Badr-class

Summary

Description

The Badr class is a fleet of corvettes originally built for the Saudi Navy by the United States, consisting of four vessels: Badr, Al Yarmook, Hitteen, and Tabuk. These ships have been assigned a coastal defense role as a part of the modernization efforts of the Saudi fleet.

The Badr class corvettes were envisioned as part of a significant expansion of the Saudi Navy, which had hitherto been a modest coastal patrol force. Their intended operational roles included anti-ship warfare, anti-submarine duties, and surface combatant tasks.

In January 1972, Saudi Arabia entered into an agreement with the United States to significantly enhance the size and capabilities of its naval force over a ten-year period. This agreement laid the foundation for the creation of the Badr class, among other naval vessels. The order for these missile-armed corvettes was placed with the Tacoma Boatbuilding Company in Tacoma, Washington, on August 30, 1977. The construction was part of a wider initiative to produce corvettes, minesweepers, and amphibious warfare ships for the Saudi Navy.

The design of the Badr class includes a combined propulsion system of one General Electric LM2500 gas turbine and two MTU 12V625 TB91 diesel engines, producing a maximum speed of 30 knots using the gas turbine and 21 knots on diesel engines. They have a range of 4,000 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 20 knots. Although originally intended to have a displacement of 720 long tons, the ships ended up significantly heavier, with a standard displacement of 903 long tons and a full-load displacement of 1,038 long tons as of 1995.

The anti-ship armament of the Badr class consists of eight Harpoon missiles. The gun armament includes an OTO Melara 76 mm gun, one Vulcan Phalanx CIWS, two Oerlikon 20 mm cannons, an 81 mm mortar, and two 40 mm Mk 19 grenade launchers. For anti-submarine warfare, they have two triple Mark 32 Surface Vessel Torpedo Tubes armed with Mark 46 torpedoes. The ships are also equipped with SPS-40B air search radar, SPS-55 navigation/surface search radars, a Mark 92 fire control radar system, and SQS-56 hull-mounted sonar.

Following their completion, anticipated between 1980 and 1981, the vessels of the Badr class have participated in various naval operations as part of the Saudi Navy. The modernization of the Saudi fleet has led to their reassignment to functions more focused on coastal defense.

All four Badr class corvettes have been operated exclusively by the Saudi Navy. These vessels represented a strategic expansion of Saudi Arabia's maritime capabilities and a modernization effort to bolster its defense infrastructure.

Technical specifications

Photo of Badr class