Ranking criteria
- Firepower
- Year of commissioning
- Role (e.g guided missile, multipurpose e.t.c)
Most powerful warships in Africa
If you are wondering about the military strength of African countries, here is an article to help you decide. Military Africa has compiled a comprehensive list of the TOP 10 MOST POWERFUL WARSHIPS IN AFRICA. The criteria and parameters used by us to rank these vessels include:
Note, this list doesn’t include Aircraft carriers, Helicopter carriers, Submarine, Landing ships, Auxiliary ships or just plain big ships. Unless those ships carries enough firepower to meet the standard of a war-fighting vessel.
The contenders
No 1) The FREMM Multipurpose Frigate.
This is a class of Multipurpose frigates built by DCNS/Armaris.
 |
| Egyptian FREMM frigate |
|
Type
|
Frigate
|
|
African Users
|
Egyptian Navy (Tahya Misr)
Royal Morroccan Navy (Mohammed VI)
|
|
Displacement
|
6700 tonnes
|
|
Speed
|
27-29 knots
|
|
Range
|
6000-6700 NM
|
|
Weapons Carried
|
|
|
Main Gun
|
OTO Melera 76mm SR gun
|
|
Land-attack missiles
|
16-cell SYLVER A70 VLS for launching SCALP Naval land-attack cruise missile.
|
|
Anti-Air
|
16 cells SYLVER A43 or A50 for Aster 15
|
|
Anti-Ship
|
MM-40 Exocet block 3 missiles
|
|
Anti-submarine
|
2 X 2 WASS B-515/3 launchers for MU 90 torpedoes.
|
NO 2) MEKO 200
This is a frigate designed by Blohm and Voss shipyard of Germany, its a part of the MEKO class family of ships. This is a new class of stealth (Low observable) ships.
 |
| MEKO 200 |
|
Type
|
Frigate
|
|
African Users
|
Algerian National Navy
South African Navy
|
|
Displacement
|
3,400 tons
|
|
Speed
|
32 knots
|
|
Range
|
6,000 NM
|
|
Weapons Carried
|
|
|
Main Gun
|
127 mm MK-45 Mod 2 Naval Artillery Gun
|
|
Anti-Air
|
32 Umkhonto SAM
|
|
Anti-Ship
|
16x RBS-15 SSMs for Algeria’s A200 Meko 8x Exocet SSM for South African Navy A200 Valour |
|
Anti-submarine
|
2X triple 324 mm MK-32 Mod 5 tubes
|
NO 3) Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate
 |
| Oliver Perry class Frigate |
This is a class of guided missile frigates named after the American Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry and built by Bath Iron Works. They were formerly the workhorse of the United States Navy.
|
Type
|
Guided missile frigate
|
|
African Users
|
Egyptian Navy (4 units)
|
|
Displacement
|
4,100 tons
|
|
Speed
|
29 knots
|
|
Range
|
4,500 NM
|
|
Weapons Carried
|
|
|
Main Gun
|
OTO Melera 76mm gun
|
|
Anti-Air
|
MK 13 launching SM-1MR Missiles
|
|
Anti-Ship
|
Harpoon anti-ship missile
|
|
Anti-submarine
|
Mark 46/Mark 50 torpedoes
|
No 4) Knox Class Frigate
| Knox Class Frigate |
This warship was originally built by Todd Shipyard, Settle and San Pedro for the U.S Navy. It initial role is an ocean Destroyer Escort for protecting merchant’s vessels and screening large battle groups from enemy attacks.
|
Type
|
Guided missile frigate
|
|
African Users
|
Egyptian Navy
|
|
Displacement
|
4,260 tons
|
|
Speed
|
27 knots
|
|
Range
|
4000 NM
|
|
Weapons Carried
|
|
|
Main Gun
|
MK-42 5-inch gun |
|
Anti-Air
|
RIM-7 Sea Sparrow
|
|
Anti-Ship
|
Harpoon Missile
|
|
Anti-submarine
|
Mark 46 torpedoes
|
No 5) MEKO 360 class frigate
A single vessel of the MEKO 360H1 variant was produced for the Nigerian Navy known as the Aradu, it is one of the largest vessels of that navy. Although this particular class of ship is designated a frigate by the manufacturers, Jane’s Fighting Ships and the Argentinian Navy classifies it as a destroyer. However, this ship is inoperable and has been left in bad condition for years now.
 |
| A MEKO 360 class frigate |
|
Type
|
Multi-role Frigate |
|
African Users
|
Nigerian Navy
|
|
Displacement
|
3,360 tons
|
|
Speed
|
30.5 knots
|
|
Range
|
6,500 NM
|
|
Weapons Carried
|
|
|
Main Gun
|
OTO Melara Otobreda 127/54 Compact, 8 x Bofors 40 mm gun |
|
Anti-Air
|
24 x Aspide SAM in octuple launcher |
|
Anti-Ship
|
8 x Otomat Mk 1 SSM |
|
Anti-submarine
|
6 x torpedo tubes, 1 depth charge rack |
No 6) C28A Class Corvette
This is a new breed of stealth corvette built by CSSC in Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in China. With a displacement of about 3000 tons when fully ladened, this can be classified as HEAVY CORVETTES or unofficially as a LIGHT FRIGATES.
|
Type
|
Heavy Corvette |
|
African Users
|
Algerian Navy
|
|
Displacement
|
2880-3000 tons
|
|
Speed
|
30 knots
|
|
Range
|
3000-3550 NM
|
|
Weapons Carried
|
|
|
Main Gun
|
NG-16-1 (76 mm) gun |
|
Anti-Air
|
HQ-7 Short-range SAM |
|
Anti-Ship
|
2 X 4 C-802 Missile |
|
Anti-submarine
|
2 X 3 324mm Torpedo |
No 7)Gowind-class corvette
The Gowind design is a family of steel monohull corvettes developed since 2006 by DCNS to conduct missions in a littoral zone such as anti-submarine warfare (ASW). The Gowind family includes vessels with lengths from 85m to 102m and displacement from 1,000t to 2,500t.
The Gowind design can deploy Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) and Underwater Unmanned Vehicles (UUVs). An aft deck has been provided allowing for a 10-ton class helicopter or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) operations.
The Egptian Navy has production right for this class of vessel and will begin serial production soon.
| GOWIND Class corvette |
|
Type
|
Corvette |
|
African Users
|
Egyptian Navy |
|
Displacement
|
2,500 tons
|
|
Speed
|
25 knots
|
|
Range
|
3,700 NM
|
|
Weapons Carried
|
|
|
Main Gun
|
1 × OTO Melara 76 mm main gun
|
|
Anti-Air
|
|
|
Anti-Ship
|
8 × Exocet anti-ship missile |
|
Anti-submarine
|
2 × triple torpedo launcher |
No 8) Sigma-class corvette
The Sigma-class corvette is a Dutch-built family of modular naval vessels of corvette to frigate size with a blue water capability.
| Sigma-class corvette |
|
Type
|
Corvette |
|
African Users
|
Royal Morrocan Navy
|
|
Displacement
|
1,692 tons
|
|
Speed
|
28-32 knots
|
|
Range
|
3600 NM
|
|
Weapons Carried
|
|
|
Main Gun
|
1 x Oto Melara 76 mm gun |
|
Anti-Air
|
2 x quad MBDA Mistral TETRAL, forward & aft |
|
Anti-Ship
|
4 x MBDA Exocet MM40 Block II |
|
Anti-submarine
|
2 x triple B515 launchers for EuroTorp 3A 244S Mode II/MU 90 |
No 9) P18N (Type 056) Corvette
The P18N is an export version of the original Type 056 corvette of the PLAN navy. It entered service in 2013. The Nigerian version has an enlarged hull for more classified equipment. Not much is known about the P18N due to the secretive nature of the Nigerian Government. All details listed here is based on the data provided for the original version (Type 056).
 |
| P18N (TYPE 0560 CORVETTE) |
|
Type
|
Corvette |
|
African Users
|
Nigerian Navy |
|
Displacement
|
1,800 tons
|
|
Speed
|
25 knots
|
|
Range
|
3,500 NM
|
|
Weapons Carried
|
|
|
Main Gun
|
AK176 76mm gun
|
|
Anti-Air
|
1 X 8 FL-3000N SAM |
|
Anti-Ship
|
2 X 2-cell YJ-83 anti-ship missile |
|
Anti-submarine
|
2X triple 324 mm torpedoes
|
No 10) Descubierta-class corvette
The Descubierta-class corvettes were a series of corvettes built for the Spanish Navy in the late 1970s and early 1980s. These ships were also sold to the Egyptian Navy and the Moroccan Navy. The ships were designed in cooperation with the German company Blohm & Voss, based on the João Coutinho-class corvettes which were designed in the late 1960s for the Portuguese Navy, by the Portuguese naval engineer Rogério de Oliveira.
| Descubierta-class corvettes |
|
Type
|
Corvette |
|
African Users
|
Egyptian Navy Royal Moroccan Navy |
|
Displacement
|
1,233-1,482 tons
|
|
Speed
|
25 knots
|
|
Range
|
4,000 NM
|
|
Weapons Carried
|
|
|
Main Gun
|
76mm gun
2 – 40 mm guns (2 × 1) |
|
Anti-Air
|
1 – octuple Sea Sparrow SAM
1 – two barreled Bofors |
|
Anti-Ship
|
8 – Harpoon anti-ship missile |
|
Anti-submarine
|
6 X 12.75in Torpedoes, about 8X anti-submarine mortars |