FDI frigate Amiral Ronarc’h begins sea trials
The sea trials of the Amiral Ronarc’h are expected to inform the process for future FDI frigates. (Photo: Naval Group)
The first in a new class of multipurpose frigate begins its real-sea testing two years after launch.
The Amiral Ronarc’h, the first unit in the new first defence and intervention (FDI) class of frigate, began its sea trials in early October 2024.
The Amiral Ronarc’h was launched in 2022, and has since been joined by two frigates in the Hellenic Navy, HS Kimon in October 2023 and HS Nearchos in September 2024. The sea trials of the Amiral Ronarc’h mark a new milestone in making FDI frigates an everyday naval reality.
As the first FDI frigate to reach the sea trial stage, responses from the crew on how the Amiral Ronarc’h and its equipment handle will be fed into the future sea trial experiences of the Hellenic Navy’s frigates, in the hope of streamlining the process of sea trials and potentially developing efficient working practices on board.
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The Amiral Ronarc’h sea trials began in Lorient, France, as the vessel is intended for use by the French Navy. The tests will measure performance in both navigation, propulsion and the vessel’s combat system, with special regard to how the systems perform in real sea conditions.
The FDI frigate has been designed as a multipurpose, resilient high-sea vessel, capable of operating, both alone and as part of a naval force, in all areas of combat. The FDI vessels will also be the first French frigates to be natively protected against cyber threats, with a redundant IT architecture based around two data centres that host, in a virtualised infrastructure, a large proportion of the ship’s IT applications.
That level of redundancy and cyber-ruggedisation is expected to become more and more crucial, with the FDI acting as a pioneer for the technological infrastructure.
The FDI’s onboard digital architecture should allow it to continually adapt to technological and operational developments. As a result, the FDIs will be expected to deal with both current and future high-spectrum threats, while processing ever-increasing amounts of data.
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