French defence shipbuilder the Naval Group has launched the second defence and intervention frigate (frégate de défense et d'intervention; FDI) ordered by the French Navy.
The future Amiral Louzeau will be capable of anti-air warfare, anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and insertion and extraction of special operations forces. The ship was designed to be able to operate alone or as part of a naval task force and can be deployed long-term over long distances.
The frigate will enter sea trials in early 2027 and will be commissioned into service later that same year.
In French Navy service, the FDIs will complement the larger FREMM or Aquitaine-class frigates and will replace the La Fayette-class ships that have been in operation since the 1980s. The introduction of the FREMM and FDI ships into service is in line with the French Navy’s goal of having a fleet of 15 vessels classified as “first-rate” frigates.
Amiral Louzeau has a length of 121 metres, a beam of 18 metres, and armament consisting of surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles, torpedoes, and a 76mm naval gun.
The Naval Group said the FDI ships are also the first frigates to benefit from a digital architecture that will enable them to adapt continuously to technological and operational developments. As a result, the FDIs will be able to deal with current and future high-spectrum threats, with 360-degree coverage in all frequency bands, and process an ever-increasing amount of data.
