Surface ships

High-performance, reliable and scalable, the surface ships built by Naval Group integrate cutting-edge technology, enabling navies to protect their nation’s sovereignty in seas around the world. Every effort is made to facilitate the operational deployment and maintenance of these concentrates of technology, designed to last for several decades.

Naval Group masters the complete range of surface ships, from patrol ships right up to nuclear aircraft carriers. Naval Group’s warships (Gowind®, multimission frigates and defence and intervention frigates) guarantee operational superiority in all types of warfare, Mistral-class Landing Helicopter Docks (LHD) that can transport forces, command air-sea operations and support humanitarian missions. All our surface ships benefit from the most advanced technologies as well as cutting-edge equipment, enabling them to counter all threats (conventional, cyber, asymmetric).

Detect before being detected

The combination of exceptionally low acoustic signatures and high-performance sensors enable our ships to detect others before being detected. Their spacious aviation installations allow helicopters and drones to be safely deployed under all sea conditions. The use of various drones enables our surface ships to considerably expand their surveillance areas.

Interoperability and coordination

Interoperability is essential for fleets carrying out missions ranging from internal security to combat on the high seas. Our surface ships ensure interoperability in accordance with the standards of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), chiefly through tactical data links enabling the coordination of allied fleets’ combat systems.

Our surface ship offer

Aircraft carriers

The French Navy’s flagship, Charles de Gaulle, underwent extensive refurbishment during its mid-life refit in February 2017.

Naval Group is the whole warship architect for the French Navy's new aircraft carrier (PA-Ng) and started detailed preliminary project studies for this ship in 2023 along with its partners Chantiers de l’Atlantique and TechnicAtome.
Naval Group is also in charge of aviation deployment systems (including catapults and arresting gear), the combat system, navigation system, electrical energy production (nuclear steam supply system), the production of nuclear reactor sub-assemblies, the integration of these reactors onboard ships as well as tests and trials.

Eighteen months later, it was returned to the French Navy equipped with a new combat and aviation installations system and a modernised platform.

The aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle at sea

LHD Mistral

Versatile and capable, Mistral class LHDs have proven their effectiveness in a wide range of joint force projection and support operations.

They have been used to provide assistance to victims during several sanitary and evacuation operations. In March 2020, the Tonnerre helped to transfer Covid-19 victims from Corsica to the French mainland thanks to its onboard hospital.

FREMM

The multimission frigates (FREMM), designed and built by Naval Group are versatile, stealthy and predominantly automated ships. Ten units have been produced for France and for export. They provide first-rate naval capacities in all areas of warfare, and particularly in anti-submarine, anti-aircraft warfare and deep strikes.

It launched its first cruise missiles in operations in 2018.

The operational excellence of FREMMs is world-renowned and particularly favoured by the American Navy whose sixth fleet has been awarded the Hook’em Award for four FREMMs, for two years in a row, for their excellence in anti-submarine warfare.

FDI

The defence and intervention frigate (FDI) Belh@rra®, more compact in size, is equipped with the latest in technological innovation. This multimission frigate is designed to effectively deal with all kinds of modern threats (anti-surface, anti-submarine, anti-aircraft, asymmetric, cyber).

Equipped with a cloud-type distributed digital architecture, it is scalable, resilient and provides the services required by today's crews on demand.

With the order from Greece in 2022, six Belh@rra® frigates will be produced in Lorient and three additional frigates in optional tranches.

Silhouette frégate de défense et d'intervention

Gowind®

Robust, comprehensively equipped, designed to navigate in high seas, the Gowind® corvette has already been sea-proven and is an enduring and stealthy ship. Thanks to the Combat Management System designed by Naval Group, this ship is equipped with innovative structural solutions, sensors and the latest weapons. Its design allows for complete transfer of technology, enabling our customers to build this ship in their own country.

It is capable of managing anti-submarine, anti-aircraft and anti-surface missions.

Minehunters

Twelve minehunters - six for the Belgian Navy and six for the Royal Netherlands Navy - will each be able to deploy around one hundred drones thanks to the innovations developed by Naval Group and its partners that enable their safe and simple deployment. These vessels, specialising in mine countermeasures will be the first equipped with the capacity to embark, launch and reconfigure a swarm of surface (twelve-metre long, nineteen-tonne vessels), underwater and aerial drones either into the sea or into the air.

They will be delivered upon conclusion of the agreement entered into by Naval Group in 2018. Based on cooperation with around forty Belgian partners, an initial delivery is expected in 2025.

Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV)

With its subsidiary Kership, Naval Group offers a comprehensive range of Offshore Patrol Vessels - innovative, robust, affordable and simple to operate and maintain. Designed for both the French Navy as well as several foreign navies, these ships undertake demanding maritime surveillance and security operations.

Force replenishment vessel

Naval Group, in partnership with Chantiers de l’Atlantique, offers a new logistics support vessel with unprecedented performance, twice the replenishment capabilities when compared to the previous generation and innovative military capabilities. The force replenishment vessel (BRF) plays a key role in the naval force, particularly within the French Navy’s air-sea group. Its flexible architecture and size can be easily adapted to the specific needs of foreign navies.

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Submarines