PRINCIPE DE ASTURIAS AIRCRAFT CARRIER, SPAIN
The Principe de Asturias aircraft carrier has been in service with
the Spanish Navy since 1988. The 17,190t ship was built by Izar
(formerly E.N. Bazan) and is based at the Rota naval air
base.
In February 2005, the naval shipbuilding activities of Izar were
spun off into a new company, Navantia.
The layout of the ship was partly derived from the design of the US
Navy Sea Control Ship. The hull was laid down in 1979 and the ship
was launched in 1982. The integration of a Tritan Digital Command
and Control System and the installation of a Flag Bridge to meet
the requirements of the Spanish Navy delayed the commissioning of
the Principe de Asturias until 1988.
The Spanish Navy is planning a mid-life upgrade for the vessel to
make it more effective for littoral warfare. The upgrades will
include improving anti-ship defence and the command system.
CARRIER AIRCRAFT
The ship supports up to twelve AV-8B Harrier II Plus and Harrier II
(being upgraded to Harrier II Plus configuration) aircraft. The
Harriers are armed with AIM-9L Sidewinder and AIM-120 AMRAAM
air-to-air missiles and AGM-65E Maverick air-to-ground missiles, in
addition to GAU-12U cannon. The carrier also has facilities to
support up to twelve helicopters, usually six Sikorsky Sea King
SH-3H, four Agusta AB-212 and two Sikorsky SH-3 AEW
helicopters.
The ship normally supports a maximum of 29 fixed wing and rotary
wing aircraft with up to twelve on deck and 13 aircraft in the
hangar. In an emergency a maximum of 17 aircraft can be stored in
the 2,300m² hangar. The hangar deck is accessed by two flight deck
lifts. The 5,100m² flight deck is 176m in length and includes a 12°
ski jump 46.5m in length.
WEAPON SYSTEMS
The ship has four FABA Meroka Mod 2B close-in weapon systems
(CIWS), with twelve-barrelled Oerlikon L120 20mm guns. The guns
have a rate of fire of 1,440 rounds/min and a range of up to
2,000m. They are installed two on the stern deck and one each on
the port and starboard side of the flight deck. The Meroka fire
control system has tracking radar and an Indra (formerly ENOSA)
thermal imager.
A Mk 13 Mod 4 eight-cell launcher for the Harpoon anti-ship missile
is fitted.
The ship's combat data system is the Tritan Digital Command and
Control System.
COUNTERMEASURES
The ship's decoy system is the Sippican Super Rapid Bloom Offboard
Countermeasures, Super RBOC. The six barrel launchers can fire both
chaff and flare cartridges to a range of 4km. The towed torpedo
decoy is the Sensytech AN/SLQ-25 Nixie decoy. A hull noise and
propeller rate suppression system reduces the ship's acoustic
signature and increasing the effectiveness of the acoustic
countermeasures deployed.
The radar interception and jamming system is the Nettunel
electronic countermeasures unit from Elettronica.
SENSORS
The large square antenna at the top of the radar mast is the
Raytheon SPS-52C/D 3D air search radar operating at E and F bands.
Just below this is the surface search radar antenna, the ISC
Cardion SPS-55 operating over I-and J-bands. The large distinctive
round dome of the aircraft control radar, the ITT SPN-35A operating
at J-band, is installed at the bow end of the island at roof
level.
The fire control radar for the Meroka CIWS is the FABA SPG-M2B
monopulse doppler radar, operating at I-band. The ship's missile
approach warning radar is the Alenia Marconi Systems (AMS)
RTN-11L/X which operates in I and J bands. The I and J band target
designation radar is the AMS RAN 12 L.
PROPULSION
The ship is equipped with a COGAG (combined gas turbine and gas
turbine) propulsion system, consisting of two General Electric LM
2500 gas turbine engines, each rated at a sustained power of
34.6MW. The engines drive a single shaft with variable-pitch
five-bladed propeller built by Lips Propellers in Virginia. The
main propulsion system provides a maximum speed of 25 knots and the
range at an economical speed of 20 knots is 6,500 miles.
