and guided projectiles. The MASS decoy covers radar, infrared, electro-optic, laser and ultraviolet wavebands.
Propulsion:
The main propulsion is by waterjet, which gives a very shallow draught and extraordinary maneuvering capabilities. The waterjets are normally driven by gas turbines but may also be driven by small diesel engines in order to reduce infrared signature. The waterjet nozzles can be moved independently to manoeuvre the Azores sideways without side propellers or bow propellers. The Azores retains its ability to turn through very sharp angles even at high speed.
The prototype has a CODAG (combined diesel and gas turbine) propulsion system, with two Rolls Royce Allison 571KF gas turbine engines, each rated at 6,000kW (8,160hp), driving two Kamewa water jets and two auxiliary engines, MTU 6R 183 TE52 rated at 275kW. These provide a maximum speed of over 100km/h (55 knots). The new series of Azores class ships will have COGAG (combined gas turbine and gas turbine) propulsion and will be fitted with four gas turbines from Pratt & Whitney, two ST18M rated at 2 x 4,000kW and two ST 40M rated at 2 x 2,000kW, driving the two Kamewa water jets. There are also two MTU 6R TE92 manoeuvring engines rated at 3,700kW.
Two MTU 12V TE92 lift fan engines, rated at 735kW, drive the air into the air cushion between the hulls. A computer controlled ride control system controls the air cushion at a 0.5m water column pressure.
Price Per Unit: 400 Million USD
http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/visby/images/Visby_8.jpg
http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/visby/images/Visby_6.jpg
With the Macabee navy going through a massive refit, and new ships being designed for the new navy of the Empire, including the Elusive class Battleship, it would only be necessary for the creation of the Macabee's first national Fast Attack Craft, or the Azores class. The Azores class Fast Attack Craft is designed for coastal defense operations, which embodies speed, stealth, and firepower, while staying small, cheap, yet effective. Hard pressed for the best design the entire way Macabee engineers have finally unveiled their latest creation, and happy of the progress the Macabee administration has opened it for export.
Hull Design
The vessel is capable of operation in rough seas up to Sea State 7. The hard chine hull features a transverse step and a transom flap. The bottom of the hull is equipped with stabilising fins, which are controlled by electric servo drives. The stabilising fins give rise to a 2 to 2.5 reduction in the roll, a 1.5 fold reduction in pitch and vertical acceleration by 20 to 50%. The boat remains afloat even when one watertight compartment is completely flooded.
The ship's configuration uses an Air Cushion Catamaran (ACC) design, which is an advanced variant of Surface Effect Ship (SES) technology. The ACC is based on a catamaran hull with an air cushion between the hulls and has been successfully proven with the Norwegian Oksoy class minehunters and minesweepers which entered service in 1994. The low area of wetted surface of the hulls gives an improved level of shock resistance and significantly reduced wave resistance compared to that of a conventional displaced or semi-displaced hull configuration.
VT Maritime Dynamics provides the vessel's stabilisation systems, including a ride control system that monitors and regulates the pressure of the air cushion by controlling vent valves and a stern fan system that controls the stern seal pressure.
The elevated position of the magnetic components reduces the magnetic signature. The combination of the twin hull and water jet propulsion provides very high and very responsive manoeuvrability. Vital systems have been duplicated for enhanced survivability and the ship remains operational with one engine room set lost.
The low draft of 0.9m on cushion gives an advantage of access to shallow coastal waters and lower vulnerability to impact against surface or tethered mines or other debris.
The hull is of composite construction. The hulls are laminated inside and outside with fibre reinforced plastic composed of glass fibre and carbon laminates bound with vinyl ester and polyester resin. A scrimp manufacturing process is used in construction, involving vacuum assisted resin injection. Carbon fibre and carbon loaded materials have been selected for the beams, mast and supporting structures, which need high tensile strength, for example the support structures for the gun and the electro-optical and radar weapon director.
The hatches, doors and windows have been fitted with Wave-X RADAR absorbent material. Wave-X incorporates the best of honeycomb absorbent material, as well as foam absorbers. WAVE-X works at a frequency of 100MHz - 6GHz and has a surface resistivity of 1MΩ. It works in extreme temperatures, -54° - +177°C, and is the best in existance up to now.
Dimensions:
The Azores class FAC has a total displacement, fully loaded, of three hundred and ninety-two tons. It measures sixty meters in length and seven and two tenths in beam.
Weapon Systems:
The Azores is equipped with a suite of ASW 127mm rocket powered grenade launchers, depth charges and torpedoes. There are three fixed 500mm torpedo tubes for MT-3 MADCAP torpedoes.
The ship is also armed with eight Shockhound Avenger I (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=8601244&postcount=27) anti-ship missiles. The Shockhound Avenger I was a missile jointly developed by Guffingford and the Macabees, with a total range of around 450 kilometers, using its Reichs Metalwerken AXIS RAMjet fuel and hydrogen injection propulsion.
The boat is equipped with an AK-306 automatic artillery system and eight Igla-1M portable air defence missile systems.
The 30mm Hali-203 automatic artillery system is supplied by the Fedala Engineering Plant JSC and the Sporting and Hunting Guns Research and Design Bureau both based in Macabea City. The Hali-203 is installed on the front deck and provides defence against lightly armoured land and sea targets, floating mines and isolated airborne targets. The system is equipped with an AO-18L six-barrel automatic gun with an electrically driven revolving barrel cluster. The gun mount magazine holds a 500-cartridge ammunition-loaded belt. The firing rate is up to 1,000 rounds/min and the muzzle velocity is 880m/s. Air targets can be engaged at a range up to 4,000m and sea and coastal targets up to 5,000m.
The patrol boat also has spaces for the installation of pedestal mounts for two 14.5mm machine guns together with 1,000 rounds of ammunition.
The Azores class FAC has a single Praetorian battery. The Praetorian V is a massive improvement over the Praetorian IV system, which was basically copied off the Bisonic S-500 SAM system. The Praetorian V should provide better accuracy, as well as better quality, to the consumers of this product. Using a twenty rocket launch system, four rows of five missiles, the Praetorian V SAM system can provide massive fire support in case of massive bomber, or missile raids, allowing the Aozres to put up a quality defense against belligerents, and ensuring survival on the deadly waters. Each Praetorian V missile can be interchanged by another SAM, assuming that the chosen SAM is smaller, or the same size. The Praetorian V is rather small, and uses either a conventional engine to engage sea-skimmers, or a scramjet engine to seek and destroy conventional high flying missiles, or aircraft.
The Praetorian V SAM system incorporates the MLT-1 LIDAR system onboard each Azores class Fast Attack Craft, which as a range of about 165 miles (or about 300kms). The MLT-1 LIDAR system uses normal LIDAR, which uses a laser to detect the range of the target, as well as Doppler LIDAR which is used to detect the velocity of the target. DIAL is also used to detect chemical composition of the target. The Praetorian Vs are also hooked up to the MRT-1/N RADAR system used by Macabee Naval vessels. The MRT-1 is based off the TENEX SPY-6 RADAR system, however uses a larger power box, as well as a larger computer network to catch enemy flyers at 700kms. However, the MRT-1 is restricted to altitude of over thirty meters in height (around 100 miles), and for lower altitudes (100 miles to 1,000 miles) is severely restricted in range. The MRT-4 RADAR system is used for sea-skimming missiles, or low flying aircraft. It uses radio waves to track below the minimum range of the MRT-1. The advantages in having two systems do what one could do are that now we have specialization of jobs, and the MRT-4 can focus on one thing, while the MRT-1 focuses on another. To support this massive computer system the CPU uses ln2 coolant to over clock a twenty gigahertz system to thirty gigahertz.
The actual Praetorian V has its own CPU installed on the backside of the missile, above the scramjet engine, and it uses its own MLT-2 LIDAR system, which has a range of two kilometers, and is used for final phase target location purposes. The Praetorian V missile uses the computers to still use the ship based MRT-1, MRT-4 and the MLT-1 systems. This provides a very accurate and effective surface to air missile system. The Praetorian V can be used as an anti-missile, as well as an anti-air SAM.
The Praetorian V system uses an advanced reload system using hydraulic propulsion to lift the missile out of stock racks and push into the barrel of the Praetorian V launch platforms.
The Azores class Fast Attack Craft also has a single of the brand new Conhort Close-in Weapons Systems. The Conhort uses a variant of the GAU-8 Avenger cannon. The GAU-8 itself weighs 281 kg (620 lb), but the complete weapon, with feed system and drum, weighs 4,029 lb (1,830 kg) with a maximum ammunition load. The entire system is 19 ft 10.5 in (5.05 m) long. The magazine can hold 1,350 rounds, although 1,174 is the more normal load-out. Muzzle velocity with armor-piercing incendiary (API) ammunition is 3,250 ft/s (988 m/s), almost the same as the substantially lighter M61 Vulcan.
The Conhort's system consists of an autocannon and an advanced radar which tracks incoming fire, determines its trajectory, then aims the gun and fires in a matter of seconds. The system is fully automatic, needing no human input once activated. The kinetic energy of the 30mm rounds is sufficient to destroy any missile or shell. The system can also be deployed to protect airfields. However, like the Dutch Goalkeeper and the American Phalanx the Conhort is a last-chance weapon, although considerably accurate. It uses a seperate, smaller, LIDAR Gaussian Transmitter and RADAR tranmitter in order to lock on potential targets and blow them out of the air. Several advantages the Cohort has over the Phalanx system are that it is more accurate, it has a greater kenitic energy impact, more tracking, it's reloaded under the deck, and it can operate under three modes: Auto, Semi-Auto and Manual allowing full operator operability.
For underwater defenses the Azores has a single ASHUM gun, which basically work as underwater close-in weapon systems. The magazines can hold 1,200 rounds and they're reloaded in compartments placed above the guns. The ASHUM guns placed on the Azores are trained through the ship's SONAR, as well as blue-green Guassian LIDAR transmitters placed for the individual guns.
Detection Systems:
The Aozres has an onboard SONAR array, capable of searching through the mixed layer. However, for under the layer searches it also has the TB-2016, used in the Macabee Leviathan class SSN, which is rolled from a seperate compartment, and is long enough to sit right on the deep sound channel axis, giving the SONAR a full read, leaving no shadow zone. The power of the Macabee SOANR systems has been applauded before, and the Azores is a testament to it.
The Azores is also given the same SONAR system which the Elusive was equipped with. The Poseidon SONAR system, which is capable of detecting louder shipping at up to one hundred kilometers away at the right circumstances, and advanced submarines at a maximum range of ten kilometers, burning through anechoic tiling quite easily. The Poseidon is considered one of the better SONAR systems used presently. The Poseidon is also programmed to detect the “black hole” effect which submarines using MHD have; making it easier to detect MHD propelled submarines.
The Azores also has a new thin line towed array called the TB-163, which is three times as long as the Elusive class Battleship, using thousands of hydrophones to detect submarine presence at up to forty kilometers away (ca. 28 miles). The TB-163 uses a strong steel line to ensure that it doesn’t snap, although this could be potentially dangerous to the crew if its used stupidly. The Azores also has another towed array called the TB-87 which focuses on shorter distances, using powerful hydrophones to detect close enemies.
Macabee ships use the MRT-1 RADAR system to detect enemy aerial assets anywhere from 120 kilometers minimum to 700 kilometers maximum; depending on the circumstances, stealth levels, and altitude. The MRT-1 use a very powerful super computer and several screens to detect, filter, and portray enemy aerial assets. Based of the TENEX SPY-6 this well built system is, again, one of the better ones in use around the world, and provide the Macabees with a reliable early warning system.
Additionally, Macabee ships integrate the MRT-4 RADAR system which was built to focus on sea-skimmers. RADAR radio waves are able to catch both missiles and other objects, such as waves, and filter what is a wave, and what is a missile; and quite easily, and through regular technology. Simply, by using a supercomputer and C based program, the computers can detect range, vector, and velocity – hence, it can distinguish what is a missile or aircraft, and what isn’t. A wave doesn’t last at the same altitude, velocity and vector for ever – the wave falls short quite quickly – while a missile lasts in the air for quite a while (of course). Hence, it wasn’t too difficult to design a system capable of picking sea-skimmers up.
Finally, the Macabee ships include an MLT-1 LIDAR system which as a range of about 250 kilometers (165 miles). The MLT-1 uses regular LIDAR to detect range, Doppler LIDAR to detect velocity, and DIAL LIDAR to detect chemical composition. The newer Gaussian LIDAR system used by Macabee ships has two charged plates placed parallel to each other, one charged negative, the other positive. This in turn begins an electrical current. The Gaussian system doesn't work on reflected waves. Instead, it relies on electrical impulses, rendering current anti-LIDAR techniques inefficient and obsolete.
Countermeasures:
Azores class vessels are equipped with the MASS (Multi-Ammuntion Softkill) decoy system from Rheinmetall Waffe Munition (formerly Buck Neue Technologien) of Germany. MASS can launch up to 32 omni-spectral projectiles in a time-staggered configuration against anti-ship missiles and guided projectiles. The MASS decoy covers radar, infrared, electro-optic, laser and ultraviolet wavebands.
Propulsion:
The main propulsion is by waterjet, which gives a very shallow draught and extraordinary maneuvering capabilities. The waterjets are normally driven by gas turbines but may also be driven by small diesel engines in order to reduce infrared signature. The waterjet nozzles can be moved independently to manoeuvre the Azores sideways without side propellers or bow propellers. The Azores retains its ability to turn through very sharp angles even at high speed.
The prototype has a CODAG (combined diesel and gas turbine) propulsion system, with two Rolls Royce Allison 571KF gas turbine engines, each rated at 6,000kW (8,160hp), driving two Kamewa water jets and two auxiliary engines, MTU 6R 183 TE52 rated at 275kW. These provide a maximum speed of over 100km/h (55 knots). The new series of Azores class ships will have COGAG (combined gas turbine and gas turbine) propulsion and will be fitted with four gas turbines from Pratt & Whitney, two ST18M rated at 2 x 4,000kW and two ST 40M rated at 2 x 2,000kW, driving the two Kamewa water jets. There are also two MTU 6R TE92 manoeuvring engines rated at 3,700kW.
Two MTU 12V TE92 lift fan engines, rated at 735kW, drive the air into the air cushion between the hulls. A computer controlled ride control system controls the air cushion at a 0.5m water column pressure.
Price Per Unit: 400 Million USD