[Euronaval 2024 – Surface ships] FDI: two programs, one series

30 October 2024 Defense Naval Innovation Group

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Euronaval, an international event and a must in the world of naval defence will be held at Paris Nord Villepinte this year, from 4 to 7 November. As for each edition, our teams will take turns presenting our innovations and activities to our customers and partners. Let’s take a closer look at the production of defence and intervention frigates (FDI) being built for the French Navy (FDI FR) and the Hellenic Navy (FDI HN) on the site of Lorient. Production is already well underway with six units - three French and three Greek - already in the production cycle.

The FDI program for new first-rank ships ordered by France and Greece is progressing at a sustained pace with the outfitting of the first of series, Amiral Ronarc’h already having been completed. FDI Program Director, Jean-Marie Dorbon tells us, “Setting to work began in the first half of 2023 and harbour trials were performed until the ship’s first period at sea which began in October 2024. The ship is scheduled for delivery in 2025”. The outfitting of the first FDI HN, Kimon, which was set afloat last year, is parallelly underway and its harbour trials have also begun.

Following its installation onboard the Kimon, the PSIM was powered up and equipped with the Setis® Combat Management System (CMS) thereby enabling the pursuit of combat system tests which had started on a shore integration facility.

“The second FDI HN, Nearchos, is the third unit in this series”, continues Pierre-Luc Guéguen, Whole Warship Manager for this series of FDIs.

Following machining which was started mid-2022, the main hull block was set on its keel in the beginning of October 2023 and the assembly of the hull structure continued until spring 2024. Nearchos was set afloat in September 2024. The machining of the blocks of the fourth unit was started in December 2022. The two machined blocks were painted in January 2024 following the completion of outfitting.

Following the pre-outfitting phase, the ship was set on its keel mid-April for its final assembly. Manufactured in 2023, the parts forming PSIM structure were painted in January 2024 prior to the pre-outfitting of the module. It was then transferred to the shore test area in the autumn of 2024, following the Nearchos PSIM. Finally, the first plate of the fifth FDI was cut on 12 July 2023, and the hull blocks were manufactured and then painted and pre-outfitted in 2024. In the meanwhile, plate cutting for the sixth FDI also began”.

Naval Group’s capacity to alternate frigates on its production chain for different navies as well as to adapt the ships built to the configurations and schedules defined by its customers reflects the group’s agility and capacity for adaptation.

“The organisation adopted for the series as a whole aims to ensure that tasks are performed at the right time and with the expected level of completeness. All the construction phases have been rationalised”.

Pierre-Luc Guéguen Whole Warship Manager for FDIs in this series
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