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 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
The vessels are long and have a
draft of , and a
beam of . They
displace .
[
]
Primary armament is a single
OTO Melara naval gun or
Bofors 57 mm gun. They also mount a pair of
OTO Melara
OTO Melara was a subsidiary of the Italian company Finmeccanica, today Leonardo, active in the defence sector, with factories in Brescia and La Spezia. The Mod 56 pack howitzer, in service throughout the world, and the 76mm naval gun, ado ...
remote controlled naval turret Mod. 517 with
M2 machine guns
A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...
, one on each side. At the rear atop the helicopter hangar is a single OTO Melara 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 and a cruising speed of . 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
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
References
* 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
Secretaria de Marina, Armada de Mexico : Patrol Boats
OTO Melara Small Calibres
Photograph of Oaxaca class
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oaxaca Class Patrol Vessel
Patrol vessels of the Mexican Navy
Patrol ship classes