Royal Danish Navy : Iver Huitfeldt-class Frigate

Efran Syah       Frigate    Comment   

Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate HDMS Niels Juel. (Marsel Van Oosten / testmyprep.com)

The Iver Huitfeldt-class is a 138 meters long guided missile frigates of 6,645 tonnes displacement, built by Odense Staalskibsvaerft for the Royal Danish Navy. Three have been built and all of them were commissionned in 2011.

Danish Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate Peter Willemoes in Aura river in Turku during the Northern Coasts 2014 exercise public pre sail event. (MKFI / Wiki Common)

The Iver Huitfeldt class frigates have a somewhat unusual layout and look a bit bulky for this class of ships. Nevertheless they pack a formidable punch. Most anti-air warfare sensors and equipment are similar to the German Sachsen class frigates and Dutch De Zeven Provincien class destroyers.

Forward superfiring 76 mm OTO-Melara guns of Danish Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate Peter Willemoes in Aura river in Turku during the Northern Coasts 2014 exercise public pre sail event. (MKFI / Wiki Common)

The keel for the first ship in the class, Iver Huitfeldt (F 361), was laid in June 2008 and launched in March 2010. The frigate was transferred to the Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (FMT) in January 2011 for testing. The second frigate, Peter Willemoes (F362), was laid in March 2009 and launched in December 2010. The third and final ship, Niels Juel (F363), was laid in December 2009.

Danish Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate Peter Willemoes (F362) in Aura river in Turku during the Northern Coasts 2014 exercise public pre sail event. (MKFI / Wiki Common)

The hull design of the Iver Huitfeldt-class is derived from the Absalon-class. The exterior is easily distinguished from Absalon-class as the Iver Huitfeldt is one deck lower, and lacks an internal multipurpose deck (flex deck). The chimney’s design has been changed to prevent excessive steam impact of SMART-L radar.

The design protects the crew from contamination. The frigate is divided into six hazard zones. All the zones are equipped with separate filters to protect the crew against chemical, radioactive or biological weapon attacks and airlocks are provided between them.

SMART-L radar of Danish Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate Peter Willemoes in Aura river in Turku during the Northern Coasts 2014 exercise public pre sail event. 35 mm Oerlikon Millenium CIWS is also visible. (MKFI / Wiki Common)

Mounted round the top of the superstructure are the four antennae of the Thales advanced phased-array air/surface radar. It provides 360° target detection, tracking and engagement. Up to 32 missiles can be guided in flight simultaneously, including 16 missiles in terminal stage. Such capability is extremely important while defending against saturated missile attacks.

There is also the Thales SMART-L radar for long-range aerial surveillance. It can detect and track ballistic missiles at a range of more than 400 km. It is capable of tracking 1,500 targets simultaneously and provides early warning.

It is considered that radar combination of the Iver Huitfeldt class is more capable than Aegis radar combination of the Spanish Alvaro de Bazan class anti-air warfare frigates.

Danish Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate Peter Willemoes (F362) in Aura river in Turku during the Northern Coasts 2014 exercise public pre sail event. (MKFI / Wiki Common)

The Iver Huitfeldt class has a diesel-only propulsions system. It is powered by four MTU 20V M70 diesel engines, developing a combined output of 44,000 shp. The power is delivered to 2 shafts. Also there is a single bow thruster.

These Danish frigates are very fuel efficient. At lower speeds it is capable of traveling 16,700 km (9,000 nautical miles). It is enough to travel from Denmark to the United States and back, while there will still be fuel left in the tanks.

Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate HDMS Niels Juel. (Forsvaret)

The frigate is fitted with Lockheed Martin Mk41 multimissile vertical launch system (VLS) for the evolved Sea Sparrow missile (ESSM) and SM-2 IIIA missile.

The Mk41 system can fire anti-air, anti-submarine and anti-ship missiles. Ivar Huitfeldt is also armed with the Boeing Harpoon block II anti-ship missile system and the Eurotorp MU90 lightweight torpedo fired from a twin or triple torpedo launcher.

The frigate’s main gun is an Oto Melara 76 mm Super Rapid gun. The Oerlikon Millennium 35 mm naval gun system onboard provides close-in air defence. It is based on the new Oerlikon 35 mm revolver cannon land-based air defence system. A 12.7 mm machine gun is also available aboard the ship.

HDMS Iver Huitfeldt. (via shipphotos.eu)

The Danish frigate has an integral hull-mounted sonar for submarine detection. Anti-submarine weapons include two twin 324 mm launchers for EUROTORP MU90 lightweight torpedoes.

This frigate has a hangar and can accommodate NFH 90, Westland Lynx Mk.90B, or similar helicopter, which provides additional anti-submarine warfare capability. Recently Danish Navy ordered Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk anti-submarine helicopters.

Iver Huitfeldt Class Frigate HDMS Peter Willemoes. (via ptisidiastima.com)

Even though the Iver Huitfeldt class packs a formidable punch, it is slightlty inferior to the German Sachsen class frigates. It lacks a third layer missile defense and carries less torpedoes. The Danish frigate has got only hull mounted sonar, but no tower array sonar for submarine detection.

Also the German frigate carries two helicopters. Furthermore the Danish frigate has inferior diesel-only propulsion system, which looses in terms of performance to modern Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) propulsions.

HDMS Iver Huitfeld. (via verdensalt.dk)

In March 2019 a variant of Denmark's Iver Huitfeldt class has emerged as a front-runner for the Indonesian Navy's US$720 million two-frigate acquisition programme according to Jane's.

In February 2020, defense delegation from Indonesia visited Denmark, and toured the Niels Juel. According to local media, the deputy of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense Sakti Wahyu Trenggono said in March that Indonesia’s PT PAL was tasked to develop a design for 2 ships over 5 years, for Rp1.1 trillion (or USD 720 million) in collaboration with Denmark, for Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL).

And on April 30, representatives from the Indonesian Ministry of Defense, PT PAL shipbuilders and PT Sinar Kokoh Persada, an Indonesian agent for the Danish Odense Maritime Technology (OMT) company, had agreed to an opening contract for the procurement of the Danish Frigate. Points in the contract include workshare arrangements that will be made after the effective (actual) contract can be realized.

General characteristics

Displacement: 6,645 t (full load)

Length: 138.7 m
Beam: 19.8 m
Draft: 5.3 m
Speed: 28 knots (52 km/h)
Propulsion: Four MTU 8000 20V M70 diesel engines, 8,2 MW each, Two shafts, CODAD
Range: 9000 NM (16700 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
Complement: 165
Crew: 116
Sensors and processing systems:

• 1 Thales Nederland SMART-L long-range air and surface surveillance radar
• 1 Thales Nederland APAR air and surface search, tracking and guidance radar (I band)
• 1 Terma SCANTER 6000 surveillance and helicopter guidance radar
• Atlas ASO 94 hull mounted sonar
• 2 Saab CEROS 200 fire control radars
• ES-3701 Tactical Radar Electronic Support Measures (ESM)

Electronic warfare & decoys:

•  8 × 6-barrelled Terma MK 137 130 mm decoy launchers
• Seagnat Mark 36 SRBOC

Aviation: flight deck & hangar for 1 MH-60R  helicopter
Armament:

• Gun:
• 1 x Oto-Melara 76 mm/62-caliber gun (3-inches)
• 1 x Oerlikon Millennium 35 mm CIWS
• Mk-41 Vertical Launching Sytem / VLS (4x8 cells) for a mix of:
• RIM-66 SM-2MR Block III Standard Missiles
• RGM 84 HARPOON SSM
• RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM)
• 6 spaces for STANFLEX-Modules for a mix of:
• Oto-Melara 76 mm/62-caliber gun (3-inches)
• Mk-141 missile launcher for RGM-84 Harpoon SSM (8 missiles, each)
• Mk-48 (Mod.3) / Mk-56 VLS for RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles (6 missiles, each)
• launcher for MU90 Impact torpedoes (1x2)
• further:
• 4 x Stinger point defense SAM (2x2)
• 7 x 12.7 mm (caliber .50) MG’s