The French Navy’s remarkable-looking new frigate, the Amiral Ronarc’h, is quickly winning plaudits on account of its rakish good looks. But the warship — the first of a new class of so-called defense and intervention frigates — is not just noteworthy on account of its striking visual appearance. It’s also a very interesting study of how to pack a considerable number of weapons and sensors onto a relatively small hull and operate them with a limited crew complement.
The Amiral Ronarc’h (hull number D 660) officially started sea trials earlier this week, setting sail from the Naval Group’s Lorient shipyard, in Brittany, western France, on October 7.
In French parlance, the new warship is the first of a new class of Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention (FDI), or defense and intervention frigate.
The Amiral Ronarc’h is the first of five FDI frigates being built by Naval Group for the French Navy under a contract awarded in 2017. Construction of the lead ship began in 2019, it was laid down in December 2021, and launched in November 2022.
The second FDI for the French Navy, the Amiral Louzeau (D 661), started construction in July 2023. The French Navy’s third FDI, the Amiral Castex (D 662), is also now under construction.
In the meantime, another three vessels in the FDI family are also being built. These were ordered by Greece in 2022 (with an option for a fourth) and are required under a more compressed timeline. They are also somewhat different, including being more heavily armed, as we will discuss later.
For now, however, the spotlight is very much on the Amiral Ronarc’h, with imagery of this warship receiving much interest as it goes to sea for the first time.
The new frigate looks very different from almost every other surface combatant currently in service. The most prominent feature is the wave-piercing knife-like bow, which gives an appearance reminiscent of the design configuration known as a reverse bow, or inverted bow. There is also a dramatic chine that extends from the bow along the entire hull line.
The French Navy’s FDIs will each have a displacement of around 4,960 tons. These warships are 400 feet long, have a beam of 59 feet, and will be capable of speeds of 27 knots, driven by a combined diesel and diesel (CODAD) propulsion arrangement. They will have an at-sea endurance of 45 days. They will typically be operated by a crew of 125, with provision to embark 28 additional personnel if required for certain missions.
Naval Group describes these innovative vessels as “bringing together the best of French naval technologies on a compact platform,” with the resulting warships being “designed to cope with constantly evolving threats.”
The vessels were designed and are being produced using digital tools, while an onboard digital architecture will ensure that they can be modified and upgraded to keep up with those threats, as Naval Group contends.
“The FDIs will be able to deal with current and future high-spectrum threats, with 360-degree coverage in all frequency bands, and process an ever-increasing amount of data,” the manufacturer claims.
To deal with those threats, the French Navy’s FDIs are notably well armed, with a variety of weapons allowing them to undertake missions including anti-ship, anti-air, anti-submarine, and special forces projection, as well as dealing with asymmetric threats.
For anti-ship missions, the French FDIs will be armed with eight Exocet MM40 missiles, in the latest B3C version. Able to hit targets at a range of around 124 miles, the Exocet MM40 flies at very low altitudes and at high subsonic speeds. It has an active radar seeker and the B3C model introduces a new navigation and propulsion package. The navigation system allows for the programming of 3D waypoints, optimized trajectories, and simultaneous terminal attacks involving multiple missiles.
The primary anti-air weapon is the Aster surface-to-air missile, 16 of which are carried in a pair of eight-cell launchers. Combat-proven, the Aster is available in two main versions. The smaller Aster 15 has a range of around 18 miles, while the larger Aster 30 is able to engage targets at more than 75 miles. Recent improvements to the Aster 30 include enhancing its capabilities against anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs), a relatively new type of threat that is being employed by the Houthis in their campaign against shipping in the Red Sea.
MU90 torpedoes, in two dual tubes, are available for anti-submarine warfare.
The vessels are also equipped with guns of various calibers, including a 76mm Oto Melara Super Rapid main gun and a pair of Narwhal 20mm remote weapon stations.
Aviation options include a helicopter, such as the Caïman Marine (a version of the NATO Frigate Helicopter, NFH), the future Guépard Marine, and/or a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone, with a hangar bay and stern landing area.
Two commando boats can also be embarked to deploy raiding teams, special forces, and for force protection and minor logistics.
The comprehensive sensor suite includes the new-generation Thales Sea Fire radar with four fixed arrays, mounted on the prominent pyramidal mast.
The FDIs are also the first French warships of their kind to be protected against cyber threats from the outset. This includes a redundant IT architecture based around two data centers.
The design is also tailored to be more resilient to other novel and emerging threats.
“In terms of operational innovation, the FDI is inaugurating the concept of a gateway dedicated to combating asymmetric threats. This system will make it possible to coordinate and lead the fight against small, close air and surface threats, in particular booby-trapped craft,” Naval Group has said.
The sea trials for the Amiral Ronarc’h are planned to be especially comprehensive, involving not only testing of the navigation and propulsion systems but also the various combat systems, which will be put their paces in real-life conditions at sea.
Feedback from these trials will also help refine the forthcoming vessels in the FDI program as well as paving the way for the Amiral Ronarc’h to enter service, planned for 2025. The four remaining frigates for the French Navy are all scheduled to be delivered by 2030.
This is despite some delays in the program, since the first sea trials for the Amiral Ronarc’h were originally planned for 2023, followed by delivery in 2024.
Once in service, the five FDI frigates will supplement the eight FREMM-type frigates, and will eventually supersede the five La Fayette class frigates, with the last of these scheduled to be withdrawn in 2035.
Greece’s Hellenic Navy, meanwhile, is slated to receive two FDI frigates in 2025 and one in 2026. To meet the timeline, the second and third hulls originally planned to be delivered to the French Navy are instead being completed for the Hellenic Navy, which refers to them as the Kimon class.
The first two Greek frigates, Kimon and Nearchos, were launched in October 2023 and September 2024 respectively. The reported cost of the Greek program is $3.5 billion, for the first three vessels.
The Greek ships demonstrate the capacity for growth in the FDI design, with these warships featuring heavier armament. They feature three rather than two eight-cell Aster launchers, for a total of 24 Aster 15/30 missiles, with further air defense missiles provided in the form of a 21-cell Mk 31 launcher for the Rolling Airframe Missile Block 2B, to tackle close-in threats.
The Kimon class also adds a land attack capability, with an eight-cell launcher for the Missile de Croisière Naval (MdCN), meaning Naval Cruise Missile. The MdCN is a maritime version of the air-launched SCALP/Storm Shadow and allows conventional attacks on high-value targets at a range of “several hundred kilometers,” according to French sources.
Other weapons changes include the Leonardo Lionfish 20mm remote weapon stations in place of the Narwhal on the French hulls.
Naval Group plans to ramp up production to deliver two ships per year starting in 2025. Offering a useful blend of capabilities, via advanced weapons and sensors, and with a significant degree for future modernization, as well as different equipment options, it would not be a surprise of the FDI design wins more export orders in the future.
Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com