NEWTOWN, Conn. - The Colombian Navy has reached an agreement with French shipyard DCNS for the supply of spare parts for the Navy's Type FS-1500 frigates.
The contract was signed in late December 2012 and is valued at EUR2.8 million ($3.7 million). The contract includes spare parts for the future maintenance of the ships' systems and equipment.
The Navy operates four Type FS-1500 frigates: the Almirante Padilla (FL 51), the Caldas (FL 52), the Antioquia (FL 53), and the Independiente (FL 54). All of the frigates are currently being modernized under the Navy's Orion II project. The goal of the Orion II is to improve the frigates' ability to locate, track, and intercept drug trafficking craft at sea and to keep them in service until 2025. The program is expected to be completed by 2014.
In January 2009, the Colombian Ministry of Defense awarded a $128.6 million contract to DCNS. The contract is a direct government-to-government agreement under which DCNS will partner with Thales to modernize the sensors and combat management systems aboard the ships.
Each ship is to receive a Tacticos combat management system from Thales along with a refit of the existing sensor and weapon systems and an overhaul of the power and propulsion systems, including the installation of MTU 4000 MR93 diesels. The frigates will also be fitted with Thales' SMART-S Mk2 search radar, Sting fire-control package, and Vigile electronic support measures system. The ships may also be fitted with Terma's Scanter 2001 surface-surveillance radar.
The frigates will be armed with Oto Melara's Starles 76mm main gun - firing DART guided projectiles - and MBDA's Sadral surface-to-air missile launchers, along with Terma's Soft Kill Weapon System decoys.
