Installed armament allows the warship to tackle most any at-sea threat. The suite is led by the 127mm /54 caliber OTO-Melara Dual-Purpose (DP) turreted deck gun for ranged projectile fire. Close-in defense is handled by 2 x 30mm Thales Naval Nederland "Goalkeeper" Gatling-type Close-In Weapon Systems (CIWSs) (one positioned forward of the main mast and the other over the helicopter hangar facing aft) and extreme-close-in work is through 2 to 4 x 12.7mm Browning M2 heavy machine guns and up to 6 x 7.62mm FN MAG General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMGs). To round out the projectile/ballistics-based weaponry are 2 x Twin-tubed Mk.32 Mod 9 torpedo launchers supporting the Raytheon Mk.46 Mod 5 torpedo family.
At the heart of this guided-missile cruiser is its missile weapon support. This involves a single 40-cell Mk.41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) supporting the Raytheon "Evolved Sea Sparrow" medium-ranged Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) and the Raytheon "Standard Missile" SM-2 IIIA medium-to-long-ranged SAM. Beyond this are 8 x Harpoon Anti-Ship Missiles (ASMs).
The ship sports built-in stealth features that go beyond its slab-sided construction: there are measures in place to reduce the hull's magnetic signature as well as the ship's running acoustic signature to prying ears. Special design qualities are intended to channel blasts from direct hits in specific ways to mitigate damage on the whole. Two primary citadels are offered, as is a sub-citadel area, featuring maximum protection for the important operational component of the ship. Critical systems have inherent redundancy and insulation is used throughout areas consistently generating dangerous noise levels. Survivability is key and both construction, weapons, and Electronic Warfare (EW) all play their role for the ship.
For her time at sea, De Ruyter has been deployed both locally and abroad and has taken part in several NATO-led ventures, primarily around Mediterranean waters. In 2006, she was deployed near Bahrain during Operation Enduring Freedom and, in 2007, she was host to the first-ever RNN frigate female commander (Jeanette Morang).
Like other Western navy ship types, De Ruyter was called to Somali waters to engage in anti-piracy actions in the region during 2013. The NATO exercise Steadfast Jazz 2013 followed in the Baltic Sea. In 2018, she took part in Trident Juncture, another NATO naval commitment, in Norwegian waters.
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