NFR-90 (NATO Frigate Replacement for 90s) was a multi-national programme designed to produce a common frigate for several NATO nations. However, the varying requirements of the different countries led to the project being abandoned in the early 1990s.<ref>«Historia de la F-100» (Spanish)</ref><ref name=re5>«El último vástago del programa NFR-90» Revista Ejércitos Nº 5, Pág. 30-35 (Spanish)</ref>
ProjectEdit
The project sought to achieve economies of scale in the production of the next generation warship. Feasibility studies began in 1985 and reported that with a modularity in design, collaboration should be possible.<ref name=re5/>
Arguments erupted in the design definition stage over such issues as the choice of a primary anti-ship weapon. France pushed its Exocet missile while the majority of the nations preferred the Boeing AGM-84 Harpoon.<ref name=re5/> The United Kingdom in particular was uneasy about the absence of a close-in weapon system due to its experiences of being on the receiving end of Exocets during the Falklands War.<ref name=re5/>
The collapse of the project was guaranteed by the withdrawal of the two largest participants, the US and UK. The US Navy was not happy with the final single mission design - the multi-mission Template:Sclasss demonstrate what the US had in mind.<ref name=re5/> The UK considered withdrawing from the project in 1988, but committed to it to guarantee work for its shipyards and defence equipment suppliers. However, the UK finally withdrew in 1989 fearing that the requirement for a replacement for its Type 42 destroyers would not be met by the new frigate.<ref name=re5/>
SuccessorsEdit
France, Italy and the UK set up the Horizon CNGF project in 1992. This was a further attempt at collaboration that was only moderately more successful, with the UK eventually withdrawing and starting its own national project, the Type 45 destroyer.<ref name=re5/> France and Italy are continuing with the Horizon project, although far fewer ships will be built than initially intended.<ref name=re5/> Spain, Germany and the Netherlands agreed to develop a trilateral basic design, which should be built and finally developed by each nation by itself.<ref name="MS14112017">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Within the framework of this so-called Trilateral Frigate Cooperation Germany built the Template:Sclass (F124), Spain the Template:Sclass (F100) and the Netherlands the Template:Sclass.<ref name="MS14112017" />
Australia's AWD Template:Sclass would be evolved from the Spanish F100 class.<ref name=IDR-20070628-BrownNick> Template:Cite magazine </ref>
Participating nationsEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- NFR-90 NATO Frigate Replacement (Federation of American Scientists)