In modern military terminology, a corvette is a mid-size warship (80-130m and up to 2,000t nowadays), designed more for the protection of a naval force or a convoy of merchant ships or surveillance of an area (military or economic), than for the assault. It generally receives coastal maritime safeguard or lighting missions. During the two world wars of the 20th century, these ships, which were cheaper and easier to build than destroyers, were widely used for convoy escort, anti-submarine warfare and other missions.
Better armed than a patrol boat, but weaker than a frigate, the corvette constitutes the backbone of the navies of countries that have few maritime coasts and exclusive maritime zones of small areas to control. Corvettes are the most important ships of navies such as Saudi Arabia, Israel, Denmark, Singapore, Iran, Iraq, Mexico, Cambodia, Thailand etc.). The corvette is not intended as an ocean combat vessel.
With a low range compared to its frigate and destroyer cousins, it can to be a very tough opponent. Indeed, on the one hand, the corvette is lightly armored, but generally very well armed (76 mm artillery, light missile launchers and torpedoes, etc.); on the other hand, being still small in size, the corvette is very manoeuvrable, just like a frigate. Like the latter, it can also carry a helicopter on its platform. Some large models, of higher tonnage, have a hangar to accommodate a medium-sized helicopter.
Current trends are in the direction of the stealth of this type of building, in order to minimize the radar signature, the reinforcement of the anti-aircraft defense and the means of detection in the three dimensions, as well as the increase in the power of the propulsion. , to increase its autonomy and speed.