French frigate Amiral Ronarc'h

Last updated
FDI en construction.jpg
Amiral Ronarc'h during fitting out at Lorient shipyard on 4 December 2022
History
Civil and Naval Ensign of France.svgFrance
NameAmiral Ronarc'h
Namesake Pierre Alexis Ronarc'h
Builder Naval Group, Lorient
Laid down17 December 2021
Launched7 November 2022
Acquired17 October 2025 [1]
CommissionedProjected Summer 2026
Homeport Brest [2] [3]
Identification Pennant number: D660
StatusPost-acceptance sea trials
General characteristics
Class & type Frégate de défense et d'intervention
Displacement4,500  t (4,400 long tons)
Length122 m (400 ft 3 in)
Beam17.7 m (58 ft 1 in)
Propulsion
Speed27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph)
Range5,000  nmi (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Endurance45 days
Boats & landing
craft carried		2 × RHIB
Complement110 (+15 helicopter detachment)
Sensors &
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys
  • Thales SENTINEL ESM
  • CANTO anti-torpedo decoys
Armament
Aircraft carried

Amiral Ronarc'h (D660) is a French Navy defence and intervention frigate and the lead ship of her class, launched in 2022 and to be commissioned in 2026. She is named after Admiral Pierre Alexis Ronarc'h.

Contents

Design and description

Amiral Ronarc'h has a length of 122 m (400 ft), a beam of 17.7 m (58 ft), and her displacement is 4,500  t (4,400 long tons ). The ship is powered by combined diesel and diesel (CODAD) propulsion with total power output of 32,000  kW (43,000  shp ). Her maximum speed is 27 knots (50 km/h), range of 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km) while cruising at 15 knots (28 km/h), [4] and endurance up to 45 days. [5] The frigate could accommodate 150 personnel, including the usual complement of 110 ship crew and 15 crew for the helicopter detachment. [4]

She is armed with one Oto Melara 76 mm Super Rapid gun and two 20 mm Nexter Narwhal remote controlled weapon station. For surface warfare, Amiral Ronarc'h are equipped with eight Exocet MM40 Block 3 anti-ship missiles, and two Sylver A50 8-cell vertical launch system for 16 MBDA Aster 15/30 anti-aircraft missiles. For anti-submarine warfare, she is equipped with two twin 324 mm torpedo tubes for MU90 Impact torpedoes. The ship also equipped with non-lethal weapon systems for asymmetrical warfare [6] [4]

Her electronic system and sensors consisted of Thales Sea Fire 500 multi-function active electronically scanned array search and track radar, Aquilon integrated communication and identification friend or foe system, SETIS 3.0 combat management system, Kingklip Mark II hull-mounted sonar, CAPTAS-4 towed sonar, Thales SENTINEL electronic support measures suite and CANTO anti-torpedo decoys. [7] [6] [4]

Amiral Ronarc'h also has a hangar and flight deck at stern and could accommodate one SDAM UAV and one NH90 or Guépard Marine (H160M) helicopter equipped with MU90 torpedoes and dipping sonar, air-to-surface missiles, and/or heavy machine gun. [8] [5] [9] The frigate also carries two rigid-hull inflatable boats for patrolling or for Special Forces purpose. [6] [4]

Construction and career

The construction of the ship was started with the first steel cutting ceremony at the Naval Group shipyard in Lorient on 24 October 2019. [10] Her keel was laid down on 17 December 2021. [11] Amiral Ronarc'h was ceremonially launched on 7 November 2022. The ship was partially launched by flooding her construction dock. The frigate was later towed by tugboats to the outfitting pier on the bank of Scorff River. [6] It had been planned to commission Amiral Ronarc'h in 2024. However, delays in her fitting out and the start of sea trials pushed back her delivery into 2025. [12] She began her sea trials in October 2024. [13] In September 2025, the frigate departed the Lorient shipyard for delivery at her home port at Brest. She was expected to undertake a long-term deployment as part of her workup period in early 2026 and then be commissioned toward the middle of the year. [14]

In October 2025, Amiral Ronarc'h received her first at-sea replenishment from the support ship Somme. [15]

References

  1. ↑ Vavasseur, Xavier (20 October 2025). "Naval Group delivers first FDI frigate to the French Navy". Naval News. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  2. ↑ Vavasseur, Xavier (22 September 2025). "France's first FDI frigate reaches homeport in Brest". Naval News. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  3. ↑ Louédec, Mickaël (8 November 2022). "À Brest, trois frégates et des centaines de marins supplémentaires d'ici quelques mois". Ouest France (in French). Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "FTI Medium-Size Frigates". naval-technology.com. 18 June 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  5. 1 2 "France accelerates the FDI frigates program". navyrecognition.com. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Naval Group Floats First New FDI Frigate For The French Navy". navalnews.com. 7 November 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  7. ↑ "Thales High-Tech Systems On Board French Navy's Future Medium-Size Frigates". thalesgroup.com. 18 October 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  8. ↑ Groizeleau, Vincent (17 December 2021). "En présence des Grecs, la France met sur cale sa première FDI" . Mer et Marine (in French). Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  9. ↑ Vavasseur, Xavier (9 June 2020). "France Speeds Up UAV Procurement For French Navy As Part Of Industry Recovery Plan". navalnews.com. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  10. ↑ "Naval Group starts construction on France's newest frigate". defensenews.com. 25 October 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  11. ↑ "French Naval Group holds keel-laying ceremony for first FDI frigate". navyrecognition.com. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  12. ↑ Tanguy, Jean-Marc (11 July 2024). "La frégate La Fayette fera une première mission en Atlantique cet été". le Marin (in French). Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  13. ↑ Groizeleau, Vincent (8 October 2024). "FDI : l'Amiral Ronarc'h prend la mer, Naval Group lance la construction de la 6ème frégate". Mer et Marine (in French). Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  14. ↑ Groizeleau, Vincent (16 September 2025). "Naval Group en passe de livrer sa première FDI à la Marine nationale". Mer et Marine (in French). Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  15. ↑ "La Somme en stage de mise en condition opérationnelle". Marine Nationale (in French). 21 October 2025. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
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