Georges Leygues class destroyer

Destroyer MN Dupleix (D641) in the Arabian Sea on February 21, 2006.

The Georges Leygues-class (Type F70) is a class of anti-submarine destroyers of the French and Portuguese navies. They are multi-role ships due to their Exocet and Crotale missile armament, making them especially suitable for the defence of strategic positions, show of force operations, or as high seas escorts. The F70 is internationally labelled an "anti-submarine destroyer" (hence the "D" in the hull numbers), though the French do not use the term and refer to the ships as "frigates".

The superstructures were built to optimise resistance to the blast from nuclear explosions. The last three ships of the class had their bridges raised one deck to overcome problems experienced by the first four in bad weather, as well as being equipped with DSBV 61 passive linear towed array sonar and several other upgraded systems.

Specifications

• Type: Destroyer
• Service Period: 1979-Present
• Characteristics:
  • Length: 456 feet (138.99 meters)
  • Beam: 46 feet (14.02 meters)
  • Draft: 18 feet 8 inches (5.69 meters)
  • Displacement: 3,494 tons (Standard); 4,429 tons (Full Load)
• Crew: 235
• Propulsion: CODOG,
  • 2 × Rolls-Royce Olympus TM3B gas turbines, 26,000 hp (19,388 kW) each
  • 2 × SEMT Pielstick 16PA6-V280 diesel engines, 5,200 hp (3,878 kW) each
• Range: 10,000 nautical miles (18,520 kilometers) at 15 knots (27.78 km/h)
• Speed: 30 knots (55.56 km/h)
• Sensor Suite:
  • DRBV51C Air/Surface Sentry RDF x 1
  • DRBV 26 Air Sentry RDF x 1
  • DRBC 32E Fire Control RDF x 1
  • KH 1007 Navigation RDF x 2
  • DUBV 23 Hull mounted ASDIC x 1
  • DUBV 43C Towed ASDIC x 1
• Countermeasures:
  • Radar interceptors ARBR 16 RDF Interceptors x 2
  • Syllex chaff launchers x 2
• Armament:
  • 1 x Creusot-Loire Compact 100mm/55-caliber Modele 68 dual purpose naval gun
  • 1 × Crotale EDIR system - 8 missiles on launcher + 18 stored
  • 2 × Simbad systems - 2 × 2 Mistral missiles
  • 4 × MM38/MM40 Exocet anti-ship missiles
  • 10 × L5 Mod4 torpedoes
  • 2 × L5 torpedo launchers
  • 2 × 20 mm guns
  • 4 × 12.7 mm machine guns
• Aircraft Carried: 2 × Westland Lynx WG13 Mk.4 helicopters

Unit Run

France

• MN Georges Leygues (D650)
• MN Dupleix (D651)
• MN Montcalm (D652)
• MN Jeanne de Vienne (D653)
• MN Primauguet (D654)
• MN La Motte Piquet (D655)
• MN Latouche-Tréville (D656)

Portugal

• NRP João de Santarém (D338)
• NRP Diogo Cão (D339)