Naval Group laid the keel for the French Navy's first FDI frigate on 16 December. (Naval Group)
Naval Group laid the keel for the French Navy's first new Frégate de défense et d'intervention (FDI) defence and intervention frigate, Amiral Ronarc'h , at its yard in Lorient on 16 December.
Amiral Ronarc'h is one of five FDI frigates being built by Naval Group under a contract awarded by the French defence procurement agency (DGA) in April 2017. The ships are intended to replace the French Navy's La Fayette-class frigates, and will provide the service with a compact intermediate-sized multimission frigate to augment its two Horizon anti-air warfare frigates and the eight Aquitaine-class Frégate Européenne Multi-Mission ships.
Amiral Ronarc'h started construction in 2019 and is planned to be delivered in 2024. All five are planned to be delivered by 2030.
The FDI frigate has a standard displacement of 4,500 tonnes, an overall length of 122 m, and can carry a crew complement of 125 in addition to 28 embarked forces. It can attain a top speed of 27 kt and a range of 5,000 n miles at 13 kt, with an endurance of 45 days. It is equipped with a hangar and flight deck for a helicopter up to an NH90 Caiman size and an unmanned rotary vehicle.
Key features include an ‘inverted' bow to improve seakeeping, a reduced acoustic signature for anti-submarine warfare operations, and an integrated mast, called the Panoramic Sensors and Intelligence Module, which was powered up for the first time during the keel laying ceremony.
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