ARM Baja California

ARM Baja California
History
Mexico
NameBaja California
NamesakeBaja California
BuilderTampico Naval Shipyard and Salina Cruz Naval Ship Yard
Commissioned1 April 2003
Statusin active service
General characteristics
Class & typeOaxaca-class patrol vessel
Displacement1,850 short tons (1,678 t)
Length282 ft 2 in (86.00 m)
Beam34 ft 4 in (10.46 m)
Draft11 ft 8 in (3.56 m)
Propulsion2 × Caterpillar 3916 V16 Diesels, 2 props
Speed20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Troops39 marines or special forces commandos
Complement77 sailors
Sensors &
processing systems
  • 2 × Terma Scanter 2001 Navigation/surface search radars
  • Selex NA-25 radar and optronic fire control system
Armament
Aircraft carried1 × Panther or Fennec helicopter
Aviation facilities1 helicopter hangar and helipad

ARM Baja California (PO-162) is a Oaxaca-class patrol vessel, constructed by and for the Mexican Navy.

Design and description

It has a length of 282.2 feet (86.0 m), a draft of 11.8 feet (3.6 m), a beam of 34.4 feet (10.5 m), and displaces 1,850 short tons (1,678.3 t).[1]

Primary armament is a single OTO Melara 76 mm naval gun, with a pair of OTO Melara 12.7 mm remote controlled naval turret Mod. 517 with M2 12.7mm machine guns on each side, and an Oto Melara single 30/SAFS 30 mm cannon aft.

A helipad on the afterdeck has handling capabilities for a variety of helicopters, such as the Panther, Fennec, or the Bolkow Bo 105 Super-5.

The ship has a cruising speed of 20 knots (37 km/h), carries a complement of 77, and has provisions to carry a group of 39 special forces and/or marines for a variety of missions.

References

  1. ^ "Botadura de un nuevo buque para la armada de México". Boletines (in Spanish). Secretaria de Marina, Armada de México. April 11, 2003. Archived from the original on 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2007-11-17.