Vasco da Gama-class frigate

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NRP Corte Real
Class overview
Name	Vasco da Gama, MEKO 200 PN
Builders	B&V, Hamburg and HDW, Kiel, Germany
Operators	Portuguese Navy
In commission	1991–present
Completed	3
Active	2
Laid up	1
General characteristics
Type	Frigate
Displacement	2,920 tons standard 3,200 tons full load
Length	115.9 m (380 ft 3 in)
Beam	14.8 m (48 ft 7 in)
Draught	6.2 m (20 ft 4 in)
Propulsion	2 shaft CODOG, controllable pitch propellers 2 MTU 20V 956 TB92 diesel-engines, 8.14 MW each 2 General Electric LM2500 gas turbines, 38 MW each
Speed	32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph) (gas turbines) 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) (Diesel only)
Range	4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement	180 19 officers 40 petty-officers 102 enlisted 13 air crew 6 boarding team
Sensors and processing systems	1 Thales DA08 air search D band radar 1 Thales MW08 air/surface search F band radar 2 Thales STIR 180 fire-control radar 1 SQS510 hull mounted sonar
Electronic warfare & decoys	1 APECS II/700 ESM Countermeasures: SRBOC launcher
Armament	1 × 100 mm Mod68 CADAM polyvalent artillery piece 1 × Phalanx CIWS 20 mm Vulcan anti-ship missile defence system 2 × 3 12.75-inch Mark 46 torpedo in triple mountings 2 × Mk 141 quad-pack Launcher for a maximum of 8 RGM-84 Harpoon 1 × MK 21 Guided Missile Launching System for 8 RIM-7 Sea Sparrow
Aviation facilities	Flight deck and hangar for 2 Super Lynx Mk.95 helicopters

The Vasco da Gama class is a class of frigates of the Portuguese Navy. Named in honor of the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, the ships are based on the German MEKO 200 design, and are Portugal's major surface ships. Portugal operates three ships of this class, which were built in Hamburg by Blohm + Voss (B&V) and by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) in Kiel, using modular construction techniques.

The project for the construction of three frigates of this class was authorized by the Portuguese Government in 1985, five years after the request of the Portuguese Navy for the acquisition of new surface ships. According to Conway's, 60% of the funding for these ships came from NATO military aid. Similar ships have been built for the navies of Greece, Turkey, Australia and New Zealand.