French Naval Group makes a new offer for the Hellenic Navy.

Naval Group submitted as part of the French Team with MBDA and Thales a new offer for the modernization of the surface fleet of the Hellenic Navy. The French Team’s offer includes 4 FDI HN (3 built-in Greece and the 1st in service by 2025 along with a Gap filler solution of 2 frigates available in early 2022), the modernization of the MEKO frigates in Greece, and a Hellenic Industry Participation (HIP).
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Artist rendering of the future French Frigates for Defence and Intervention FDI (Picture source: Naval Group)

Fitted with up to 32 ASTER missiles or with a combination of ASTER and MICA NG missiles, 21 RAM, 8 Exocet MM 40 B 3, MU 90 lightweight torpedoes and 76 mm gun, she offers capabilities for the permanent control of air and sea space and autonomy of action, in support of the political and military objectives set. The FDI HN will be fully interoperable with NATO and EU Navies’ fleets. She will be capable of assuming all multimission roles within any kind of allied fleet and within the HN fleet.

The Aster missiles onboard can be engaged very quickly in all directions and ensure an unmatched hit-to-kill capability, making it possible to defeat saturating attacks.

The FDI frigate has been designed to be equipped as growth potential with Naval Cruise Missiles, a Deep Strike capability and able to deal with the latest threats. The physical and digital infrastructures of the FDI guarantee an evolutionary potential that will ensure that the Hellenic Navy will be able to deal with emerging and future threats over the life of the ship (UAVs, Cyber, anti-ship ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles, stealth threats underwater or above water, etc.).

The first FDI HN (Belharra)  will be delivered in 2025 meaning that the needs of the HN will be addressed very quickly and Naval Group offers a risk-free solution for the construction of the 3 other FDI HN in Greece, by Greek shipyards, on time, and with the same quality and performances as the first of class.

In addition, the French offer includes a Gap filler solution, also available in the shortest timeframe since the 2 Anti-air warfare (AAW) and Anti-submarine Warfare (ASW) frigates will be delivered to Greece in 2022 within the frame of the proposal.

Naval Group, Thales and MBDA have formed a partnership that offers a solution for the upgrade of the MEKO.

The MEKO mid-life refit program is planned to be carried out in Greece. In this respect, Thales can count on the presence of Thales Hellas S.A. and on the relations already established between Thales and Naval Group with existing industrial partners.

Naval Group’s experts have been working in coordination with the two main defense industry associations, SEKPY and HASDIG, but also with the maritime industry association HEMEXPO.

More than 70 companies based in Athens and Thessaloniki areas have been identified among which 10 companies are already pre-qualified and 40 have been met and/or visited for a preliminary evaluation of their industrial capabilities.

Naval Group is already working on cybersecurity applied to the naval and maritime domains with Greek partners in the frame of different European programs such as CYBERMAR as well as the PESCO Pandora and H2020 projects.

The Belharra frigate will have a length of 122 m, a beam of 17.7 m, and a displacement of 4,460 tons. The ship will have a crew of 110 people as well as an aircrew detachment of approximately 15 people. She will also have a flight deck and one hangar to accommodate one unmanned VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) aircraft or one NH-90 naval helicopter.

The frigate will be powered by a combined diesel and diesel (CODAD) propulsion system. She will have the capability to reach a top speed of 27 knots (50.0 km/h) with a maximum cruising range of 5,000 nmi (9,300 km) at 15 knots (27.8 km/h).