Thales, Naval Group to support France’s multi-mission FREMM frigates

Thales, through a contract with Naval Group, has been selected to provide through-life support for the French Navy’s multi-mission frigates (FREMM).

Under a seven-year contract, Thales will draw on its industrial resources and product expertise to support the warships, ensure the day-to-day availability of their on-board systems and sustain their operational capabilities over the long term.

An integrated team of experts from Naval Group and Thales has been formed to speed up the diagnosis and resolution of technical subjects and sustain the operational capabilities of the FREMM frigates over the long term.

The deal is expected to guarantee the at-sea availability of the Navy’s eight multi-mission frigates based in Brest and Toulon.

The FREMM programme was launched in 2005 and is one of the major components of France’s anti-submarine warfare capability. Equipped with Thales sonars, radars, optronics and communication systems, the frigates are widely acclaimed for their operational range, endurance and high performance: the ships and their crews have been endorsed by the US Navy for their anti-submarine warfare capabilities.

“Thales is proud to have this opportunity to build on more than 50 years of experience in the supply of high-tech naval equipment, systems and services by working alongside Naval Group to ensure the operational availability of the French Navy’s FREMM frigates. This contract is a further illustration of the trust placed by the French Navy and Naval Group in Thales’s ability to provide locally based, long-term support for the strategic equipment underpinning French naval power,” Philippe Duhamel, EVP Defence Mission Systems, Thales said