Bretagne completes first sea trials
The French Navy’s FREMM multi-mission frigate Bretagne has successfully completed first sea trials in Lorient, North-Western France, the International Organization for Cooperation on Arms (OCCAR) has announced.
During the trials, performance of the frigate’s propulsion and navigation systems was tested. Further tests and trials of various systems, including the combat management system, are scheduled to take place over the coming weeks.
Bretagne will be France's fifth anti-submarine warfare frigate, and is due to be delivered to the French Navy in mid-2018. Four FREMM frigates have been delivered to the French Navy, and three other ships are at different stages of assembly and construction at Naval Group Lorient shipyard.
The FREMM frigates are equipped with advanced systems, including the Héraclès multifunction radar, naval cruise missiles, Aster and Exocet MM40 missiles and MU 90 torpedoes.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
Germany goes for more US equipment for F127 frigates with SPY-6 radar choice
If the foreign military sale request is approved, Germany would be the first country outside the US to acquire the technology, which is currently used extensively by the US Navy.
-
Beyond GPS: How LEO satellites are changing the game in naval navigation
Satellite navigation is increasingly critical for global maritime defence, and Low Earth Orbit satellites are rapidly overtaking the traditional and more widely used Medium Earth Orbit option as they are less susceptible to jamming or spoofing.
-
US continues to review AUKUS submarine deal as HII ticks off new Virginia-class sea trials
The initial sea trials for Virginia-class SSN 798 conducted by Newport News Shipbuilding division and the US Navy marked an “important step”, but the ongoing AUKUS review casts a shadow over what the progress means for the partner nations.