StanFlex (also STANFLEX or Standard Flex ) is a system of modules depending on the combat mission of the payload of the ship used in the Danish Navy .
The system was conceived in the 1980s as a way to replace several types of specialized ships with one multi-purpose, operatively reconfigurable ship. The first ships of this system were the Fluvefisken patrol boats . The system includes weapons and equipment placed in standardized containers and loaded into special underdeck seats, called slots . Containers of various types can be quickly replaced, changing the range of tasks performed by the ship.
All modern ships of the Danish Navy are built in accordance with this concept. Planned modernization of old ships with equipment on them slots Stanflex. In 2012, 9 ships of the Stanflex system appeared in the Danish Navy.
Content
Development
In the early 1980s, the Danish Navy faced the need to replace the three obsolete types of warships, but they could not afford to build 22 new ships on the basis of one new ship to replace the old one. Instead, the idea arose to develop one type of ship, easily modified for the necessary range of tasks. Equipment common to all types of missions was installed on the ship in the traditional way, while specific equipment was produced in the form of interchangeable modules, which were located in standardized slots equipped on the ship. This modular system became known as "Standard Flex" or abbreviated as "StanFlex" [1] .
The feasibility studies during 1983–1984 led to the development of the Flex 300 spacecraft (later called the Flywifeken). 16 ships of this type could replace 22 destined ships. It was a 54-meter patrol boat with a displacement of 320 tons, equipped with one Flex slot at the bow (slot A) and three slots at the stern [1] . The modules themselves were developed by the Naval Materiel Command (Naval Materiel Command) by Promecon A / S [2] . Construction began in July 1985, 14 ships (the construction of two more was canceled in 1993) went into service by mid-1996 [1] .
As the withdrawal of other types of ships from the fleet, the ships that came to replace them were developed in accordance with the StanFlex concept [1] .
Design and Use of Modules
Stanflex modules were developed by Monberg & Thorsen . Each module is housed in a stainless steel container with a length of 3 m, a width of 3.5 m, and a height of 2.5 m. Precisely made flanges provide, when the module is loaded into the slot, its connection to the power supply, ventilation, water supply and the ship's computer network. Arms or equipment are mounted on the roof of the module, while mechanisms, electronics, auxiliary equipment are located inside [3] .
Modules are installed by a 15-ton automotive crane. It takes about half an hour to replace the module, and after testing the system, the ship is ready to perform a combat task within a few hours. Crew retraining takes much longer [3] . In the information command center, standard consoles are installed, the functionality of which is determined by the installed software that can be quickly reinstalled [3] [4] The ease of installation and use of Stanflex modules is compared with another well-known Danish product designer Lego [3] .
Advantages and disadvantages
- Unused modules are stored under controlled conditions, reducing the need for maintenance [1] ;
- Ships do not lose their combat capability when equipment maintenance is necessary. It is enough to replace the module to be serviced [1] ;
- New weapons or equipment can be installed on the ship as a module without the need to reconstruct the ship itself [1] .
- After the cancellation of the ship, the modules removed from it can be installed on other ships. This reduces the cost of new ships [2] .
- Multi-purpose ships are somewhat less efficient than specialized ones, although the ability to quickly reconfigure the ship outweighs this drawback [3] .
Module Nomenclature
As of 2001, the nomenclature of the StanFlex modules in service with the Danish Navy consisted of the following types [3] :
| Type of | Equipment | amount |
|---|---|---|
| CRP | 2 × 2 launchers for spear missiles | ten |
| Air defense module | UVP Mk 48 Mod 3 (6 containers) RIM-7 Sea Sparrow | 20 |
| Artillery installation | 1 76_mm / 62_Super_Rapid | nineteen |
| PLO module | Torpedo torpedo tubes MU-90 | four |
| Towed GUS | Thales Underwater Systems TSM 2640 Salmon variable-depth active / passive sonar | four |
| Minesweeper module | Command and control equipment to operate MSF and MRD class drone minehunters and Double Eagle ROVs | five |
| Hoisting crane | Hydraulic crane for lifting / lowering RHIB or deployment of sea mines | 22 |
| Oceanographic module | 2 | |
| Environmental protection module | 3 | |
| Inspection module | one | |
| Storage module | 14 | |
| Electronic intelligence module | one |
In total, in 2006 there were 101 modules of 11 different types [2] .
Ship installations
It is planned that by 2012 there will be nine types of StanFlex ships in the Danish Navy [2] :
| Type of | Number of slots | Apply reading | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nose | Weapon Naya deck | Stern | ||
| Patrol boats type "Fluvefisken" | one | 3 | [one] | |
| Patrol boats such as "Diana" | one | [five] | ||
| Management ships and support type "Absalon" | five | [2] | ||
| Niels Yuel Style Corvettes | 2 | [2] [6] | ||
| MSF type minesweepers | one | [3] | ||
| Minesweeper Type MRD | 2 | [3] | ||
| Iver Huitfeldt type frigates | 6 | [7] | ||
| Tethys type frigates | 3 | |||
| Knud Rasmussen-type patrol boats | 2 | |||
Notes
- 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Scott Versatility the key to Denmark's evolving navy.
- 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lok, New Danish combat support ships offer greater flexibility for NATO operations
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Scott Flexing a snap-to-fit fleet.
- ↑ Naval Studies Navy and Marine Corps, 2000-2035 , p. thirty
- ↑ Fish, Denmark commissions environmentally friendly Diana-class craft
- ↑ Werthein (ed.). The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World , p. 154
- ↑ Werthein (ed.). The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World , p. 153
Links
- Books
- Fleet of the World: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems / Wertheim, Eric. - 15th. - Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2007. - ISBN 9781591149552 .
- Journal articles
- Fish, Tim. Denmark commissions environmentally friendly Diana-class craft (Eng.) // Jane's Navy International: journal. - Jane's Information Group, 2009. - 21 December.
- Lok, Joris Janssen. New Danish combat support ships offer greater flexibility for NATO operations (Eng.) // International Defense Review: journal. - Jane's Information Group, 2006. - 24 April.
- Scott, Richard. Versatility the key to Denmark's evolving navy (Neopr.) // Jane's Navy International. - Jane's Information Group, 1999. - October 1 ( t. 104 , № 8 ).
- Scott, Richard. Flexing a snap-to-fit fleet (Eng.) // Jane's Defense Weekly : magazine. - Jane's Information Group, 2001. - October 31.