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|
 ARARobinson | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders | AFNE "Río Santiago" |
| Operators |  Argentine Navy |
| Subclasses | Espora class |
| In commission | 1985–present |
| Completed | 6 |
| Active | 6 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Frigate/corvette |
| Displacement | 1,790 tons |
| Length | 91.2 m (299 ft 3 in) |
| Beam | 11.1 m (36 ft 5 in) |
| Draught | 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 27knots (50 km/h; 31 mph) |
| Range | 4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) |
| Complement | 100 |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 1helicopter |
TheMEKO 140 is afrigate/corvette design by the GermanBlohm + Voss shipyard as part of theMEKO family of vessels. The MEKO 140 is a development of thePortuguese Navy'sJoão Coutinho-class corvettes designed by the Portuguese naval engineer Rogério de Oliveira in the late 1960s – three ships of which were built Blohm + Voss in 1970, as an outsourcing.
MEKO is a concept in modern naval shipbuilding based on modularity of armament, electronics, and other equipment, aiming at ease of maintenance and cost reduction. Vessels of similar classes can use different weapons systems, as required by the customer. The MEKO 140 was designed in the late 1970s, and was chosen by the Argentine Navy to complement theMEKO 360 destroyers.
Six vessels of the MEKO 140 A16 variant were constructed inArgentina by the Río Santiago Shipyards (AFNE) nearLa Plata for theArgentine Navy. They are locally named as theEspora class and currently serve in the High Seas Fleet ("Flota de Mar").
Although considered by its designers to be frigates, theEspora-class vessels have been classed in Argentina as corvettes.
