Frégates de taille intermédiaire

The Intermediate Frigate (FTI) program responds to the need for a fleet of fifteen first-class frigates and allows the French Navy to operate in a crisis zone, as recommended in the White Paper on Defense and National Security of 2013. These frigates join the ten examples of the FREMM multipurpose frigate (Aquitaine) class and Horizon class.

Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announces the launch of this program on 29 May 2015 on the naval aviation base in Lann-Bihoué (Ploemeur, Morbihan). A total of five ships should be produced, the first taking the place within the last three planned Aquitaine Class frigates.

The FTIs, of a contained size, would better correspond to the demands of the export markets according to the Directorate-General for Armaments and also make it possible to maintain the development and production capacities of the French shipyards.

These ships will supercede the La Fayette-class frigates ship for ship, in the role of first rank frigates. Ultimately, it is anticipated that the FDI-class will replace the La Fayette-class. In the interim, a modernization of three vessels in the La Fayette-class is being undertaken to extend their useful lives into the early 2030s.

According to Admiral Bernard Rogel and the Direction générale de l'Armement, the FDI are being endowed with significant anti-aircraft capabilities with active antenna radar and fixed planes, anti-submarine means (helicopter and towed sonar ), and would have a displacement of 4,000 to 4,500 tonnes.

The French Defence Ministry announced the attribution to DCNS of a contract for the development and construction of five intermediate-size frigates (FTIs) intended for the French Navy on the 21 April 2017.[3] The new frigate, to be named BELH@RRA, will be equipped with electronic systems and sensors developed by Thales[4] and will be equipped with Aster 30 missiles from MBDA Aster 15/30:[3]

• The SEA FIRE all-digital multi-function radar with four fixed antennas, which will meet the requirements of a broad range of missions, from ship self-defence to extended air defence, and can deploy MBDA Aster 15/30

• The compact version of the CAPTAS-4 towed-array sonar, delivers the same ultra-long-range detection performance as the original version of CAPTAS-4 with 20% lower weight and a footprint almost 50% smaller, claimed to be the best in its class by Thales.

• The Aquilon integrated digital communications system, and an IFF (Identification Friend of Foe) associated with the SEA FIRE radar

• The SENTINEL system, an advanced digital electronic warfare system built around a modular architecture.