SAS Isandlwana (F146)

History
South Africa
Name:	SAS Isandlwana
Namesake:	Battle of Isandlwana
Operator:	South African Navy
Ordered:	3 December 1999
Builder:	Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft, Kiel
Laid down:	28 October 2001
Launched:	5 December 2002
Commissioned:	20 July 2006
Homeport:	Simonstown
Status:	in active service
General characteristics
Class and type:	Valour-class frigate
Displacement:	3,700 long tons (3,759 t)
Length:	121 m (397 ft 0 in)
Beam:	16.34 m (53 ft 7 in)
Draught:	5.95 m (19 ft 6 in)
Propulsion:	CODAG WARP 2 × Diesels 5,920 kW (7,939 hp) each 2 shafts 1 × Gas turbine 20,000 kW (26,820 hp) 1 Waterjet
Speed:	30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Range:	8,000 nmi (15,000 km) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Complement:	152
Sensors and processing systems:	Surveillance Radar: Thales Naval France MRR-3D NG G-band multi-role radar Optical Radar Tracker: 2 Reutech RTS 6400 monopulse X-band (I/J bands) combined radar and optronics trackers Electro-optical Tracker: Reutech Electro-optical tracker Identification Friend or Foe: Tellumat Integrated Naval IFF system Target Designation Sights: M-Tek Target Designation Sights Sonar: Thales UMS4132 Kingklip sonar Obstacle avoidance sonar: MDS 3060
Electronic warfare & decoys:	ESM/ECM: Saab Grintek Avitronics SME 100/200 ESM (Intercept and Jammer) & ELINT Decoys: 2 Saab Grintek Avitronics MRL Super Barricade chaff launchers (96 decoys)
Armament:	1 × Otobreda 76 mm gun 1 × twin barreled 35 mm (Denel) dual purpose gun 2 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannon Mk1 8 × MBDA MM40 Exocet Block 2 SSM (2 × 4-cell launchers) 16 × Umkhonto SAM (2 × 8-cell vertical launchers)
Aircraft carried:	1 × SuperLynx 300 (can carry 2)
Aviation facilities:	Flight deck Enclosed hangar

SAS Isandlwana (F146) is the second of four Valour class frigates for the South African Navy built by the European South African Corvette Consortium. SAS Isandlwana was named after the Battle of Isandlwana at a ceremony held in Kiel in December 2002, by Deputy Defence Minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge.

SAS Isandlwana was manufactured by the European South African Corvette Consortium (ESACC), consisting of the German Frigate Consortium (Blohm+Voss, Thyssen Rheinstahl and Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft), African Defence Systems (part of the French Thales defense group) and a number of South African companies.

The ships were built to the MEKO modular design concept, and are designated by the manufacturer as the MEKO A-200SAN class. Some controversy exists as to the class type of the vessel, with both the manufacturer and the South African Navy referring to her as a "corvette", but other similar vessels in other navies being referred to as frigates. Some have claimed the use of the word "corvette" was a political decision made by the South African government to ease criticism of the procurement of the vessels.

The SAS Isandlwana was built at the Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft shipyards in Kiel, Germany, and she arrived in South Africa on 25 February 2004.

In 2007, the SAS Isandlwana took part in the Atlasur Exercise in cooperation with the fleets of Brazil and Chile.

As with all the other ships of the Valour class, the Isandlwana is named after a famous South African battle or instance of great valour. In this case the famous Battle of Isandlwana between the Zulu nation and the British Empire, at the beginning of the Anglo-Zulu War.

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