A few days ago, the keel was laid for the first block of the third ship in the Greek defense and intervention frigate program (FDI program) at the Naval Group shipyard in Lorient. The Greek shipyard Salamis Shipyards is also involved in the construction of the “HS Formion” (HS stands for Hellenic Ship).
The FDI program made rapid progress in the last six months. The first ship, the “HS Kimon”, was launched in October 2023, its integrated mast, the Panoramic Sensor & Intelligence Module (PSIM), was installed in November, and port trials began in early March with the commissioning of the ship’s electrical distribution system. The Combat Management System (CMS) was commissioned on board at the end of March, with the latest version featuring many functions adapted for the Hellenic Navy. https://militaeraktuell.at/naechstes-highlight-bei-steadfast-defender-2024/ The first two Aster 30 vertical take-off systems (A50 – Sylver) were then installed at the beginning of April. In the coming months, further important program items are scheduled with the first sailing of the “HS Kimon” and the launching of the second ship, the “HS Nearchos”. The three frigates are due to be delivered in 2025 and 2026. The frigates are ocean-going warships in the 4,500-ton class. The 122 meter long and 18 meter wide ships reach a maximum speed of 27 knots (50 km/h). They are versatile, robust and have a wide range of capabilities in naval combat: anti-ship defense, air defense, anti-submarine warfare and the deployment of special forces. Further innovations from Thales, a partner of the Naval Group, have further improved the radar, sonar and electronic warfare capabilities.
The frigates of the FDI program are heavily armed with eight MBDA Exocet MM40 B3C anti-surface missiles and 32 MBDA Aster anti-aircraft missiles. They are also equipped with RAM missiles and MU90 submarine torpedoes from the Naval Group. Furthermore, the ships have a helicopter and capacities for unmanned aerial vehicles.
