BNS Barroso (V34)

BNS Barroso (V34) History

The BNS Barroso V34 is a Brazilian medium-sized military naval frigate, the only member of its Barroso class so far (2012). The vessel, with a displacement of 2,350 tons at full load, is a locally designed and built vessel, built by the Marinha Arsenal in Rio de Janeiro.

Because of the country's geographic makeup, the Brazilian Navy needs to use "brownwater" vessels to patrol its vast coastline. Although built in 1994, the vessel was not launched until 2002 and officially entered service in 2008 (known as the "Barroso V34").

Externally, Barroso's design follows traditional notions about this class of warships, unquestionably taking advantage of the design qualities and proven essence of other frigates in the world. Raise the bow to cut through rough waters with the deck gun mounted directly to the stern. The superstructure is located aft of the deck guns, keeping the bridge at a commanding height - identifiable by the horizontal rows of window panes.

Communications and sensor arrays are distributed on the superstructure roof, along with a funnel for extracting by-products from the contained propulsion system. Mid-range helicopters such as the Westland Lynx can land in the stern. Dimensionally, the Barroso has a barrel length of 339 ft 3 in (103.4 m), a beam of 37 ft 4 in (11.4 m) and a tie rod of 17 ft 4 in (5.3 m). water. Her propulsion system consists of 2 MTU 116 TB93 diesel engines and 1 GE LM250 series gas turbine with 2 shafts for a total power of 27,490 shaft horsepower.

With this arrangement (called "CODOG", meaning "mixed diesel or gas"), the Barroso can reach 27 knots (50 km/h) under ideal conditions, with a range of about 4,000 nautical miles (7,000 km). The dual nature approach allows the vessel to use its diesel engines (one per axle) to cruise easily, while the geared gas turbines come into play when high speed cruising is required.

She had a crew of 154, consisting of 25 officers and 125 soldiers.

Barroso is built for action and well-equipped. For anti-submarine warfare (ASW), it uses a hull-mounted EDO 99 C sonar array. The ship does not have traditional roll-frame depth charges, but instead uses 2 ARES SLT Mod 400 (324 mm) triple-barreled torpedo launchers for Mk. 46 Mod 5 series torpedoes to counter anti-submarine (and surface) threats.

Barroso uses the Terma SCANTER surface search radar as well as the RAN-20S 2-D search radar, which is also used to track approaching aircraft and tip missile threats. The Furuno FR-8252 Navigation Radar is used to navigate rocky coastlines.

When a threat is detected below or above the ship, the Orion RTX-30 fire control radar and Saab EOS-400 electro-optical fire control system come into play, directing the right weapons to destroy the threat.

The primary main gun armament is the 4.5" (113 mm) Vickers Mk. 8 automatic deck gun, mounted on a crossing station in the bow. The gun chamber housing is made of fiberglass reinforced plastic and has a round shape. The weapon has a rate of fire of up to 25 rounds per minute and a range of up to 12 nautical miles (22 km) when using the new 45-pound high-explosive monolithic grenade projectile.

When close range threats are required, a 40mm Bofors bolt-action cannon is available. This conventional weapon is complemented by the use of French MBDA Exocet anti-ship missile launchers. The missiles are 3 feet 7 inches long and have a range of 70 to 180 kilometers (43 to 110 miles).

They skinned after launch to reduce the radar signature and tried to evade any tracking countermeasures used by the target. Their high-speed nature allows them to fly at speeds of 315 meters per second (1,030 feet per second) using inertial guidance and an active airborne radar suite.

The Barroso V34 carries four of these missiles. A powerful electronic countermeasures suite provides additional defense, firing chaff and decoys to disrupt incoming threats.

Of all the countries in South America, Brazil has the largest number, including a 32,800-ton conventionally powered aircraft carrier. The defense budget has been hit hard by the erosion of Brazil's economy in recent years, limiting the construction of more Barroso-class frigates for the foreseeable future. The Brazilian Navy is currently facing the need to replace its aging escort fleet, which is rapidly approaching the end of its useful life. Therefore, the government may consider building one or two more Barroso-class frigates with upgraded weapons to fill the gap.

The move will undoubtedly create much-needed jobs in the shipbuilding, weapons and tech industries.

A Barroso-class ship is believed to have been built for the navy of Equatorial Guinea in West Africa for service in the Eastern Atlantic.

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