Lupo Class Frigate

Peru operates the Lupo class as its principal surface combatant backbone. Eight frigates of this Italian design were built under licence at SIMA shipyard in Callao during the 1970s-1980s, of which approximately 6 remain active. The class displaces 2,525 tonnes and is armed with Otomat Mk.1 anti-ship missiles, 127mm OTO Melara main gun, Albatros/Aspide SAM system, anti-submarine torpedoes, and facilitates one helicopter. Peru's SIMA construction of the Lupo class represents one of the most ambitious domestic shipbuilding programmes in South American history. Continuous modernization efforts extend operational capability though the platform age is increasingly a limiting factor.