On 16th April 2021 in Toulon (France), in presence of the French Minister of the Armed forces Florence Parly, Naval Group delivered the FREMM DA Alsace, in accordance with its schedule commitments and expected performances. Intended for the French navy, Alsace is the first of the two air defense frigates with enhanced air defense capability and the seventh FREMM multi-missions frigate ordered by OCCAR (Joint Armament Cooperation Organization) for the French defense procurement agency (Direction Générale de l’Armement - DGA) for the French Navy.
FREMM DA Alsace is the first frigate with enhanced air defense capability. Her role will be the anti-aircraft defense of major units such as the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, or that of PHA-type landing helicopter docks, within the framework of a naval air and amphibious group.
Despite the health crisis, the FREMM DA Alsace is being delivered on schedule by shifts from Naval Group and its industrial partners. Benefiting from the experience acquired on the FREMM already delivered, it also incorporates several capability upgrades in response to rapidly changing technologies (communications, cyber defense, etc.).
The main milestones of FREMM DA Alsace:
- February 2018: Key laying of the first block
- April 2019: Floating out of construction dock
- October 2020: First sea trial;
- 16 April 2021: Delivery in Toulon
The FREMM program mobilizes many skills and hundreds different trades including architects, boilermakers, welders, mechanics, systems engineers, etc.
Like the other units of the FREMM series, Alsace represents around three millions working hours from conception to delivery, half of these working hours are provided by Naval Group sites. In addition to Lorient where the frigate is designed and assembled, Toulon-Ollioules and Paris-Bagneux are also involved for the combat system, Nantes-Indret for the propulsion, Angoulême-Ruelle for the equipment, and Saint-Tropez for the underwater weapons.
The other half of the work hours is accounted for by Naval Group's partners and subcontractors. Indeed, the FREMM program benefits from the best equipment on the market and calls on a large number of companies, including Thales, MBDA, Sagem, Jeumont, MTU, Oto Melara and Avio.
Alsace will be based in Toulon, where the teams of the Services Department will deploy all their industrial resources and skills to ensure the operational availability of this ship.
“We are very pleased to be here in Toulon for the delivery, on schedule, despite the health crisis, of this first FREMM multi-missions frigate with enhanced air defense capability. I would like to express Naval Group’s gratitude to our clients, who have placed their trust in us and are working with us on a daily basis to build these versatile frigates. Alsace has the same exceptional anti-submarine capabilities as the previous units of the FREMM series but with this new version, the French Navy will benefit from strengthened air defense capabilities, in accordance with the commitments of the military programming law,” said Pierre Eric Pommellet, Chairman and CEO.
Since 2005, when OCCAR entrusted Naval Group the industrial production of the FREMM program for France, Naval Group has built nine ships, seven for the French Navy and two for the Royal Moroccan Navy and the Royal Egyptian Navy, respectively. The eighth and last FREMM DA for France is scheduled in 2022.
- Aquitaine: November 2012
- Mohammed VI for the Royal Moroccan Navy: 2014
- Provence: June 2015
- Tahya Misr: for the Royal Egyptian Navy: 2015
- Languedoc: March 2016
- Auvergne: April 2017
- Bretagne: July 2018
- Normandie: July 2019
- Lorraine: 20221
Heavily armed like all FREMM frigates, Alsace was designed to answer the operational requirements of the French Navy. She benefits from the continuous evolution intrinsic to the FREMM program to incorporate the latest technological developments and integrates the latest developments ordered by OCCAR, according to an unchanged delivery schedule.
The architecture of the first units of the FREMM series designed by Naval Group has been retained. What characterizes the FREMM Alsace is her increased anti-air warfare capabilities.
The FREMM DA uses the most advanced weapons systems and equipment, such as the Herakles multifunction radar, the Aster 15 and 30 and Exocet MM 40 missiles and the MU 90 torpedoes. Like the other units of the FREMM series, she carries the NH90 helicopter (Caïman Marine), whose use is supported by the SAMAHE® system supplied by Naval Group.
The performance of her combat system are strengthened with increased radar and communication capabilities, a new radar and electro-optical fire control system as well as Naval Group SETIS® Combat Management System equipped with specific air defense functions.
FREMM DA Technical features
- Overall length: 142 meters
- Width: 20 meters
- Displacement: 6000 tons
- Maximum speed: 27 knots
- Accommodation capacity: 165 peoples
- Autonomy: 6000 nautical miles at 15 knots
All units of the FREMM series with enhanced air defense capability can deploy:
- 8 anti-ships missiles Excocet MM40 Block 3
- 32 missiles Aster in vertical launch system Sylver®
- 1 main naval-gun 76 mm
- 4 machine guns 12.7 mm
- 19 MU90 torpedo
- 1 Caïman naval warfare helicopter
- 2 Narwhal 20-mm remotely-operated naval weapon
Naval Group is the European leader in naval defense. Naval Group uses its extraordinary know-how, unique industrial resources and capacity to arrange innovative strategic partnerships to meet its customers’ requirements. As a system-integrator and prime contractor, the group designs, produces and supports submarines and surface ships. It also supplies services to shipyards and naval bases.
Attentive to corporate social responsibility, Naval Group adheres to the United Nations Global Compact. The group reports revenues of 3.3 billion euros and has a workforce of 15,798 (data for 2020).
