Ansa-class frigate
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The Ansa-class frigates (Menghean: 安沙級外層護衛艦 / 안사급 위충 호위함, Ansa-gŭb wichung howiham) are a class of frigate designed and built in Menghe during the 1990s. Ten ships were produced in total, though the last four are sometimes considered a separate Hawŏn class due to modifications made during construction. They were the first postwar Menghean surface combatants to be built as general-purpose escort ships, with balanced anti-air, anti-ship, and anti-submarine capabilities.
Development
The Ansa-class frigates were conceived of as general-purpose, well-rounded escort ships, which would sit on the outer edge of a high-value formation or convoy to protect it from air and submarine attack. During the design process they were known as Plan 308. In particular, they were intended as escorts for the newly-built aircraft carrier Haebang, which entered service in 1990, and as general-purpose escorts for formations of landing ships.
The Yobu-class destroyer Maepo, completed to a modified design after the Decembrist Revolution, served as a conceptual testbed for a number of solutions implemented on the Ansa class. In particular, Maepo's surface-to-air missile armament consisting of two single-arm YDG-37 launchers was carried forward into the Ansa class.
Initially, Menghean designers hoped to use a combined diesel or gas powerplant, to balance sprint speed and cruising efficiency. Dayashina, however, blocked sales of the LM2500 turbine via Tír Glas and Hallia, still concerned that Menghe's new regime could turn hostile to Dayashinese interests. A domestic all-diesel powerplant was considered next, but preliminary studies found that it offered inadequate speed at full power. Eventually, Menghe purchased M7 combined gas turbine units from Letnia, each one consisting of two 6,000 hp M60 turbines for cruising and two 18,000hp M3 turbines for sprint operations in a COGAG arrangement.