First New Replenishment Vessel's construction for the French Navy Begins.

The French Minister for the Armed Forces, Mme Florence Parly, took a tour of selected Defence Industry sites in the Loire-Atlantique region on Monday 18 May 2020. This particular region hosts a large number of key strategic Industrial stakeholders such as Airbus or Naval Group. This tour intended to promote, support and publicize the French Government comprehensive National plan for the “restart and relaunch of Industrial activities” in the French territory. The Minister for the Armed Forces leads the Defence Industry folder of the plan, quite naturally.
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Artist’s impression of the FL LSS First of Class “Jacques Chevallier (Picture source: Chantiers de l’Atlantique)

The first steel plate of the hull of the first of the four new Bâtiments Ravitailleurs de Force (BRF) - replenishment vessels - of the French Navy has been cut today during a ceremony held in the machining workshop of Chantiers de l’Atlantique, in presence of Florence Parly, Minister of the Armed Forces, and Admiral Prazuck, Chief of French Navy. This ceremony marked symbolically the start of the construction of the first vessel of the FLOTLOG program.

The order for the construction of the four ships was notified in January 2019 to the temporary association of companies formed by Chantiers de l'Atlantique and Naval Group. Deliveries are scheduled from end 2022 to 2029. This order for the French Navy is part of a Franco-Italian program led by OCCAR, on behalf of DGA, the French Defence Procurement Agency, and its Italian counterpart NAVARM.

From left to right: Adm. Christophe Prazuck (French Navy) – Mrs Florence Parly (French Armed Forces) – Mr. Laurent Castain (Chantiers de l’Atlantique) (Picture source: Chantiers de l’Atlantique)

About the BRF:

The BRF with a capacity of 13 000 m3 have a mission of logistical support of the combat vessels of the French Navy. They carry fuel, ammunition, spare parts, as well as food for the vessels.

Compliant with international standards, their characteristics are adapted to their specific missions of support to the aviation group constituted around the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, the flagship of the naval air force group.

Naval Group is responsible for the design, development and integration of the military systems of the platform. The combat system of the four ships, whose architecture is based on the Polaris Combat Management System of Naval Group, ensures the protection against close threats and the fight against asymmetric threats.

Main Characteristics of the vessels:
-- Full loaded displacement: 31 000 tonnes
-- Overall length: 194 m
-- Overall width: 27.60 m
-- Crew capacity: 190 people, including 130 crew members and 60 passengers
-- Total deadweight: 14, 870 tonnes
-- Freight volume: 13,000 m3
-- Total installed capacity: 24 MW