Hellenic Navy launches second multipurpose FDI frigate, confirms talks on fourth
Frigate class leader Kimon in September 2024, when the second vessel in the fleet was launched. (Photo: Hellenic Republic Ministry of National Defence)
The HS Nearchos will join its sister ship HS Kimon in a variety of roles once it has been fully equipped and passed its sea trials. The delivery timeline for the fourth frigate remains unclear due to its late confirmation.
The second of three contracted defence and intervention frigates built by Naval Group for the Hellenic Navy has been launched at the company’s shipyard in Lorient.
The HS Nearchos launched on September 19, 2024, and will be outfitted with its Panoramic Sensors and Intelligence Module (PSIM) a few weeks after launch. The first of the frigates, HS Kimon is currently undergoing sea trials, while the third, HS Formion completed its hull assembly in August. The plan is for all three frigates to be in service before the end of 2026.
The Nearchos and its sister ships each weigh 4,500 tons
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA]()
Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA
The accelerated delivery of the final Flight IIA destroyer, USS Patrick Gallagher, showcases the payoff of years of workforce investment and process reform at Bath Iron Works, with the lessons feeding into Flight III production.
-
![Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development]()
Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development
Ukraine’s battlefield has rewritten the rules of uncrewed systems development. For Syos Aerospace, real-time operator feedback, lean serial production and a system-of-systems philosophy are central to its operating model.
-
![Sealift shortfalls set to drive opportunities across NATO navies]()
Sealift shortfalls set to drive opportunities across NATO navies
A new Council on Geostrategy primer warns that NATO cannot defend its own supply lines. As the alliance faces a sealift and logistics escort deficit, a wave of unawarded procurement is beginning to take shape.
-
![AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise]()
AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise
The AUKUS partnership is accelerating uncrewed undersea capability while its submarine arm inches forward, and Australia’s decision to settle for three in-service Virginia-class boats raises questions about industrial risk, dependency and whether Pillar II may deliver meaningful capability long before Pillar I can.
