In the complex context of the world situation, countries are rapidly increasing their power at sea
which requires revolutionary changes in the design of the next generation surface warship
MEKO frigates are making new strides
Recently, Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems revealed design details for its new MEKO A-300 frigate at Euronaval in Paris
The ship is said to have a length of 129m, and a displacement of up to 6,000 tons will enhance the Navy's sea combat capabilities
According to Navalnews, the MEKO A-300 will have options for 64 Mk 41 vertical launching system (VLS) cells or a mix of 32 Mk 41s and 36 Mk 56 VLS cells
These options enable a spread of anti-air warfare (AAW) lethality, ranging from exo-atmospheric, to area, to local air-defense capabilities
The MEKO A-300 will likely be equipped with the directed energy weapons, provided by two high-energy lasers (by Rheinmetall and MBDA Germany)
and two high-powered microwaves delivering destructive thermal effects and disrupted control effects, respectively
Anti-ship and land-attack capability is provided by 16 deck-launched surface-to-surface missiles, like Kongsberg’s Naval Strike Missile
The ship’s VLS cells can also carry land-attack systems
Two four-round SeaSpider launchers are fitted, one either side of the frigate amidships
The frigate’s torpedo capabilities can include lightweight torpedoes, and heavyweight torpedoes
including SeaHake torpedoes – deployed via a modular launching system fitted in the ship’s mission bay
The MEKO A-300 will be equipped with the Oto Melara 127 mm naval gun
It is compatible with Vulcano guided munitions and fires 34 rounds per minute
Central to survivability is stealth. The hull and superstructure design includes very severe angles for the plating
Any open spaces in the superstructure are fitted with stiff, tungsten-made, Faraday cages to reduce those spaces’ radar signature
All upper deck mounts and fittings are positioned behind fixed or collapsible bulkheads
To tackle the hull temperature factor within the ship’s signature equation, a seawater-based internal cooling system keeps hull temperature very close to that of the sea’s surface
Situated at the stern below the flight deck, the mission bay can accommodate a range of capabilities
including: a passive towed-array sonar; up to four TEU-footprint container modules; and two 11 m unmanned surface vessels
The MEKO A-300 has completed the concept phase and is currently in basic design