Azteca-class patrol vessel

The Azteca-class patrol vessel are a class of patrol vessels in service with the Mexican Navy. They were designed and built by the British companies T.T. Boat Designs Ltd; Ailsa Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Scott & Sons, Bowling; Lamont & Co. Ltd. and Vera Cruz and Salina Cruz Shipyards for the Mexican Navy from 1976 to 1980. They are multi-role patrol craft with good nautical characteristics. Original units were powered by Paxman diesels of either 3,600 hp or 4,800 hp. Original units were named with pre-Hispanic tribal names.

Design and description
The Azteca-class patrol vessels displace 148 LT at full load and are 111 ft long overall and 101 ft between perpendiculars. They have a beam of 28 ft and a draught of 6 ft. The ships are propelled by two shafts driven by two Ruston Paxman Ventura diesels creating 3600 bhp. This gives the vessels a maximum speed of 24 kn and a range of 2400 nmi at 12 kn. The ships are armed with one Bofors 40 mm gun, one 20 mm Oerlikon GAM-B01 cannon and two machine guns. The Azteca class has a complement of 24.