Umihana-class destroyer (Pacifica)

The Umihana class, also known in Pelinai by its development code Project 213-97B, is a class of guided missile destroyers currently operated by the Royal Pelinese Navy. The class is the most numerous surface combatant in the Royal Pelinese Navy of frigate size or larger, with 52 ships in active service and 8 additional ships under construction or in sea trials.

Umihana class vessels are multirole warships capable of performing a wide variety of tasks, including air defense, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, land attack, and anti-ballistic missile/anti-satellite functions. The intended primary role of the Umihana class is defense of a carrier battlegroup; most active ships are assigned to provide long-endurance escort to Pelograd-class and Sakura-class aircraft carriers alongside the Ayame-class frigate and the Admiral Seisuko-class missile cruiser. The class’s ability to carry the K27M Almandine long-range interceptor missile also allows it to provide theater-wide ballistic missile defense and anti-satellite capability when provided targeting data by an Admiral Seisuko-class missile cruiser or a ground-based tracking station.

History

The first iteration of the concept for what would become the Umihana-class guided missile destroyer appeared in 1997 under the “21st Century Multirole Combatant” program, which was initiated by the Royal Pelinese Navy in late 1996 as a program to replace the aging Partisan-class destroyer used during the Pelinese Civil War. The keel of DDG-37, KPF Umihana, was laid down in 1999, with the ship being completed in 2002 and commissioned in 2004. 52 vessels of the class have been commissioned, with an additional 8 in sea trials or shipyards.

Design

Armament

The armament of the Umihana-class was designed to be capable of performing a multimission role in the RPN, with a particular focus on area air defense for then-planned Pelograd-class aircraft carriers. The 12,000-ton displacement ships carry four 32-cell VLS system blocks, which are capable of launching SAMs, point defense missiles, LACMs, and ASCMs. The class also carries two 324mm triple torpedo tubes, a single 125mm naval cannon, two 25mm remote-operated autocannons, and two point defense missile launchers for secondary usage and for self-defense against a wide variety of undersea, surface, and aerial threats.

Countermeasures

Defensive equipment mounted on the Umihana-class includes a full combined ELINT/ECM package as well as two Windshear-K CIWS arrays mounting both autocannons and point defense missiles. In addition to the dedicated point defense missiles and cannons, anti-missile fire can also be provided by the 125mm cannon and 25mm autocannons within their effective ranges.

Sensors

The two primary radars on the *Umihana*-class guided missile destroyer are the Type 118A “Sakura Petal” combined C/S-band radar and the Type 114A X-band radar. Both types are AESA radars; the Type 118A is intended to track and target aircraft, and the Type 114A is intended for use against naval vessels. Three X-band continuous wave radars are also mounted to provide fire control and targeting functions to SARH missiles. A C-band navigation and surface detection radar is also present.

A bow sonar and a variable-depth towed-array sonar are both fitted to the Umihana class in order to allow it to provide ASW detection coverage.

The Umihana-class’s combat information and fire control system is capable of sharing and receiving sensor and targeting information from nearby RPN ships and aircraft, and are also capable of performing data fusion with radar and sonar information from multiple ships in order to increase effective sensor resolution. The C-band component of the Type 118A is stated by the RPN to be capable of tracking and targeting stealth aircraft.