French Navy Launches First Defense and Intervention Frigate (FDI) from Naval Unit
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On Monday, November 7, the first conference and innovation forum ordered by the French defense procurement agency (DGA) and destined for the French Navy was inaugurated in Lorient. Named Amiral Ronarc’h, this flagship event will be delivered in 2024. The ceremony took place in the presence of Sébastien Lecornu, French Minister of the Armed Forces, and his Greek counterpart, Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos. The first sea trials will begin in 2023, and the ship will be delivered in 2024. The remaining four ships of the series will be delivered until 2030. During this period, Naval Group will also produce three FDI frigates for the Hellenic Navy, with a fourth currently under discussion.
During the event, Pierre Eric Pommellet, CEO of Naval Group, said, “We are proud to be here today to mark this new milestone in the industrial production of the first defense and innovation frigate for the French Navy. These latest generation ships bring together the best of French naval know-how. The Navires operate them with the benefit of a high-performance, resilient ship, capable of dealing with threats that are constantly evolving, thanks in particular to the use of the most modern digital technologies. Naval Group remains committed to offering its customers the best of its knowledge, at the service of their sovereignty.”
To ensure the sustainability of these cutting-edge skills in the naval programs, Naval Group promotes the recruitment of young talents and has recently welcomed almost 500 work-study students and over 1500 new employees since the beginning of the year. The FDI program reinforces the technological leadership of the Naval Group in the naval industrial base. The program supports employment in the shipbuilding industry throughout France and, more particularly, in Lorient. At Naval Group, more than 1,200 people are working full-time on the program, in addition to over 400 subcontractors. The FDI program involves a large number of French and Greek partners, including Thales and MBDA.
The Financial Navy’s first FDI vessel, Admiral Ronarc’s, was launched at Naval Group’s facility in Lorient, France.
Thanks to the investments made by Naval Group, the site of Lorient has emerged as a modern industrial infrastructure that enables it to meet the technical and technological challenges of designing and building naval vessels for various types of warfare: surface, anti-air, anti-submarine, and for special forces projection. Thanks to this industrial organization that optimizes construction times, Naval Group is able to deliver two ships per year at its Lorient site from 2025. To deliver these frigates with reduced military footprint, Naval Group mobilizes a wide range of skills. Some of them are very specific and rare and are of utmost importance: sheet metal carpenter, formator-straightener, hull welder, pipe fitter…
The FDI is a high sea vessel. Multipurpose and resilient, she is capable of operating alone or within a naval force. She offers facilities for all types of warfare: anti-surface, anti-air, anti-submarine, and for special forces projection. Designed and produced using the latest digital tools, FDI is the first frigate to benefit from a digital architecture and operational readiness that will allow her continuous adaptation to technological and operational developments. Designed and produced using the latest digital tools, FDI is the first frigate to benefit from a digital architecture and operational readiness that will allow her continuous adaptation to technological and operational developments. As a result, the FDI will be able to address current and future threats and to handle always more data.
The FDI will be the first French frigate, primarily designed to defend against cyber threats, with two data centers providing a great part of the ship applications. The FDI introduces the concept of a dedicated system for asymmetric warfare. This system will enable the coordination and conduct of high-performance operations against small and close targets, including the booby-trapped boats. Strongly armed (Exceptional MM40 B3C anti-ship missiles, Aster anti-aircraft missiles, MU90 antisubmarine torpedoes, artillery), the FDI is also able to embark simultaneously a helicopter (10-ton class such as NH90) or the future Joint Light Helicopter and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) up to 700 kg. She can also receive a Special Forces detachment with their two common boats. They are equipped with the new generation SEAFIRE radar with four fixed panels, developed by Thales, which, combined with the missile delivery system, offers unmatched air defense capabilities. The FDI also integrates the Sampson multi-function radar, offered by Thales in partnership with BAE Systems, which can detect and follow more than a thousand tracks at the same time.
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