Fast Attack Craft Missile Class La Combattante IIa were originally built for the German Navy

German Navy

The German Navy is the navy of Germany and is part of the unified Bundeswehr .The German Navy traces its roots back to the Imperial Fleet of the revolutionary era of 1848 – 52 and more directly to the Prussian Navy, which later evolved into the Northern German Federal Navy...

 as Type 148 Tiger class fast attack craft

Tiger class fast attack craft

The Type 148 Tiger class fast attack craft is a modification of the French La Combattante II design for the Bundesmarine . The La Combattante had been designed by Lürssen of Germany for Israel, but were built in France by Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie in Cherbourg for political reasons...

. They were later transferred to Hellenic Navy

Hellenic Navy

The Hellenic Navy is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence...

 and the class was renamed Combattante IIa, as with similar French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 made ship

Ship

Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...

s. All the ships were under mid-life updates in 1980s. P-74 and P-75 were fitted with RGM-84 Harpoons and a new ESM was fitted after transfer.

A version called the BEIR GRASSA class of which 10 were built and 8 were operational as of 1995. They were used by the Libyan Navy

Libyan Navy

The Libyan Navy was the maritime force of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, established in November 1962. It was a fairly typical small navy with a few missile frigates, corvettes and patrol boats to defend the coastline, but with a very limited self-defence capability...

 

Ship list

Pennant number Pennant number In the modern Royal Navy, and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth, ships are identified by pennant numbers...	Name	Former name	Commissioned By Germany	Commissioned by Greece
P 72	Ypoploiarchos Votsis	ex-Iltis	8 January 1973	28 April 1995
P 73	Antiploiarchos Pezopoulos	ex-Storch	17 July 1974	1 February 1994
P 74	Plotarchis Vlachavas	ex-Marder	14 June 1973	16 February 1995
P 75	Plotarchis Maridakis	ex-Häher	12 June 1974	28 April 1994
P 76	Ypoploiarchos Tournas	ex-Leopard	21 August 1973	28 September 2000
P 77	Plotarchis Sakipis	ex-Jaguar	21 August 1973	28 September 2000

Specifications

• Displacement, tons:234 , 265 full load
• Length (m): 47
• Beam (m): 8
• Draught (m): 2.1
• Speed (knots): 36
• Structure: Steel hull
• Propulsion: 4 MTU MD 16V 538 TB90 diesels; 12,000 hp(m) (8.82 MW) sustained; 4 shafts
• Range, miles:570 at 30 kt; 1,600 at 15 kt
• Crew: 30 (4 officers)
• Missiles: SSM: 4 Aerospatiale MM 38 Exocet (2 twin) launchers (P 72-73); inertial cruise; active radar homing to 42 km (23 n miles) at 0.9 Mach; warhead 165 kg; sea-skimmer.

4 McDonnell Douglas Harpoon (2 twin) launchers (P 74-75); active radar homing to 130 km (70 n miles) at 0.9 Mach; warhead 227 kg.

• Guns:
  • One OTO Melara 3 in (76 mm)/62 compact
    Otobreda 76 mm
    The Otobreda 76 mm gun is a naval artillery piece built by the Italian defence conglomerate Otobreda. It is based on the Oto Melara 76mm/L62 Allargato, which was bigger and heavier...
    
    ; 85 rds/min to 16 km (8.6 n miles) anti-surface; 12 km (6.5 n miles) anti-aircraft; weight of shell 6 kg.
  • One Bofors 40 mm/70; 330 rds/min to 12 km (6.5 n miles) anti-surface; 4 km (2.2 n miles) anti-aircraft; weight of shell 0.96 kg; fitted with GRP dome (1984).
• Mine
  Naval mine
  A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
  
  s: Laying capability
• Countermeasure
  Countermeasure
  A countermeasure is a measure or action taken to counter or offset another one. As a general concept it implies precision, and is any technological or tactical solution or system designed to prevent an undesirable outcome in the process...
  
  s: Decoy
  Decoy
  A decoy is usually a person, device or event meant as a distraction, to conceal what an individual or a group might be looking for. Decoys have been used for centuries most notably in game hunting, but also in wartime and in the committing or resolving of crimes.-Duck decoy:The term duck decoy may...
  
  s: Wolke chaff launchers
• ESM: Thomson-CSF DR 2000S; intercept.
• Combat data systems: PALIS and Link 11.
• Weapons control:CSEE Panda optical director. Thomson-CSF Vega PCET system, controlling missile
  Missile
  Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
  
  s and gun
  Gun
  A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
  
  s.
• Radars:
  • Air/surface search: Thomson-CSF Triton; G-band; range 33 km (18 n miles) for 2 m2 target.
  • Navigation: SMA 3 RM 20; I-band.
  • Fire control: Thomson-CSF Castor; I/J-band.

External links

• http://www.ellinikos-stratos.com/eksoplismoi/tpk4.asp
• http://www.hellenicnavy.gr/