French Navy gets latest OPV
The French Navy’s final Patrouilleurs Antilles-Guyane (PAG) programme offshore patrol vessel has been handed over at a ceremony in Saint-Malo, Brittany, MAURIC announced on 19 June.
The vessel, la Combattante, will be dedicated to surveillance, protection and intervention operations in the Caribbean region.
Since being launched in November 2019 the vessel has undergone testing, and will now join sister ship La Résolue, maintaining and protecting the sovereign interests of France in the maritime domain, particularly monitoring illegal trafficking, the protection of people and goods, and the fight against pollution.
The offshore patrol vessel has steel hull and aluminium superstructure, measuring 60.8m in length, with a low draft of 3.2m and a displacement of about 700 tons. Able to reach a speed of 21kts with advanced seakeeping, the vessel has a range of 3200nm at 12kts with hybrid electric propulsion. Some improvements of layout have been made on this last unit but the technical characteristics remain the same for the entire PAG range.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Sweden swayed by speed to capability in French frigate win]()
Sweden swayed by speed to capability in French frigate win
Naval Group has secured a contract to supply four Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention frigates to the Royal Swedish Navy, extending the French naval industry’s reach into Northern Europe and showing why speed to capability has become the defining criterion in today’s defence procurement contests.
-
![SOF Week 2026: US NSW explores 3D-printed USVs for forward-deployed operations]()
SOF Week 2026: US NSW explores 3D-printed USVs for forward-deployed operations
US Naval Special Warfare Command is assessing the feasibility of rapidly producing expendable mid-sized USVs in theatre to support SOF and maritime security missions.
-
![SOF Week 2026: MARSOC selects upgraded Shark Marine dive navigation system]()
SOF Week 2026: MARSOC selects upgraded Shark Marine dive navigation system
MARSOC is procuring the Shark Marine Dive Tablet 2 to address a longstanding combat diver navigation capability gap, improving underwater positioning, situational awareness and integration with existing diver propulsion vehicles.
-
![SOF Week 2026: NSW expands commercial UxS push to maritime platforms as USASOC advances FPV drone effort]()
SOF Week 2026: NSW expands commercial UxS push to maritime platforms as USASOC advances FPV drone effort
The US Army Special Operations Command and Naval Special Warfare are accelerating efforts to integrate commercial uncrewed systems, with NSW broadening its solicitation to include USVs and UUVs alongside new requirements for ISR, kinetic operations and swarm technologies.
