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Oaxaca-class patrol vessel

Mexican navy patrol vessel

ARM Oaxaca
Class overview
Name	Oaxaca class
Builders	Tampico Naval Shipyard and Salina Cruz Naval Ship Yard
Operators	Mexican Navy
Preceded by	Durango class
Planned	12
Building	2
Active	8
General characteristics
Type	Patrol vessel
Displacement	1,680 short tons (1,524.1 t)
Length	282 ft 2 in (86.00 m)
Beam	34 ft 4 in (10.46 m)
Draft	11 ft 8 in (3.56 m)
Propulsion	2 × Caterpillar 3616 V16 diesel engines, 2 props
Speed	22knots (41 km/h; 25 mph)
Complement	77 Sailors, 39 Marines or Special Forces
Sensors and processing systems	1 × Terma Scanter 2001 Navigation/surface search radar Selex NA-25 radar and optronic fire control system
Armament	1 × Otobreda 76 mm gun or 1 x Bofors 57 mm gun 2 × OTO Melara remote-controlled naval turret Mod. 517 with M2 12.7mm MG 1 × OTO Melara 30 mm cannon
Armor	?
Aircraft carried	1 × Panther helicopter
Aviation facilities	1helicopter hangar and Helipad

The Oaxaca class are offshore patrol vessels, constructed and designed by and for the Mexican Navy. The class is named after the Mexican state of Oaxaca. The Mexican Navy has requested seven of these ships with four already in service, three in construction, which were disclosed on June 1^{[year missing]} on the Navy anniversary, with the name PO-163 Independencia, which is to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Independence of Mexico. Also, another ship PO-164, named Revolucion, is in the process of raising the Mexican flag in a couple of months. Two more to be constructed in Navy's Naval Shipyards.

Description[edit]

The vessels are 282 feet 2 inches (86.0 m) long and have a draft of 11 feet 8 inches (3.6 m), and a beam of 34 feet 4 inches (10.5 m). They displace 1,680 short tons (1,524.1 t).^[1]

Primary armament is a single OTO Melara 76-millimetre (3 in) naval gunorBofors 57 mm gun. They also mount a pair of OTO Melara remote controlled naval turret Mod. 517 with M2 12.7 mm (0.50 in) machine guns, one on each side. At the rear atop the helicopter hangar is a single OTO Melara 30 mm (1.2 in) cannon. The class has a helipad on the afterdeck with handling capabilities for a variety of helicopters, such as the Panther, Fennec, or the Bolkow B-105 Super-5. The Oaxaca-class vessels have a top speed of over 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) and a cruising speed of 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph). The ships carry a complement of 77, and have provisions to carry a group of 39 special forces and/or marines for a variety of missions.

The Oaxaca class also carries a CB-90 HMN Patrol Interceptor in its well deck.

For the 2008 fiscal year, the Mexican Congress approved $68 million in funds to build two more Oaxaca-class ships, and pledged an additional $40 million in 2009.

Mission[edit]

The objectives for the Oaxaca class are oceanic surveillance, search and rescue operations, support for the civilian population in case of disasters, maritime support and to act as a deterrence against hostile ships and aircraft in low-medium intensity conflicts.

Ships[edit]

References[edit]

• Wertheim, E. (2007) Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems. 15 edition. US Naval Institute Press.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oaxaca-class offshore patrol vessels.

• Secretaria de Marina, Armada de Mexico : Patrol Boats
• OTO Melara Small Calibres
• Photograph of Oaxaca class