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The Frégate de Défense et d'Intervention () or FDI, formerly denominated Frégate de Taille Intermédiaire () or FTI, is a programme launched in 2015 to produce a new class of first-rank French
frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...
s to complement the . , five ships have been ordered for the
French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...
and will form the ''Amiral Ronarc'h'' class, with the lead ship expected to be commissioned in 2025. In 2021, three units were ordered by
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
for the
Hellenic Navy The Hellenic Navy (HN; , abbreviated ΠΝ) is the Navy, naval force of Greece, part of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy historically hails from the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independ ...
and will form the . , the lead ship of the class, was
laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one ...
on 17 December 2021. Commissioning of the warship had been planned from 2024 onwards but it was reported that delays in the fitting out and sea trials would push it as well as its entry into service to 2025.


History

The Intermediate Frigate (FTI) program was a response to the requirement for fifteen first-class
frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...
s to allow the
French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...
to operate in a crisis zone, as recommended in the White Paper on Defense and National Security of 2013. This would see the five FTI ships join the ten
FREMM multipurpose frigate The European multi-purpose frigate or FREMM (; ) is a Franco-Italian family of warships designed by Naval Group and Fincantieri. This surface combatant is known in France as the ''Aquitaine'' class (17 units planned, of which 9 were later cance ...
s (''Aquitaine'' class) and .
Defence Minister A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...
Jean-Yves Le Drian announced the launch of the five-ship program on 29 May 2015 at the naval aviation base in Lann-Bihoué. In 2021 it was reported that work on the second and third frigates in the series would be accelerated with first steel cut for modules of the second ship of the class envisaged for October. The FTIs, of a contained size, would better correspond to the demands of the export markets according to the Direction générale de l'armement (DGA; English: Directorate General of Armaments) and also make it possible to maintain the development and production capacities of the French shipyards. These ships will incrementally supersede the s, in the role of first rank frigates, replacing all five frigates of that class by 2035. In the interim, a modernization of three vessels in the ''La Fayette'' class is being undertaken to extend their useful lives into the early 2030s. In November 2022 it was announced that the first two FDI frigates (''Amiral Ronarc'h'' and ''Amiral Louzeau'') would be based at Brest. The FDI will have with significant
anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface ( submarine-launched), and air-ba ...
capabilities with active antenna radar and fixed planes, anti-submarine capabilities (helicopter and towed sonar), and will have a displacement of . The French Defence Ministry announced the award of a contract to DCNS for the development and construction of five intermediate-size frigates (FTIs) intended for the French Navy on 21 April 2017. The frigates will be equipped with electronic systems and sensors developed by Thales and Aster 30 missiles. * The SEA FIRE fully digital multi-function radar with four fixed antennas, which will meet the requirements of a broad range of missions, from ship self-defence to extended air defence, and can deploy MBDA Aster 15/30. The first SEA FIRE radar was delivered for integration in the first frigate in April 2021. * The compact version of the
CAPTAS-4 The CAPTAS-4 is a towed array sonar developed by Thales Underwater Systems to equip first-rank surface combatants. Manufactured in Brest, France, it represents the high-end and most powerful system of the company's ''CAPTAS'' (Combined Active ...
towed-array sonar, delivers the same ultra-long-range detection performance as the original version of CAPTAS-4 with 20% lower weight and a footprint almost 50% smaller. * The Aquilon integrated digital communications system and an IFF (Identification Friend of Foe) associated with the SEA FIRE radar. * The SENTINEL system, an advanced digital electronic warfare system built around a modular architecture.


Exports


Greece

In September 2021, Greece signed an agreement with France's Naval Group to purchase three FDI HN frigates with an option for one more for the Hellenic Navy as part of a $5 billion defence package. The FDI HN export version is also known as the Belharra-class frigate. It was reported that the Hellenic Navy ships would eventually carry a more extensive weapons fit, capable of carrying up to 32 Aster-30 air defence missiles. This will permit the Hellenic Navy to operate three ships with 32 air defence missiles plus 21 point defence missiles in a Mk31 21-cell launcher of RAM Block 2B
surface-to-air missile A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-ai ...
s, 8 Block 3 Exocet anti-ship missiles, 2 dual launchers MU90 torpedoes and SYLENA Mk1 decoy launching systems (DLS) for CANTO anti-torpedo decoys. Two of the vessels, destined for the French Navy in 2025, now will be delivered to the Hellenic Navy. The date of the construction agreement was anticipated to be at late 2021 or early 2022. In December 2021 it was reported that an agreement for construction had been signed by France and Greece with the actual contract for the construction of the ships having been signed on 24 March 2022. In February 2022, documents released by the Greek Parliament indicated that initially the first two frigates for the Hellenic Navy would be equipped similar to their French counterparts in a "Standard-1" configuration (with 16 Sylver A50 cells). By 2027 the two ships would be upgraded to a "Standard-2" configuration with 32 A-50 cells as well as with the RAM Block 2B. The third Hellenic Navy frigate would be built from the outset in the "Standard-2" configuration. According to the
Hellenic Navy The Hellenic Navy (HN; , abbreviated ΠΝ) is the Navy, naval force of Greece, part of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy historically hails from the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independ ...
, the ships will be named after three great ancient Greek admirals:
Cimon Cimon or Kimon (; – 450BC) was an Athenian '' strategos'' (general and admiral) and politician. He was the son of Miltiades, also an Athenian ''strategos''. Cimon rose to prominence for his bravery fighting in the naval Battle of Salamis ...
(),
Nearchus Nearchus or Nearchos (; – 300 BC) was one of the Greeks, Greek officers, a navarch, in the army of Alexander the Great. He is known for his celebrated expeditionary voyage starting from the Indus River, through the Persian Gulf and ending at t ...
(, ) and
Phormio Phormio ( ''Phormion'', ''gen''.: Φορμίωνος), the son of Asopius, was an Athenian general and admiral before and during the Peloponnesian War. A talented naval commander, Phormio commanded at several famous Athenian victories in 428 BC ...
(, ). These names had previously been used for the ex-US s in service with the Hellenic Navy from 1991 to 2004. In 2024 it was decided to adjust the production sequence by reassigning the fourth and fifth vessels in the production series. The fourth vessel (the previous ''Amiral Louzeau'' - D661), previously assigned to France, would instead be allocated to Greece, while the fifth ship in the series (the previous ''Formion'' - F603), previously assigned to Greece, would be destined for the French Navy instead. Each vessel would be renamed accordingly. It was unclear how this reallocation might impact the original intent to have the third Greek FDI built in an enhanced "Standard-2" configuration.


Indonesia

In May 2024, France offered
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
the FDI in a full multi-mission configuration. The offer encompasses the potential for local manufacturing, the inclusion of Aster 15/30 missiles, the SETIS® Combat Management System, an AESA radar, a guarantee free from ITAR restrictions, and a construction period of 36 months. Depending on Indonesia’s requirements, the FDI can be equipped with various Tactical Data Link networks, such as Link 11, Link 16, Link 22, and Link Y. During the presentation to Indonesia, one of the slide shows a variant of the Belharra with 32 cells SYLVER with Aster 15/30 missiles, CIWS, 76 mm gun, 8 MM40 Block 3 Exocet missiles. A thorough educational and training program has also been suggested for the TNI AL staff who will be in charge of operating the ship. The offer stated that the initial FDI for Indonesia could be built in France within a span of 36 months. PT PAL Indonesia, would undertake the construction of subsequent FDIs locally. Interestingly, akin to the approach with Scorpène Evolved, France is also receptive to the concept of complete local production starting from the first ship.


Participation of Greek companies

As of January 2023, 23 contracts had been signed with Greek companies participating in the frigates' construction, with 10 more during the same year. Such contracts include construction of pre-outfitted blocks in Salamis Shipyards and shipment to France for assembly (starting from the third Greek frigate, and constructed for both Greek and French frigates).


Ships

''Italics'' indicates estimated date NOTE: The French Navy does not use the term "destroyer" but rather classifies these vessels as "first-rate frigates". Nevertheless, they are identified with the NATO "D" designation which ranks them in the destroyer class, instead of ranking them with an "F" designation as frigates. As of 2023, all French warships are having their hull numbers removed in order to reduce the ability to identify individual ships.


See also

* Future of the French Navy * Type 31 frigate - equivalent British frigate * - equivalent Brazilian frigate


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fregates de taille intermediaire Frigate classes Frigates of France Proposed ships