The ship in question is the same frigate type as used by the Royal Navy.
The ship in question is the same frigate type as used by the Royal Navy.
Actually the French/Italian navies use a different multi-function radar on these ships compared to the Royal Navy.
All the better for launching their cheeses of mass destruction!
"The French Navy is theoretically a two-carrier navy, mainly to ensure that at least one ship is operational at all times even if the other is under repair. This scheme requires another aircraft carrier to be built though, as the Charles de Gaulle is the only aircraft carrier currently serving."
French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle (R91)
Mon Dieu!
The US Navy is blue water and the undisputred ruler of the waves world wide.
The UK still is, but vastly reduced. Outside of their new Type 45 Daring class DDGs, and the LHD Ocean and the downgraded carrier Illustrious (which is no longer a carreri but now too a LHD), and their handful of nuclear subs, they have very little. The need to build more Darings and get right on their future Frigate class. They are building the two large carriers...but will have no aircraft for them until almost 2020. Sad state of affairs...a shadow of their former selves. if they can get a conservative government they can get back relatively quickly.
The French, who also have the same type of DDGS (which they call FFGs), the Horizons which are like the Darings of the UK and very excellent AAW vessels, the French Carrier, their three new Mistral class LHDs and their nuclear subs, they are a little larger than the UK.
But that is not all of the blue water fleets. The Russians still have blue water capabilities with their Kuznetsov carrier group, Udaloy and Sov DDGS, their FFGS, and their three large nuclear battlecruisers, along with their nuclear subs.
The Chinese have now developed blue water capabilities and are rapidly growing
The Rissing Sea Dragon in Asia
http://www.jeffhead.com/redseadragon.
They have numerous modern DDGs (about 20), FFGs (about 30), three new LPDs, a new carrier of their own (with two more building), and new nuclear attack and ballistic missile subs which they are now deploying outside of the two island chains. In fact they have made nine deployments to the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean in the last two years.
The Japanese are no slouches with over fifyy modern DDGs and FFGs, and three LHDs and two (soon to be four) light Carriers. Also some very good diesel-electric subs. The surface fleet is regularly out in the blue water on manuevers with the US.
Korea is similar but in lesser numbers. They have two new LHAs, three of the most powerful AEGIS vessels in the world, and numerous other modern DDGS and they regularly are on manuevers with the US in blue waters.
India has one carrier and adding two more as we speak. Just acquired their first nuclear attack sub and has several dozen modern DDGs and FFGs and are very blue water capable.
All of these navies have mastered UNREP cappability and use them regularly. For example, the PLAN (Red China) has five very decent large AOR vessels, and numerous smaller tankers and provision ships that are UNREP capable.
Spain and Italy each have two carriers and the necessary DDGs and FFGs to escort them. They are blue water capable. Italy rarely ventures outside the Med, but Spain has Altantic islands and holdings and is regularly in the Atlantic. Both regularly do manuevers with the US.
Watch Australia in the near future. They are building several AEGIS DDGs and two large Canbera Class LHAs which can sub as sea control vessels with the F-35B they plan to buy.
Brazil is also developing te cvapability with their new FFGs and their steam cat (CATOBAR) carrier, the former French FOCH, which they have called the Sao Paulo.
See the following sites:
World-wide Aricraft Carriers
http://www.jeffhead,com/worldwideaircraftcarriers
AEGIS Vessels of the World
http://www.jeffhead.com/aegisvesselsofthworld
All in all I would say that, including Australa soon, there are 11 blue water fleets out there.
No, HMS Argyll is a Type 23 Frigate. It is most definitely not a Horizon Class Frigate, which is a Franco-Italian project.