Naval Group gets deal for two more French Navy FDI frigates

French defence contractor Naval Group has received an official order for two more FDI frigates by the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA).

This was unveiled during a visit of the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, to Lorient on 29 March 2021.

As explained, the acceleration of the Frégate de défense et d’intervention (FDI) program will support the activity of the Naval Group site in Lorient where the frigates are designed and built, also ensuring the preservation of skills.

The two frigates – the second and third in a series of five – will both be delivered in 2025, whereas the original plan was to deliver them every 18 months. They will be named Amiral Louzeau and Amiral Castex, respectively.

The first FDI, Amiral Ronarc’h, for which construction work began in 2020, is scheduled for delivery in 2024.

With a tonnage of more than 4,200 tonnes and a length of 121 metres, the FDI frigates are based on a digital and scalable architecture built around Naval Group’s SETIS 3.0 combat management system.

They can conduct all the missions of modern navies (anti-air, anti-surface, anti-submarine warfare or special forces projection) and address new threats such as cyber attacks and asymmetric threats.

The FDI also benefits from advanced naval technologies including the latest Thales multi-function radar with active antenna and fixed panels as well as a fully digital electronic warfare system.

The FDI newbuilds will join the French Navy’s FREMM and Horizon-class frigates.