On March 24, 2022, Greece and Naval Group signed the contracts for three defense and intervention frigates, plus one optional, and their in-service support. Two FDI HN (Hellenic Navy) will be delivered in 2025 and the third one in 2026.
In accordance with the defense agreement signed last October between Greece and France, the Hellenic authorities have signed two contracts with Naval Group for the supply of three Defense and Intervention Frigates (FDI HN), plus one optional, as well as their in-service support.
The contracts include as well the supply of MU90 torpedoes and CANTO countermeasures. The contracts were signed today in Athens by Vice-Admiral (rtd) Aristeidis Alexopoulos, General Director of the General Directorate for Defense Investments and Armaments, and Pierre Éric Pommellet, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Naval Group, in the presence of the Greek Minister of Defense, Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos and the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly.
Pierre Éric Pommellet, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Naval Group said: “Naval Group is proud, along with its French industrial partners Dassault, MBDA and Thales, to be a part of this new chapter in the strategic alliance between Greece and France. Greece has chosen the latest generation of frigates that bring together the best of French naval know-how and will strengthen the capabilities of the Hellenic Navy. The frigates program is the first of many steps in the partnership between Naval Group and the Hellenic Navy and will contribute to the development of the partnership between our countries, our navies and our industries for decades to come.”
The FDI HN will quickly and sustainably enhance the capabilities of the Hellenic Navy's surface fleet as they will be delivered in a very short timeframe, starting in 2025 for the first two units and in 2026 for the third one.
Thanks to a very ambitious cooperation plan with the Hellenic industry (HIP, Hellenic Industry Participation Plan), this program offers numerous industrial opportunities in Greece, creating jobs and skills in the country. Naval Group's teams have been working in Greece for several months to establish partnerships with local industrial players with the objective of signing the first contracts in the coming months. With its R&D component, the cooperation plan is a sustainable plan that is fully in line with the objective of strengthening the European defense industrial and technological base through Franco-Greek cooperation.
The FDI HN features high level capabilities in all warfare domains: anti-ship, anti-air, antisubmarine and special forces projection. Its air and surface defenses are ensured by the most modern sensors, including the Thales Sea Fire, the first all-digital multifunction radar with an active antenna and fixed panels.
The FDI HN is equipped with a unique integrated mast that brings together all the airborne sensors, enabling permanent 360° surveillance. As the first frigate on the market to be natively protected against the cyber threat, the FDI HN is equipped with two data centers hosting almost all of the ship’s applications.
Technical specifications of the FDI HN:
- Displacement: 4,500 tons
- Length: approx. 122 meters
- Width: 18 meters
- Maximum speed: 27 knots
- Aviation facilities: 10-ton class helicopter, VTOL unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)
The main armaments of the FDI HN are:
- 32 Aster missiles developed by MBDA
- 8 Exocet MM40 B3C missiles developed by MBDA
- RAM missiles
- MU 90 torpedoes developed by Naval Group
- 76 mm gun
- 4 torpedo tubes
- CANTO counter measures developed by Naval Group
Naval Group is a partner to its customers’ maritime sovereignty. An international player in naval defense and heir to French naval know-how, Naval Group develops innovative solutions to meet the needs of navies. Present throughout the entire life cycle of the ships, the group designs, builds, integrates and maintains submarines and surface ships, as well as their systems and equipment, through to dismantling. It also provides services for shipyards and naval bases.
A high-tech company, Naval Group builds on its exceptional expertise, its unique design and production resources and its ability to set up strategic partnerships and successful transfers of technology. Attentive to the challenges of corporate social responsibility, Naval Group is a member of the United Nations Global Compact.
With operations on five continents, the group has a turnover of 4.1 billion euros and employs 16028 people (full-time equivalents /December 2021 data).
