The Italian Navy was rebuilt in the late 1950s with the support of the United States, and has been undertaking NATO's military tasks in the southern European theater, and in recent years, with the laying of other traditional naval powers in Europe, the Italian Navy has become a pivotal naval force in Europe. Today, I will introduce the surface combat ships of the first class, which represent the technical level of the world's naval ships in the early 1990s, the Italian Navy's De la Panni-class destroyers.
The Aircraft Carrier Cavour of the Italian Navy, carrying the F35B stealth fighter
De la Panni class origin
Since Italy stepped deep into the Mediterranean Sea like a boot, which was the world's largest intercontinental sea, which was geographically important between the three continents of Asia, Africa and Europe, the main task of the Italian Navy was to defend the sea lines of communication between the Allies and its own countries in the Mediterranean. In order to meet the needs of this task, it was necessary to establish two maritime ship formations with strong anti-aircraft and anti-submarine warfare capabilities, and in order to fill the gap in anti-aircraft destroyers, the Italian Navy immediately designed and built two Derapani-class destroyers.
Italian Navy De la Panni class destroyer I
De la Panni class features
The Drapani-class destroyers adhered to the design characteristics of the Wolf class and the Northwest Wind class frigates, with compact layout, high weapon density and strong firepower. In terms of shape design, the design of the dryboard floating superstructure is slightly inverted, but the superstructure as a whole is slightly messy, and great importance is also attached to the sound stealth and infrared stealth design. In terms of hull material, the drapani class superstructure is made of steel materials, only the mast and chimney use light weight alloys, and the three-compartment principle is designed, which has better survivability.
Blue sky and green water
In terms of power, the Drapani class uses a wood-fired alternate power propulsion system (CODOG), adhering to the high-speed characteristics of Italian warships. It uses two American-made LM2500 gas turbines, double-shaft and double-propeller propulsion, and the maximum speed is up to 31 knots. At medium and low speed, it relies on two GMT BL230.20 DVM diesel engines, maintaining an economic speed of 18 knots and a maximum cruising range of up to 7,000 nautical miles, which is enough to meet the mediterranean patrol combat tasks.
Veterans and Recruits - Horizon Class and De la Panni Class
| Standard displacement | 4330 tons |
| Full load displacement | 5430 tons |
| Length | 147.7 meters |
| Wide profile | 16.1 meters |
| draft | 8.6 meters |
De la Panni-class equipment
In terms of armament, the Drapani class adhered to the multi-turret doctrine of Italian battleships, the main gun was an Ottomeleira 127 mm 54 caliber naval gun, in addition to being equipped with 3 Ottomelera 76 mm rapid-fire guns, which were arranged in the stern and bow left and right hull positions. On the anti-ship side, the classic 4 or 8 Otto Melara/Matera Mk2/A anti-ship missiles (maximum range 160 km, speed Mach 0.9).
Anti-ship missile placement area
In terms of anti-aircraft weapons, the De la Panni class placed a US-made MK-13 Mod4 one-arm anti-aircraft missile launcher in the stern, which could launch the "standard" SM-1MR Block VI air defense missile in the early days, and later after modernization, it could launch the standard SM-2MR Block 3 long-range air defense missile, making it have regional air defense capabilities. Short-range air defense is an 8-piece Serena "Albatross" Mk2 launcher that can launch Viper short-range anti-aircraft missiles.
Aspid's best 40 guns were replaced by 76 guns
In terms of anti-submarine, the Delapani class is also unambiguous, equipped with two triple 324 mm B-515 torpedo launchers, which can launch MK46 MOD5 light anti-submarine torpedoes. In 2004, the Milas anti-submarine missile launcher was added, and the missile warhead was MK46 MOD5 or MU90 light torpedo. It can also carry two AB-212 light anti-submarine helicopters for long-range anti-submarine missions.
The double hangar is great
On the shipboard electronics, the Drapani class was initially equipped with an SPS-52C three-coordinate long-range air-search radar, an SPS-768 (RAN 3L) air-to-air search radar, an SPS-774 (RAN 10S) air-to-sea search radar, and an SPS-774 sea-to-sea search radar for sea exploration. Later, in the modernization of the new century, the shipboard radar was also upgraded and reloaded on a large scale. The anti-submarine aspect is a DE-1164 integrated sonar system, including the bow medium frequency active sonar and the stern VDS variable depth integrated sonar.
Draupani class service
The Dellapani-class destroyers, which are in service in total, are first-class multi-purpose destroyers with strong anti-ship/anti-submarine capabilities, which represent the advanced technology level of world naval ship equipment in the early 1990s. Both Drapani-class destroyers entered service in 1993, but by this time NATO's number one enemy, the Soviet giant, had fallen, and there was a sense of hero birth but uselessness.
Italian Navy Della Panni class destroyer II
| Ship name | Hull number | Start date | Date of launch | Date of service |
| De la Panni | D560 | In 1988 | October 1989 | March 1993 |
| Mimbailey | D561 | In 1989 | April 1991 | October 1993 |