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After five years of construction led in Lorient by DCNS contractors and partners, the multi-mission frigate FREMM Aquitaine (head of class) sailed Tuesday 6 November to join Brest French naval base, her future home port. Final testing of the ship's systems will continue until the end of 2012.
The construction of FFG Aquitaine, which started in March 2007, is now over. On Tuesday, November 6th, the frigate manned by a French Navy crew celebrated her departure from Lorient with twenty-one shots from her gun, as per the tradition.
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"The departure of the FREMM Aquitaine from DCNS Lorient to Brest is the opportunity to salute the industrial and technological prowess made in recent years by employees of DCNS," said Vincent Martinot-Lagarde, FREMM program manager. "FREMM Aquitaine being the first unit in a series of twelve frigates, the construction and integration of the various systems of the prototype in a timely manner truly is a performance. This success is only possible by the strength of our employees involved in the design and construction of high-tech solutions to meet the maritime challenges of the twenty-first century"
The final tests of FREMM Aquitaine will continue in Brest. The new generation warship will be delivered to the French Navy in the coming weeks. Implemented by a small crew of 108 sailors, the FREMM has been designed to carry out versatile missions such as air defense, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare.
FREMM frigates are built with DCNS as prime contractor. These are amongst the most technologically advanced and competitive ships on the market. Heavily armed, they implement the most advanced weapons systems and equipment, such as Herakles multifunction radar, Aster surface-to-air missiles, Exocet MM40 anti-ship missiles and MU 90 torpedoes.
To date, five FREMM are under construction at the DCNS Shipyard in Lorient:
• The Mohammed VI, second of the series, for the Royal Navy of Morocco, was set afloat in September 2011.
• The Normandie, third ship in the FREMM series, has just been set afloat.
• The Provence, fourth of the series, will soon be assembled
• The Auvergne and Languedoc, fifth and sixth ships of the FREMM series saw their construction begin respectively in September 2011 and August 2012.
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