DCNS
design innovations contribute to success of first operations by Gowind
OPV L’Adroit
Gowind®
offshore patrol vessel L’Adroit returned to her homeport of Toulon
on 29 June 2012 after a two-month mission in the Mediterranean. DCNS
has made the ship available to the French Navy for three years. The
client Navies, in turn, is using the ship primarily for government missions
at sea. During this fisheries protection and maritime safety & security
mission, the L’Adroit demonstrated the quality of DCNS’s
design and technological innovations.
Thanks largely to key advances – not least aft boat ramps, a panoramic
bridge, a single enclosed mast, and the Polaris® smart mission system
– OPV L’Adroit carried out her assigned missions, including
operation Thon Rouge to police bluefin tuna fisheries.
The operational capabilities of this entry-level Gowind®
OPV give potential customers an idea of the family’s considerable
potential. Using the aft ramps, crew members can covertly launch high-speed
boats in less than 2 minutes while officers monitor operations from
the panoramic bridge. The Gowind® family benefits directly from
DCNS’s vast experience in IT and command information systems and
can be readily tailored for extended area surveillance and the automatic
detection of suspicious behaviour by ships and other craft.
L'Adroit, Gowind class Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) (Picture:
DCNS)
By demonstrating OPV L’Adroit’s qualities,
the Navy will help DCNS to win the coveted ‘sea proven’
seal of approval attested by a world-class navy that international customers
seek when reviewing a new design’s innovations and efficiency.
“In the course of our mission, the crew inspected no fewer than
22 fishing vessels and reported five violations of international regulations.
Working closely with other fisheries protection forces, our ship contributed
to ensuring compliance with the authorised fishing quotas for 2012 and
recently reinforced regulations,” says Commander Sacha Bailly.
(Video:
DCNS)
OPV L’Adroit will remain at Toulon naval base
while DCNS teams and crew members carry out routine inspections and
maintenance. In September, she will set off on an extended mission that
will take in South Africa. With two crews working four-month rotations,
OPV L’Adroit’s inherently high reliability is expected to
ensure an at-sea availability of 220 days per year.
“We are pleased with the feedback we’ve received from the
crew following OPV L’Adroit’s different operational missions
to date. Our design appears well-suited to the emerging needs of client
navies. Indeed, several have expressed interest and entered into discussions
with DCNS,” says Gowind programme manager Marc Maynard.
Above and beyond the satisfaction of contributing to the nation’s
naval assets to combat emerging maritime safety & security challenges,
the decision to make OPV L’Adroit available to the French Navy
gives DCNS an excellent opportunity to promote its expertise on the
international stage. The success already achieved suggests that the
Group’s strategy to win a larger share of the growing markets
for small- and medium-displacement surface ships is on track.
Innovative by design
With a length overall of 87 metres, OPV L’Adroit offers three
weeks’ blue-water endurance, a range of 8,000 nautical miles and
a top speed of 21 knots. The design includes full provision for an organic
helicopter and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), crewing by a complement
of 30 and accommodation for 30 passengers.
Innovations and capabilities of special interest to navies, coast guards
and commando forces include a panoramic bridge offering 360° visibility,
a single enclosed mast offering 360° sensor visibility, covert RIB
deployment in less than 2 minutes and full provision for UAVs and USVs
(unmanned surface vehicles). The Gowind family also benefits from DCNS’s
extensive experience in command information systems. These vessels can
be readily tailored for extended area surveillance and, when working
in conjunction with shore-based control centres and other networked
ships, for the automatic detection of suspicious behaviour by ships
and other craft.
