Italy and France each ordered two Horizon class anti-air warfare (AAW) frigates in October 2000. The destroyers are being built by Horizon SAS, a joint venture between Armaris (Thales and DCN) of France and Orrizonte Sistemi Navali (Fincantieri and Finmeccanica) of Italy.
The first French vessel, Forbin, began construction in April 2002 and was launched in March 2005 for delivery at the end of 2006. The first Italian vessel, Andrea Doria, started building July 2002, was launched in October 2005 and will be delivered in mid-2007. The French frigates will replace the Suffren and Duquesnes frigates, while the Italian vessels will replace the Audace and Ardito.
The main requirement for the destroyes is to escort and protect task forces or merchant shipping. The main missions of the Horizon frigate are to provide local area or extended cover against saturation missile attacks and to escort and protect carrier groups. The ship also has powerful anti-submarine and anti-air self defence.
The ship is configured for rapid deployment and extended range and endurance and can carry sufficient fuel, water and stores for an endurance of 45 days at sea between replenishments. The ship can attain a speed of 29 knots and, at a cruising speed of 18 knots, has a range of over 7,000 nm.
COMMAND AND CONTROL
The command and control system is being developed by Eurosysnav, a joint venture company set up by Armaris and Finmeccanica, and will be based on the Senit 8 combat data system. Alenia Marconi Systems, now Selex Sistemi Integrati, is supplying the Data Transfer System (DTS).
NICCO Communications SAS, a joint venture between Thales Communications and Marconi Mobile SpA, is developing the fully integrated communications system. The communications suite will include two Link 11 and one Link 16 high capacity digital information distribution systems. Selex and Sagem are supplying the integrated navigation system.
The Selex NA 25 will provide fire control for the 76mm guns. The ships will also be equipped with the SAGEM Vampire MB infrared search and track system (IRST), which operates in both 3-5 and 8-12 micron wavebands.
MISSILES
Horizon frigates will be armed with the PAAMS (Principal Anti-Air Missile System). The DCN Sylver A50 vertical launch system within PAAMS, installed immediately forward of the two guns towards the bow deck, has 48 cells for both the Aster 15 and Aster 30 missiles.
The Sylver launcher ensures that each round is aligned to within 1mrad. The maximum rate of fire is up to six rounds per second. The Aster missile carries an inertial computer with datalink and an active J-band Doppler radar seeker. Aster 30 has a range of 120 km and speed of mach 3, Aster 15 a range of 30 km and speed of mach 4.5. The missile has manoeuvrability of up to 62g, achieved through the use of the PIF/PAF guidance system.
The Italian frigates will be fitted with two quadruple launchers for the MBDA Teseo (Otomat) Mark 3 surface-to-surface missile, which has a range of up to 55 km. The quadruple launchers are installed aiming one to port and one to starboard on the missile deck between the ship's two masts. The missile uses command updated inertial guidance and reaches high subsonic speed, 0.9 Mach.
GUNS
The three Oto Melara 76mm/62 Super-rapido guns are installed as a pair on the foredeck immediately forward of the bridge and a single gun installed on the hangar overlooking the helicopter deck at the aft of the ship. Two Oto Melara Mod 503 25mm/80 guns are installed one to port and one to starboard.
TORPEDOES
The ship has two twin torpedo launchers for Eurotorp Mu 90 lightweight torpedoes. Eurotorp is a consortium formed by Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subacquei (WASS), DCN and Thales. Mu 90 has a directed energy warhead and a range of 12,000m at maximum speed and 25,000m at minimum speed.
COUNTERMEASURES
The electronic warfare suite is being developed by the Sigen Consortium (Thales Systèmes Aéroportés SA of France and Elettronica SpA of Italy) and is characterised by the latest generation of radar ESM (electronic support measures) and ECM (electronic countermeasures) architectures and implementation of new digital and microwave technologies.
The radar ESM component will feature very high sensitivity, very high accuracy direction finding and broadband digital receivers. The radar ECM component is based on Phased Array Solid State Technology and will feature high specific transmitted power, fast reaction, multi-threats engagement capability and complete programmability of coherent and not coherent jamming techniques, due to the implementation of multiple broadband Digital Radio Frequency Memory (DRFM).
Horizon is equipped with a SLAT torpedo defence system which is also installed on the French and Italian aircraft carriers, the Charles de Gaulle and the Garibaldi. SLAT has been developed by EUROSLAT, a consortium consisting of WASS (Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subaqua), DCN and Thales Underwater Systems.
HELICOPTERS
The helicopter deck at the bow of the ship has a single landing spot for a 10t helicopter, the NH90 or EH101 Merlin. The stabilisation system allows the ship's helicopter to be deployed and the combat systems operated in high sea states.
SENSORS
The large round radome of the Selex EMPAR (European Multifunction Phased Array Radar), primary sensor for PAAMS, operating at G-band (4GHz to 6GHz), is mounted at the top of the forward mast. Prestations: simultaneus tracking 200 targets, simultaneus attack 24 tagrets.
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The Thales/Selex S1850M air and surface search radar, operating at D-band (1GHz to 2GHz) is mounted at the top of the aft mast.
The Selex RASS surface search radar, covering E and F bands (2GHz to 3GHz, and 3GHz to 4GHz), is mounted on the forward face of the mast. The Selex SPN 753(V)4 navigation radar operates at I-band from 8GHz to 10GHz. Selex also provides the SIR-R/S Interrogation Friend or Foe (IFF) system.
Thales Underwater Systems and WASS have been awarded the contract to supply the hull mounted TMS 4110CL sonar which operates at medium frequency in active search and attack mode. TMS 4110CL uses a cylindrical array and advanced processing.
PROPULSION
The ship's propulsion system is CODOG (combined diesel or gas) with two GE LM2500/Avio gas turbines rated at 53MW and two SEMT Pielstick diesel engines rated at 8MW. The engines drive two shafts with constant pitch propellers.
I haven't really understood the point of this thread either. Just a copy/paste from some site telling some info about this ship. 