French Naval Group holds keel-laying ceremony for first FDI frigate.

According to a press release published by Naval Group on December 17, 2021, Naval Group laid the keel of the first defence and intervention frigate ordered by the French defence procurement agency (DGA) and destined to the French Navy.
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Keel laying ceremony of the first FDI frigate in Lorient, France (Picture source: Naval Group)

This step marks the beginning of the assembly of the ship in the construction hall. The frigate will be delivered in 2024. It is the first of a series of five ships to be delivered between 2024 and 2030.

On the same day, the Panoramic Sensors and Intelligence Module (PSIM), the integrated mast of the FDI, was also powered up. This important milestone symbolises the start of the testing of the frigate's complete combat system, several months before its final integration on the ship.

Five FDI frigates intended will be ordered by the French defence procurement agency (DGA) for the French Navy. This program reinforces the technological lead of the French naval industrial base, and of Naval Group in particular.

She will have a length of 122 m, a beam of 18 m, and a displacement of 4,500 tons. Multipurpose and resilient, she is capable of operating, alone or within a naval force. She offers capabilities for all types of warfare: anti-surface, anti-air, anti-submarine and as well as for special forces projection.

Its maximum speed is 27 knots and it has an autonomy of 45 days with operational availability of 3500 hours per year. The frigate can accommodate 125 men and women + 28 passengers.

It is the first frigate to benefit from a digital architecture that will allow her continuous adaptation to technological and operational evolutions. As a result, the FDI will be able to address current and future threats and to handle always more data.

The ship will be the first French frigate natively protected against cyber threats, with two data centers virtually accommodating a great part of the ship applications.

The FDI introduces the concept of a dedicated system for asymmetric warfare. This system will enable the coordination and conduct of the fight against small and close air and surface threats, including booby-trapped boats.