France pushes on with FDI
Naval Group is under contract to deliver three FDI vessels to the French Navy by 2025. (Photo: Naval Group)
While delivery of the first-in-class FDI vessel is delayed slightly, the timeframe for the next two frigates has been pushed forward.
The French MoD has decided to step up the pace on its Frégate de Défense et d'Intervention (FDI) 4,500t frigate programme, also known by the export designation Belharra.
Shipbuilder Naval Group expects to have launched the first-in-class Amiral Ronarc’h by the end of 2021. By then, it also aims to power up the Panoramic Sensors & Intelligence Module (PSIM) mast for the first time.
PSIM is significant as it houses four Thales Sea Fire panels (the first fixed array radar in the French Navy). A prototype PSIM has been tested in the south of France since 2019.
Naval Group is under
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