French Navy commissions eighth FREMM frigate Lorraine.

According to information published by the French MoD on November 14, 2023, Admiral Vaujour, Chief of Staff of the French Navy, officially commissioned the Lorraine, a new multi-mission frigate with enhanced air defense capabilities (FREMM-DA). The Lorraine is now operational and ready for deployment.
Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link

French Navy's FREMM frigate Lorraine. (Picture source: French MFA)

This addition strengthens the French Navy's future fleet, which by 2035 will comprise 15 frigates: eight FREMM (including two DA), two air defense frigates (FDA), and five future defense and intervention frigates (FDI).

FREMM

The FREMM, standing for "European multi-purpose frigate," is a joint Franco-Italian project of multi-purpose frigates designed by Naval Group and Fincantieri. In France, it's referred to as the Aquitaine class, with initially 17 units planned but later reduced to 8. Italy named it the Bergamini class, with 10 units planned.

The first, Aquitaine, was commissioned by the French Navy in November 2012. Italy's order included six general-purpose and four anti-submarine variants, while France ordered six anti-submarine and two air-defense variants.

The FREMM design has been adapted for export, notably to the United States Navy for their Constellation class frigates. Initially, three FREMM variants were proposed: anti-submarine, general-purpose, and land-attack. However, the land-attack variant was cancelled, and France reduced its order significantly due to budget constraints.

A third variant, FREDA (Air defense frigate), was developed for France's air-defence needs, featuring a more powerful radar system and an enhanced missile launch system. DCNS, at Euronaval 2012, showcased the FREMM-ER, an evolution of FREDA, emphasizing ballistic missile defense and anti-air warfare capabilities, equipped with the advanced Thales Sea Fire 500 radar.