Grand Duchy of Pallamara

All last images are blocked, and it says "to view ,register at: bit/lyimageshack-domain".

_________________
[ img ]

Thank you Kim for the crest

"Never fear to try on something new. Remember that the Titanic was built by professionals, and the Ark by an amateur"

The last page? I can see everything fine.

_________________
AU Projects: | Banbha et al. | New England: The Divided States
Blood and Fire

Everything is showing up for me as well.

_________________
We can't stop here--this is Bat country!

If it's close enough to cast a shadow, I think the flying house wins initiative.

Bronies are like the Forsworn. Everyone agrees that they are a problem but nobody wants to expend the energy rooting them out.

"That is a very graphic analogy which aids understanding wonderfully while being, strictly speaking, wrong in every possible way."

So if I'm the only one who cann't see the images, than there is some issue with Image-shack and me, and I would like to know why all of a sudden I cann't see Image-shack images.

_________________
[ img ]

Thank you Kim for the crest

"Never fear to try on something new. Remember that the Titanic was built by professionals, and the Ark by an amateur"

By the early 1990s, it was apparent that the squadrons of FACs in service were starting to show thier age, with some of the older vessels dating back to the 1960s. The Gulf War had shown that this of vessel was particuliarly vulnerable to modern airpower, having in many cases only the most rudimentary air defence in the form of MANPADs or depending on gun armament to fend off attackers. With the drawdown of the Cold War, it was decided to replace these squadrons with fewer, more capable platforms. The Danish Stan-Flex system was seen as ideal, and right away design began on a modular, multirole platform.

The hull design was a success, however, considerable argumment broke out regarding exactly what modules would be needed and the exact configuration of these. One of the major points of contention was the gun, originally intended to be an OTO-Melara 76mm, except the RZM pointed out that many such vessels around the world carried the OTO, and that it would be better if the TAK-120 could be embarked. There was indeed room for the weapon, except there was no module designed for it, so the mount became a fixed one, taking up one module "slot". The Rijkzeemacht itself had never been fond of the modular solution, as in their eyes, the offensive modules would most likely be swapped out for more utilitarian ones, turning their missile corvettes into glorified coast guard vessels most of the time, decreasing overall readiness. In hindsight, it was a rather myopic mindset, but one prevalent at the time.

In the end, it was decided to build them as conventional corvettes, the modular scheme abandoned. An impressive host of systems had been placed on a relatively small hull, giving the class the same firepower as many older frigates. Smart-S radar, a pair of STIR 180 and weapons systems like ESSM, RAM, Harpoon, Dardo and the TAK-120 had all been placed on one hull with room leftover for luxuries such as ASW torpedos and mines. Such small vessels had limited operational radius, compared with frigates, but as they were intended for littorial defence anyway, this wasn't an overriding concern. A total of nine vessels were procured, replacing all the old FACs. The Class continues to be in use, with plans to keep them in service until at least the 2030s. They are intended to operate with the newer Bellona Klasse, which will provide helicopter support, and better ASW coverage, as well as providing an AAW umbrella with its greater number of ESSM. Currently, the corvettes are grouped in three Flotillas, each one consisting of three Astarte Klasse and two Bellona Klasse vessels. Current upgrades are mostly in the form of datalinking systems, though more ambitious ones are planned for the future.

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Decided to update, and slightly rework my old Cybele Klasse drawing. Because the more capable Horizon based Athene Klasse was cancelled before any of the Cybeles were even launched, they were altered to take the S1850M radar in place of the originally planned Smart-L radar.

please use the newest Oto Melara 127 drawing....

_________________
Drawings are credited with J.Scholtens
I ask of you to prove me wrong. Not say I am wrong, but prove it, because then I will have learned something new.
Shipbucket Wiki admin

I'd go for a stern ramp instead of boom recovery since it can be used in much heavier weather and at significant speeds.

_________________
“Close” only counts with horseshoes, hand grenades, and tactical nuclear weapons.
That which does not kill me has made a grave tactical error

Worklist

Source Materiel is always welcome.

Does the stern ramp have any external appearance?

Depends on the design, but most that I've seen doesn't.

Shipbucket

Who is online