Cassard-class

Summary

Description

The Cassard class consisted of two anti-air warfare destroyers, which were introduced into the French Navy in the late 1980s and early 1990s to provide air cover for various naval formations and points of interest. The class was to replace the T 47-class vessels and was an aerial defense variant of the Georges Leygues class, sharing the same hull design but differing significantly in armament and propulsion. The primary mission of these destroyers was air defense, and they were equipped for fleet air cover, air asset coordination, and aircraft control, taking advantage of the Link 16 system. Additionally, they performed research, identification, and presence missions. Both ships were part of the Force d'Action Navale.

Originally planned as a four-ship class, only two were constructed due to the United States discontinuing the production of the Standard SM-1MR missile. After several redesigns, the result was a hull with a superstructure made of fire and corrosion-resistant lightweight aluminum alloy. Unlike the Georges Leygues class, these ships used SEMT Pielstick diesels instead of Olympus turbines, as the latter's exhaust was deemed incompatible with the required electronic equipment. The Cassard class had a complement of 244 crew members and carried an anti-submarine helicopter (initially a Eurocopter AS 565 Panther, later replaced with the Westland Lynx) with a hangar and the SAMAHE 210 helicopter handling system to facilitate arming.

Propulsion was provided by four SEMT Pielstick 18 PA6V 280 BTC diesels, giving a top speed of 29.5 knots and a range of 8,000 nautical miles at 17 knots. This design focused on a reduced noise signature through flexible engine mountings.

Armament included one Mk 13 launcher for Standard SM-1MR anti-air missiles with semi-active radar homing, two Sadral sextuple launchers for Mistral CIWS anti-air missiles with infrared homing, eight MM40 Exocet anti-ship missiles, and two fixed torpedo tubes for L5 mod 4 torpedoes. Additional weaponry included a single Creusot-Loire Compact 100 mm Mod 68 gun, which could fire at surface and air targets, two 20 mm F2 anti-aircraft guns, and four 12.7 mm machine guns. Plans for a second 100 mm gun were scrapped in favor of a helicopter hangar and Sadral launchers.

The ships were also equipped with a suite of electronic systems, including a DRBV26C sentry radar, Thales SMART-S MK2 radar, a DIBV2A infrared alert system, DRBN34 navigation and landing radars, DUBV 24C hull sonar, Syracuse II satellite communication system, ARBR 17 radar detector, SAIGON radio emission detector, ARBB 33 jammer, and various decoy launchers.

The Cassard class operated until their decommissioning, with Cassard retiring in 2019 and Jean Bart in 2021, as the French Navy introduced the FREDA air defense frigates. The operational history and insights from this class informed the design of the subsequent La Fayette class.

Technical specifications