The
Lupo class is a
class of
frigates built by
Cantieri Navali Riuniti (CNR) for the
Italian Navy. Designed as multipurpose
warships with emphasis on
anti-surface warfare (ASuW), they have enjoyed some success in the export market, being acquired by the navies of
Peru and
Venezuela. A small run of a slightly updated version is known as the
Artigliere class.
Design
In the early 1970s, the
Marina Militare faced an increased
Soviet naval presence in the
Mediterranean Sea which constituted a threat to its
sea lines of communication as well as to its extensive coastline. To parry this menace,
Italy started a naval expansion program which included
frigates focused on
ASuW (
Lupo class) and on
ASW (
Maestrale class).
For the first part of the requirement, CNR presented a design for a 2,500-ton frigate with a high speed and a heavy weapons load. The ship employed a
CODOG propulsion plant to achieve 35
knots, making it one of the fastest warships at the time. Armament included 8
SSMs, 8
SAMs, several gun systems, 2 triple
torpedo tubes and an
ASW helicopter, which was equivalent to that carried by larger warships. To save weight,
Lupo-class
frigates are highly automated, allowing a crew of around 200, lower than the 250 of the comparable
Leander-class frigate.
Italian Navy
The
Marina Militare commissioned four
Lupo-class frigates between 1977 and 1980. These ships were deployed to the
Persian Gulf first as escorts for
tankers during the last stages of the
Iran–Iraq War (1987–1988) and then as part of the Coalition forces during the 1990–1991
Gulf War. After this operations the whole class underwent modernization which included fitting an SPS-702 CORA surface search radar and
SATCOM equipment. After two decades in service, the four Italian
Lupo-class frigates were
decommissioned and sold to Peru in the early 2000s.
Peruvian Navy
Peru became involved early in the
Lupo class frigate program, ordering four ships in 1973. The Peruvian ships were built to a modified design which included different radars,
Aspide instead of
Sea Sparrow SAMs and a fixed instead of a telescopic hangar. The first two were built by CNR at its shipyard in Riva Trigoso,
Genoa, and
commissioned in 1979.
Construction work for the second pair was carried out under license by SIMA (
Servicio Industrial de la Marina, Navy Industrial Service) at
Callao, with the ships commissioning in 1984 and 1987. Of the Peruvian Lupos,
BAP Carvajal (FM-51),
BAP Mariátegui (FM-54),
BAP Villavicencio (FM-52) and
BAP Montero (FM-53) have had their flight decks extended to allow
ASH-3D Sea King helicopters to land and refuel, even though they cannot be housed in the ship's hangar.
In November of 2004 other "Lupo" class were incorpored into the Peruvian Navy:
BAP Aguirre (FM-55) and
BAP Palacios (FM-56).
Finally in August of 2006 the last Italian "Lupo" ships arrived in Callao:
BAP Quiñones (FM-58) and
BAP Bolognesi (FM-57)
Venezuelan Navy
Venezuela ordered six
Lupo-class frigates from CNR in 1975 as a replacement for older warships. This units were commissioned between 1980 and 1982. In general terms, their appearance and equipment is similar to those built for Peru, except for some small differences in electronics. The first two ships,
ARV Mariscal Sucre (F-21) and
ARV Almirante Brión (F-22) were upgraded by
Ingalls Shipbuilding over a four years period (1998–2002). Modifications have included:
- Fitting of Elbit NTCS 2000 combat management system
- Fitting of Elta EL/M-2238 Single Face STAR 3D air/surface radar
- Fitting of Elisra NS-9005 ECM system
- Replacement of 2 GMT A230-20M diesel engines with 2 MTU 20V 1163.
The other ships in Venezuelan service are expected to undergo an austere version of this upgrade.
Iraqi Navy
Iraq ordered four
Lupo-class frigates from CNR in 1981 as part of a naval expansion program during the
Iran–Iraq War. These ships, which feature a telescopic hangar were completed between 1985 and 1987 but due to wartime restrictions they remained interned in Italy. In 1993 all of them were seized and, after being refitted as patrol ships, incorporated to the
Marina Militare as the
Artigliere class in 1996. Changes made for Italian service included the removal of all ASW equipment. The four ships are
Artigliere (pennant F 582),
Aviere (F 583),
Bersagliere (F 584) and
Granatiere (F 585), and are used in fleet escort or long range patrolling duties.
Gallery
Sources
- Faulkner, Keith, Jane's Warship Recognition Guide. 2nd edition. Jane's Information Group, 1999.
- Rodríguez, John, "Las fragatas Lupo: una breve mirada retrospectiva y perspectivas". Revista de Marina'', Year 95, No. 3: 8–32 (July / December 2002).
