Vigilant-Class Destroyer
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Vigilant-Class Destroyer |
| Builders: | Puget Sound Naval Shipyard |
| Operators: | Royal Apilonian Navy |
| Preceded by: | Paladin-Class Destroyer |
| Cost: | Approx. $1.2 billion |
| Built: | 2004 - Present |
| In service: | 2009 - Present |
| In commission: | 2010 - Present |
| Planned: | 48 |
| Building: | 18 |
| Completed: | 30 |
| Active: | 30 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Guided Missile Destroyer (DDG) |
| Displacement: | 10,720 Tonnes |
| Length: | 168.4m (552 feet 6 inches) |
| Beam: | 21.7m (71 feet 2 inches) |
| Draft: | 7.9 m ( 25 feet 11 inches) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | +32 kn |
| Range: | 8,000 Nautical Miles |
| Complement: | Ship's Company: 225 |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
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| Armament: |
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| Aircraft carried: | 2 x Westland AW159 Wildcat or 1 x AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin |
The Vigilant-Class destroyer, also known as the Type-45 Destroyer, is a class of forty-eight guided missile destroyers build for the Royal Apilonian Navy. Designed for anti-aircraft and anti-missile warfare, the Vigilant-Class is touted as one of the world's most advanced and capable air defence ships, combining the Sea Viper missile with the powerful SAMPSON active electronically scanned array (AESA) and S1850M long range air search radars. The Vigilant-Class has been designed and build by the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, where all eight construction slips have been dedicated to its construction, and are intended to replace the aging Paladin-Class (Type-43) destroyers that have served as the backbone of the Navy's escort force for decades, with all but sixteen examples now out of service and eight more due to follow by the end of 2021 as Batch V construction completes outfitting and sea trials. Given that the Vigilant-Class is designed, during an intensive attack, to track, engage and destroy more targets than five Type-43 destroyers operating together, and that the Admiralty has secure a like-for-like replacement, the entry into service of the class represents a substantial upgrade to the Royal Apilonian Navy's air defence capability.
The Vigilant-Class has suffered from some issues operating in warmer climates, however this flaw was identified and resolved quickly, given standing commitments in both the Pacific and the Persian Gulf, with new construction recieving the resolution as standard.