RFA Argus - A135 - IMO 7822550

 

Name	RFA Argus
Acquired	18 March 1988
Commissioned	1 June 1988
Renamed	25 March 1987
Homeport	HMNB Devonport[1] (forward deployed as part of Littoral Response Group (South))[2]
Identification	Pennant number : A135 Call Sign : GDSA IMO number: 7822550 MMSI number: 233303000 Deck code: AS
Motto	Occuli Omnium (Eyes of All)
Honours and awards	Falkland Islands 1982 (as the MV Contender Bezant), Gulf War 1991, Bosnia War 1992, Kosovo War 1998, Ebola Crisis 2015
Status	In active service
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General characteristics
Type	Littoral strike ship; secondary functions: Role 3 casualty treatment/aviation training and support vessel
Displacement	28,081 tonnes
Length	175.1 m (574 ft 6 in)
Beam	30.4 m (99 ft 9 in)
Draught	8.1 m (26 ft 7 in)
Propulsion	2 × Lindholmen Pielstick 18 PC2.5V diesels, twin propellers; bow-thruster
Speed	18 knots (33 km/h)
Range	20,000 nautical miles at 10 knots
Complement	80 RFA 50 RN (Part of the Maritime Aviation Support Force) 137 RN air squadron personnel (When embarked) 200 Nursing and Medical Staff (When the Hospital is activated)
Sensors and processing systems	RT994 Surveillance Radar Kelvin Hughes Ltd SharpEye navigation radar[4]
Armament	1 x Phalanx CIWS[5] 2 × Oerlikon 20 mm/85 KAA on GAM-BO1 mountings[6] 4 × 7.62mm GPMGs Mk44 Miniguns (retired as of 2023; may be replaced by Browning .50 caliber heavy machine guns)[7] Seagnat chaff launchers
Aircraft carried	Three landing spots; capacity of up to nine Westland Merlin helicopters or equivalent mix of CH47 Chinooks, WAH-64 Apaches and/or AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcats[3]
Aviation facilities	1 Aircraft lift from Flight Deck to 4-Deck number 2 hangar, 4x hangars