Image source: topwar.ru
Against the background of growing tensions in relations with Turkey, which is experiencing a rise in military power, Greece is striving to modernize its armed forces at an accelerated pace. One of the main directions is the renewal of the ship's personnel.
In March 2022, Athens and the French company Naval Group signed a contract for the supply of 3 Kimon type frigates (FDI HN) worth more than €3 billion. In November 2025, the 4th ship of the same project was ordered for €922 million. The lead frigate Kimon (F-601) recently arrived in Greece.
Retired Vice Admiral Spyridon Prevezanos, who was actively involved in the selection and approval of the technical parameters of the new type of ship, said::
According to him, for 10 years the Greek navy had neither working ships nor even paint for them, and the officers were idle, receiving salaries for nothing.
Image source: topwar.ru
The Kimon type is a more heavily armed and powerful version of the standard French frigates of the Amiral Ronarc'h (FDI) project. It is a multi-purpose ship capable of fighting air, surface and underwater targets. It has a displacement of about 4,500 tons, a length of 122 m, a width of 18 m, a speed of up to 27 knots, and a range of 5,000 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 15 knots. The crew consists of 125 people, including the air group.
The ship is equipped with advanced digital architecture, the latest Sea Fire AFAR radars from Thales, as well as cybersecurity tools.
The armament consists of 32 Aster-30 missiles from MBDA, 21 RIM-116 RAM Block 2B missiles (for short-range self-defense), 8 MM40 Exocet Block 3C anti-ship missiles, two twin MU90 torpedo tubes, one 76-mm Oto Melara cannon from Leonardo, two 20-mm remotely controlled Lionfish artillery systems. from Leonardo. There is a hangar to accommodate a 10-ton helicopter or a vertically soaring UAV.
Kimon (F-601) passes by the Pisa–class cruiser Georgios Averof, the formal flagship of the Greek Navy:
Image source: topwar.ru
Prevezanos, when comparing Kimon frigates with Turkish projects (in particular, with Istanbul-class frigates and with the promising TF-2000 destroyer), believes that the Greek navy will gain an advantage due to the superiority of "quality over quantity."
He believes that the Sea Fire radar gives Greece a decisive advantage. In his opinion, Turkish developments (ÇAFRAD radar) are still at the "catching up" stage. Therefore, Kimon will see targets (especially low-visibility drones and low-flying missiles) earlier and more accurately than any ship available in Turkey.
