Gael-class Frigate

The Gael is a class of sophisticated frigate built for the naval forces of the United Republics and Ainslie, as well as for export. The class is designed to function as a versatile, multi-role surface combatant able to engage both enemy surface and submarine vessels, as well as engage enemy aircraft. While being a relatively small ship, it still boasts the title of most heavily armed ship per square foot in the Western Isles, with a truly impressive array of naval offensive and defensive weaponry.

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History
Driven by the Navy Modernization Program of 2010, the United Republics sought out a replacement for the retiring Waalwijk and Felix Aue classes of Frigates with a modern counterpart. As the program coincided with the FREDA program that would produce the Chery class destroyer, Congress' budget allocation for the Frigate program necessitated building the program with foreign partners and with an expectation of exporting the final ship after the completion of the program for the United Republics.

To this end, the Navy sought out Naval Systems Port Orange and Neran Heavy Industries, both of which having worked on the Lukas Monet I class frigate throughout its service life, to construct a ship matching the navy's specification. With the regional naval campaigns bringing new information about modern naval combat, the navy determined that their new vessel would need to continue to maintain a small profile, while packing an enormous amount of firepower capable of delivering rapid blows to enemy shipping. At the same time, it would need a defensive suite capable of defending the vessel from enemy anti-surface missiles and other threats.

Other concerns were also noted: a more robust electronic warfare suite would need to be developed for this vessel to enhance its ability to effectively jam enemy passive radar and missile guidance systems, while guarding their own. Anti-missile and torpedo decoy arrays would also be necessary, all while keeping the vessel light enough for rapid mobility. Finally, this vessel would need to not be exponentially more expensive than the current model was to produce.

In addition to Neran Heavy Industries, Naval Systems also built an industrial consortium with White Defense Group, Kapolder Electric, and Rowlands Maritime Systems to supply parts and systems to the final ship design. In accordance to the needs of both the Navy and Congress, the Gael was designed and constructed for multi-mission modularity, earning the ship the name Plateforme multi-missions (PMM; Multi-Mission Platform) for international markets. Multiple shipyards have constructed PMM ships since 2015, though most have been constructed or are on order out of Naval Systems Port Orange shipyard, while a large portion of the ship's components are manufactured off-site and mated to the hull.

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Design
The ship's propulsion system is a combined diesel-electric or gas (CODLOG) system. This system was selected by the navy for its significantly greater speed production capability than other similar methods of power generation. The propeller shafts are each connected to a diesel output as well as one geared gas turbine. The diesel output manages the propeller during cruising, while the gas turbine is activated when higher speeds are necessary. The chief advantage of this system was its ability to gain the vessel greater speed, while being extremely efficient to maintain. The major drawback noted is high fuel consumption compared to the CODLAG system which was slated for adoption aboard the Chery, but ultimately the navy felt that the added speed gained through CODLOG was worth the expense. The result is a gas turbine able to generate up to 45,000 added horsepower.

Featuring a 76 mm main gun, three 25 mm Remotely Operated Weapon Stations (ROWS) autocannons, 32 Vertical Launch System (VLS) cells for surface-to-air missiles, 16 Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW) missiles, two 324 mm torpedo tubes, and the FarArcher Point Defense System, Gael is the most heavily armed ship per square foot in the Western Isles.

The primary offensive weapon system of the Gael is its 32 A43 VLS cell SAMs and its 16 ASuW Missile pods. The VLS fires a long-range proximity detonation missile with a 55 kg warhead, capable of engaging air targets at ranges of 120 kilometers and achieving speeds of Mach 4. The ASuW missile pods delivers the Longinus cruise missile capable of engaging enemy surface ships at ranges in excess of 120 kilometers, with a contact detonated 220 kg warhead. Alternate loadouts may also be fitted thanks to the ship's modularity.

The bow mounted 76 mm main gun is the back up weapon system to the array of missile systems sported by the Gael. It is capable of firing a 76 mm shell 20 miles with a rate of fire of 20 rounds per minute. The weapon also features a sophisticated anti-missile defense system, through integration with the FarSight it is capable of tracking sea-skimming missiles and engaging them. This is made possible with its -15 degrees +65 degrees elevation capability and an azimuth of + or - 180 degrees, at a rate of 12 degrees per second. The 600 round feeder system is connected to an autoloader in the hull.

The initial defensive system of the Gael is its bow mounted FarArcher Point Defense System. The PDS serves as the chief anti-ballistics ordnance weapon on the Gael. Designed to protect vessels from direct and ballistic trajectory weapons in saturation attacks, the system features a 360 degrees coverage with 10 vertically launched interceptor canisters. These interceptors are remotely controlled from the FarSight which guides them into proximity for denotation. In addition, and primarily on the Doraltic ships of the class, a pair Sadral Mistral launchers (with 21 small missiles) are installed to supplement the PDS. Three 20 mm Close in Weapons Systems (CIWS) mounted as ROWS port and starboard form the last line of point defense against hostile munitions.

In conjunction with the AA-H-2010 Active Sonar array, the Gael features a stern helicopter landing platform large enough to carry one Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) helicopter. The AA-H-2010 enables ASW helicopters to locate and engage enemy submarines, and enhances the overall lethality of the Gael. In addition, the ship has two Mark 32 tubes capable of launching Mark 54 Torpedoes.