Roussen-class fast attack craft

Class overview
HS Roussen, P-67 in Piraeus during Saint Nicholas festival of 2009.
Name:	Roussen, Super Vita
Builders:	Elefsis Shipyards BAE Systems Surface Ships
Operators:	Hellenic Navy
Preceded by:	La Combattante IIIb
In commission:	2005 - present day
Building:	2
Planned:	7
Completed:	5
Active:	P67 Roussen P68 Daniolos P69 Krystallides P70 Grigoropoulos P71 Ritsos
General characteristics
Type:	FACM
Displacement:	580 tons / 668 tons fully loaded
Length:	62 m
Beam:	9.5 m
Draught:	2.6 m
Propulsion:	4 × MTU 16V595 TE90 diesel engines 23,500 hp
Speed:	35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph)
Complement:	45
Sensors and processing systems:	Thales MW08 3D G-band surveillance radar Thales Mirador electro-optical target tracker Thales Scout MkII low probability of intercept radar Sperry Marine Bridgemaster-E navigation radar Tacticos combat management system Aeromaritime IFF Mk12 ICS 2000 integrated communications system
Electronic warfare & decoys:	DR 3000 ESM system Argo AR 900 ESM system 1 SRBOC decoy launcher
Armament:	1 × Oto Melara 76 mm/62 cal. 8 × MM40 Block 2/3 anti-ship missiles 1 × Mk31 21-cell launcher of RAM Block 1 surface-to-air missiles 2 × Oto Melara 30mm cannons

The Roussen class is a seven-strong class of British-design fast attack missile boats improved and customized for the Hellenic Navy, also known as Super Vita. The class is named after its lead ship, which in turn is named after Lt Nikolaos Roussen, a World War II submarines officer who was killed in the suppression of the Navy mutiny in April 1944.

History

The modernization program of the Hellenic Navy in the late '90s included the construction of three modern missile boats and was signed on January, 2000. The construction took place at the Elefsis Shipyards, while Vosper Thornycroft (now BAE Systems Surface Ships) provide the necessary design, logistical support and equipment for the ships. On August, 2003 and September, 2008 options that provided the acquisition of four more vessels were activated with the last ship to be commissioned in 2013.

Design

The plans of the Roussen Class missile boats are based on smaller Vita class boats serving in the navies of Qatar, as well as similar size vessels built for Oman and other countries. The hull is made of steel and the superstructure is made of aluminum, while the company Vosper Thornycroft (now BAE Systems Surface Ships) provides the electricity transmission system, the management board, electrical equipment and systems countermeasures.

Weapons and electronics

The main armament of the ships are eight Exocet MM40 Block II/III anti-ship missiles with a range of up to 180 km. They are complemented by an Otobreda 76 mm naval gun in the bow and two smaller 30mm cannons as secondary weapons located on the ships' superstructure. The vessel's primary anti-air and anti-missile weapon is the RIM-116 RAM missile system which comprises an onboard Mk-49 launcher with 21 projectiles, as well as the DR3000 and AR900 electronic support measures systems and the SRBOC decoy launcher.

The sensor suite responsible for the timely identification and homing of surface and air targets includes the MW08 3D G-band surveillance radar, the Mirador electro-optical target tracker and the Scout MkII low probability of intercept radar which is being controlled by the TACTICOS combat management system.

Ships

Ship	Namesake	Builder	Commissioned	Status
P67 Roussen Ρουσσέν	Lt Nikolaos Roussen	Elefsis Shipyards	November 12, 2002	In service 2008
P68 Daniolos Δανίολος	Lt Antonios Daniolos	Elefsis Shipyards	July 8, 2003	In service 2008
P69 Krystallidis Κρυσταλλίδης	Lt Vyron Krystallidis	Elefsis Shipyards	April 5, 2004	In service 2008
P70 Grigoropoulos Γρηγορόπουλος	Lt Michail Grigoropoulos	Elefsis Shipyards	December 20, 2005	In service 2010
P71 Ritsos Ρίτσος	Lt Nikolaos Ritsos	Elefsis Shipyards	October 9, 2006	In service 2015
P72 Karathanasis Καραθανάσης		Elefsis Shipyards	TBD	Under construction
P73 Vlachakos Βλαχάκος		Elefsis Shipyards	TBD	Under construction

Similar ships

Sources

"Roussen Class (62m Super Vita) Fast Attack Missile Craft, Greece". Naval-Technology.com. SPG Media Limited. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
Wertheim, Eric (2007). The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems. Naval Institute Press. p. 267.

Ship classes of the Hellenic Navy

Frigates	Hydra class Elli class

Gunboats	Asheville class Thetis class Osprey 55 class Osprey HSY-56A class

Submarines	Glafkos class (Neptune I) Poseidon class (Neptune II) Papanikolis class

Fast attack craft	La Combattante IIa class La Combattante III class La Combattante IIIb class Roussen class

Mine warfare ships	Hunt class mine hunters Osprey class mine hunters MSC-294 class minesweepers

Landing Vessels	Jason class LSTs Zubr class LCACs Barbe class

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