Biggest U.S Corvette

The U.S. Navy does not operate a corvette class, but the biggest U.S. corvette is the Badr class, which was built in the country for the Royal Saudi Navy in the 1970s and 80s.

The closest equivalents to a corvette in the U.S. Navy are the Cyclone-Class Patrol Coastal Ships and the Littoral Combat Ship Classes, however, they do not fit the definition and role of a corvette.

Modern naval corvettes usually displace 500 to 2000 tonnes and are equipped with missiles, torpedoes, machine guns, and other advanced systems for coastal patrols, anti-submarine warfare, and anti-aircraft warfare. They are small and fast and can also aid large fleets when required.

Coming to the Badr-class Corvette, it can be seen as an example of what a U.S. Navy corvette could be.

The Badr-class displaces just over 1000 tonnes and is well-armed. It was built by Tacoma Boatbuilding in Washington state and consists of 4 ships: Badr, Al Yarmook, Hitteen, and Tabuk.

These ships were delivered to expand the Saudi Navy and its capacity, as it previously had only a small coastal patrol fleet.

Badr-class displaces 1038 tonnes, is 75 m long, 9.6 m wide and has a draft of 2.67 m. These ships can attain a speed of 30 knots and have a 75-member crew with a 4000 nm range.

It has a General Electric gas turbine, 2 MTU 12v625 TB91 diesels, and sensors including SPS-40B air search radar, SPS-55 surface search radar, Mk 92 fire control radar, SQS-56 hull-mounted sonar and AN/SLQ-32(V)1 ESM.

They also have a landing deck for light helicopters.

Their armament includes 8 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, a 76-mm gun, 6 torpedo tubes, and a Phalanx CIWS.

A few experts suggest that the U.S. Navy could benefit from acquiring a corvette class similar to the Badr-class to fill the gap between patrol vessels and larger combatants, but as of now, there is no such class in service.

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