” maiden Voyage: FREMM DA Lorraine Sets Sail as the Final Jewel of the Multi-Mission Frigate Fleet”
Naval Group commenced the inaugural sea trials of the FREMM DA Lorraine, a significant advancement before the frigate’s handover. Over the next several days, the eighth FREMM destined for the French Navy, and the second equipped with enhanced aerial defense features (FREMM DA), will undergo tests at sea off the Brittany coastline.
Initial sea trials of the final vessel in the French FREMM lineup. Commissioned by the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) on behalf of the French Procurement Agency (DGA) and the French Navy, the FREMM DA Lorraine stands as the eighth and final multi-mission frigate constructed for the French Navy. It is also the second FREMM featuring advanced air defense capabilities (FREMM DA).
Two hundred fifty personnel are deployed to prepare for this maiden sea trial. This session will facilitate the assessment of the ship’s propulsion and navigation systems. Following this, several evaluations will be conducted to test all onboard systems. The FREMM DA Lorraine is anticipated to be delivered by the end of the year.
Didier Trehin, Naval Group’s on-board supervisor for this initial campaign, stated: “This inaugural sea trial is a highly significant occasion, particularly as it marks the conclusion of the FREMM series. This is the first instance the ship has ventured into open waters. This achievement also signifies three years of preliminary work with our teams and collaborators. Thanks to ongoing dialogues since the program’s inception in 2005, the FREMM DA Lorraine integrates the latest and most effective technologies available.”
After its launch in November 2020, the first sea trial of the FREMM DA Lorraine is proceeding on schedule and in alignment with the company’s contractual obligation to hand over the vessel in 2022. Naval Group’s teams and partners have rallied together to achieve this milestone despite the challenges posed by the Covid pandemic.
The FREMM program continues to progress according to the timeline outlined in the latest Military Planning Law (LPM). Seven FREMM vessels have already been handed over to the French Navy between 2012 and 2021. These include Aquitaine in 2012, Provence in 2015, Languedoc in 2016, Auvergne in April 2017, Bretagne in July 2018, Normandie in July 2019, and Alsace in April 2021. On an international scale, the Mohammed VI was delivered to Morocco in 2014, and the Tahya Misr was provided to Egypt in 2015.
The FREMM has benefited from the insights gained throughout the program since its inception.
With an extraordinary 3,500 hours at sea annually, the FREMM’s capacity for availability on the water remains unparalleled and serves as a vital resource for feedback. Continuous communication among the navies, the DGA, the OCCAR, alongside the construction and maintenance teams, allows Naval Group to introduce technologies aligned with the evolving operational requirements of its clients.
As a result of this operational feedback, the FREMM DA Lorraine is equipped with new functionalities: enhanced cybersecurity capabilities, deployment of Liaison 22 (NATO’s secure digital communications system), a reduced width mast, a switch from optronic artillery fire control to a radar/optronic variant, and the incorporation of a tactical table.
A versatile FREMM that has harnessed the expertise of Naval Group and its industrial allies.
These multi-mission frigates, conceptualized and constructed by Naval Group, are versatile, stealthy, and extensively automated vessels, well-suited to tackle a range of air, maritime, underwater, or terrestrial threats.
The operational superiority of FREMMs is acknowledged globally, notably by the US Navy, with its 6th Fleet recognizing several FREMMs with the prestigious Hook’em Award for excellence in anti-submarine warfare for two consecutive years.
A multi-mission frigate signifies four million hours of labor, with about half of this benefiting the supply chain and local industries. The design, construction, and maintenance processes of FREMMs leverage two hundred fifty specialized skills, some of which necessitate up to eleven years of training (including carpenter-sheet metal worker, hull welder, boilermaker, etc.).
This frigate will be stationed in Toulon alongside the FREMM DA Alsace to provide aerial defense for major units such as the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier or the amphibious helicopter carrier (PHA), as part of either a naval or amphibious strike force. The FREMM vessels with enhanced air capabilities, Alsace and Lorraine, are thus equipped to fulfill the same anti-submarine warfare roles as the other FREMMs in the fleet, in addition to their boosted air defense functionalities.
The FREMM DA is also outfitted with state-of-the-art weaponry and equipment systems, including the Herakles multifunction radar supplied by Thales, Aster 15 and 30 as well as Exocet MM 40 missiles, MU 90 torpedoes, and three additional Combat Management System Setis® consoles in the “central operations” unit. Alike to the other FREMMs, the Lorraine will carry the NH90 helicopter (Caiman Marine), supported by the SAMAHE® system provided by Naval Group.
Key technical specifications of the FREMM DA Lorraine:
•Total Length: 142 meters
•Beam: 20 meters
•Displacement: 6,000 tons
•Maximum Velocity: 27 knots
•Crew: 118 personnel (+ 14 personnel for helicopter operations)
•Accommodations: 165 personnel
•Operational Range: 6,000 nautical miles at 15 knots
FREMMs with enhanced air defense capabilities (FREMM DA) can deploy:
- •8 Exocet MM40 Block 3 anti-ship missiles
- •32 Aster missiles in Sylver® vertical launch systems
- •One 76 mm main gun
- •Four 12.7 mm machine guns
- •19 MU90 torpedoes
- •One Caiman Marine combat helicopter
- •Two Narwhal 20 mm remotely operated guns
