The MEKO 140 is a
frigate
A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied.
The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...
/
corvette
A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloo ...
design by the German
Blohm + Voss Blohm is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Hans Blohm C.M. (born 1927), photographer and author
* Hermann Blohm (1848–1930), German businessman and co-founder of German company Blohm+Voss
* Irma Blohm (1909–1997), German pol ...
shipyard as part of the
MEKO
The MEKO family of warships was developed by the German company Blohm+Voss. MEKO is a registered trademark. The portmanteau stands for "''Mehrzweck-Kombination''" (English: multi-purpose-combination). It is a concept in modern naval shipbuilding ...
family of vessels. The MEKO 140 is a development of the
Portuguese Navy
The Portuguese Navy (), also known as the Portuguese War Navy (''Marinha de Guerra Portuguesa'') or as the Portuguese Armada (''Armada Portuguesa''), is the navy of the Portuguese Armed Forces. Chartered in 1317 by King Dinis of Portugal, it is ...
's s designed by the Portuguese naval engineer Rogério de Oliveira in the late 1960s – three ships of which were built Blohm + Voss in 1970, as an outsourcing.
Concept and development
MEKO is a concept in modern naval shipbuilding based on modularity of armament, electronics, and other equipment, aiming at ease of maintenance and cost reduction. Vessels of similar classes can use different weapons systems, as required by the customer. The MEKO 140 was designed in the late 1970s, and was chosen by the Argentine Navy to complement the
MEKO 360 destroyers.
Variants
Six vessels of the MEKO 140 A16 variant were constructed in
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
by the Río Santiago Shipyards (AFNE) near
La Plata
La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. According to the 2022 Argentina census, census, the La Plata Partido, Partido has a population of 772,618 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 938,287 inhabit ...
for the
Argentine Navy
The Argentine Navy (ARA; ). This forms the basis for the navy's ship prefix "ARA". is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Argentine Army, Army and the Argentine ...
. They are locally named as the and currently serve in the High Seas Fleet ("Flota de Mar").
Although considered by its designers to be frigates, the ''Espora''-class vessels have been classed in Argentina as corvettes.
External links
Argentine Navy (ARA) official site – class specifications & pictures{{in lang, es
Description of MEKO 140 concept and existing ships
Frigate classes
Corvette classes