Katanpää Class Mine Countermeasure Vessel - Technical Details

Technical Details

The Katanpää-class mine countermeasure vessels are constructed of laminated composite materials. They are 52.45 metres (172.1 ft) long and have a beam of 9.47 metres (31.1 ft) and a draft of 3.15 metres (10.3 ft). The hull, decks and bulkheads are made of fiberglass, which in places are up to 150 millimetres (5.9 in) thick. The decks are additionally reinforced with balsa and carbon fiber. This improves shock resistance against underwater explosions and reduces the vessels' magnetic, noise and pressure signatures that could detonate the mines. The low-signature diesel-electric propulsion system consists of two MTU 8V-396-TE74 high-speed diesel engines, each producing 1,000 kW (1,300 hp), and two Voith Schneider propellers. The Katanpää-class vessels are designed to operate in archipelagoes, coastal regions and open seas. They will have a service speed of 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) and a maximum range of 1,500 nautical miles (2,800 km; 1,700 mi).

The Katanpää-class vessels will be equipped with an extensive array of equipment to search for, locate and destroy naval mines, ranging from two autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) and two remotely operated vehicles (ROV) to hull-mounted sensors. The larger AUV, HUGIN (High Precision Untethered Geosurvey and Inspection system), which is manufactured by Kongsberg, is over four meters long and weighs over 800 kg (1,800 lb). It is equipped with a multibeam echosounder (MBES), a smaller version of the one mounted on the hull of the vessel. This instrument is used to collect topographic information of the seabed and a synthetic aperture side-scanning sonar can be used to detect and classify targets. The smaller AUV, REMUS 100 (Remote Environmental Monitoring Unit), weighs only 41 kg (90 lb) and can be used to collect information of the sea floor with its side-scanning sonar at depths of up to 100 metres. Two ROVs, a Double Eagle by Saab Underwater Systems of Sweden and SeaFox I by Atlas Elektronik of Germany, can be used to identify and destroy naval mines. The hull-mounted sensors include a Kongsberg EM-710 RD multibeam echosounder and a TOPAS (Topographic Parametric Sonar) sediment echosounder with jets that can penetrate the uppermost strata of the seabed. In addition the vessels will be equipped with American-made Klein Associates Klein 5500 towed side-scanning sonars. Underwater positioning is provided with Kongsberg HiPAP 500 (High Precision Acoustic Positioning) system. The vessels follow a toolbox principle in which a suitable combination of sensors and equipment is selected individually for each mission according to the task and environmental conditions.

Each vessel of the Katanpää class is equipped with a Bofors 40 mm L/70 gun for self-defence. The fire control is provided by Atlas Elektronik and the integrated system utilizes EOTS TV/IR multisensors. The system can be controlled from either one of five consoles in the combat information center or from the bridge, although only one console is equipped with the pedals required to control the gun. In addition the vessels are armed with depth charges.