page_title: Valour-class frigate
section_title: Sensors
hierarchical_section_title: Valour-class frigate / Design / Sensors
caption_attribution_description: English: SIMON'S TOWN, South Africa (April 7, 2009) Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Gary Roughead, left, is given a tour of the bridge of the South African Navy valour-class frigate SAS Mendi by commanding officer Capt. Jimmy Schutte during a visit to Simon's Town Naval Base. As the first CNO to visit South Africa, Roughead met with senior leadership to continue to build coalition partnerships and discuss training and maritime security cooperation in the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tiffini M. Jones/Released)
context_page_description: The South African Valour-class frigates are the major surface ships of the South African Navy. Their German manufacturer designates these warships as the MEKO A-200SAN type, member of its MEKO family of naval ships. They were designed and built using principles of stealthy design, including the extensive use of "X-form" structure design in which right angles and vertical surfaces are avoided, and techniques to reduce the infrared signature, such as expelling pre-cooled exhaust gasses just above the waterline. Blohm+Voss, the designers, claim that this class has the radar signature of a vessel one-half her size, 75% less infrared emissions than previous designs, as well as a 20% lower life-cycle cost, 25% lower displacement, and 30% fewer crewmen.
context_section_description: This class's combat-management system (CMS), which apparently accounts for about 40 percent of each warship's cost, was purchased from the Thales Detexis company. The Tavitac system is also fitted to the French Navy's La Fayette-class frigates, and updated versions are aboard the Saudi Arabian F3000-class air-defence frigates, and the French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. Kamerman said that he was very proud of the ships' combat system and the South African ingenuity that went into their design. "Seventy-five percent of the combat suite is home-grown. It's the largest local-content percentage of all the defence packages. The local content makes testing and integration so much easier. The foreign stuff must be done in a tight time-frame and flying their experts here is expensive. The guys who built our radars are just 40 km away in Stellenbosch," Kamerman said of Reutech Radar Systems, one of the contractors. Local content also speeded up repair and maintenance. "It is local support in-country, not a local capacity created artificially or a bunch of foreigners flown in."
  The vessel's surveillance radar is the MMR-3D NG G-band multirole radar from Thales Naval France. The MRR-3D has a lightweight phased array antenna and operates as both a surveillance radar and a self-defence system sensor, with automatic mode switching.
  
  In surface surveillance mode, the MRR-3D NG can detect low and medium-level targets at ranges of up to 140 km and in long-range 3D air surveillance mode targets up to 180 km. In the self-defence mode, it can detect and track any threat within a radius of 60 km.
  The acquisition contract also included a comprehensive logistics package, accounting for 7.5 percent of the order volume. The package includes adequate and prompt spare parts supply, documentation and training. Also included was a computer-based "Naval Logistic Management System" that controls the on-board maintenance planning and execution by automatically generating weekly check-lists and repair schedules.
  Replenishment at sea can take place over the bow, over the stern, or amidship. Liquid and dry goods as well as passengers weighing up to 250 kilograms can be transferred this way. Vertical replenishment via helicopters can take place over the helideck and/or the foredeck.
  Kamerman said that these ships were designed to "take punishment" and that they were designed for inherent growth. They have spaces with all the necessary fittings for rapid fitting of additional equipment without needing modifications. This means that the frigates could increase their surface-to-air missile capabilities from 16 launch cells up to 32 launch cells in a relatively few hours. It is expected that this class of frigates will be substantially upgraded over the warships’ 30 to 40 year operational lifetimes. Kamerman has said that the ships had plenty of space to accommodate new equipment and new weapons, and that they were designed to allow for easy removal of outdated equipment through readily-accessible hatches.
caption: Capt. Jimmy Schutte, commanding officer of SAS Mendi, gives US Navy commanders a tour of the bridge the South African Navy Valour-class frigate
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