Two milestones in the FDI programme have coincided, with the first French vessel starting her initial extended deployment, and the Hellenic Navy’s first FDI warship arriving in Greece.
Admiral Ronarc’h, the French Navy’s first Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention (FDI, or defence and intervention frigate), sailed from Brest on Wednesday.
As per a Marine Nationale press statement, the new warship will be deployed in the North Sea, the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea over the coming months.
The extended voyage is a standard French Navy approach for new vessels, and is seen as the final stage in verifying capabilities ahead of formal commissioning into active service. Built by Naval Group, Amiral Ronarc’h is the first of five FDIs being built for the French Navy; the firm has also won an order for three vessels from Greece.
The French press statement noted: “Admiral Ronarc’h will head towards the High North and then the western Atlantic Ocean to test its capabilities in diverse maritime environments, and also to develop the interoperability of this new type of vessel with our partners and allies in the areas traversed.
“This period at sea, conducted far away, for an extended period, and with a crew, allows us to test the FDI and its systems, and for the sailors to become more familiar with its equipment.”
The Admiral Ronarc’h is expected to pay port visits to Denmark and Sweden in the coming weeks; both nations are currently choosing between different potential platforms for their own future frigate programmes.
Meanwhile, HS Kimon, the Hellenic Navy’s first FDI, was formally welcomed yesterday (Thursday) as she sailed into the Saronic Gulf off the coast of Greece for the first time.
A host of dignitaries including Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias, President Konstantinos Tasoulas and and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis attended the ceremony at sea welcoming the warship.
Mr Dendias called the milestone “a great day for the Navy; a great day for the Armed Forces; a great day for our homeland,” and hailed the new ship as “the most powerful frigate on the planet.”
The FDI warships are about 122 metres long, displace about 4,500 tonnes, and can sail at up to 27 knots. Their flight deck can accommodate a medium-sized helicopter and a rotary-wing uncrewed aerial system (UAS). They carry Aster 15 or 30 missiles for air defence and Exocet anti-ship missiles, as well as torpedoes and guns.
- You can read more details on the French Navy website and the Greek MoND website