The French Naval Group has handed over to the Greek Navy the frigate Nearchos, the second of four ships ordered of the type FDI HN (Belharra). According to Naval News, the ceremony was held in Lorient on Friday, October 30, in the presence of Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias and French Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin.
Given that the first frigate, the Kimon, was handed over to Athens in December 2025, and the third, the Formion, is going to be handed over by the end of 2026, the Greek navy will receive three ships of the FDI type during the year. Such a pace demonstrates the ability of the Naval Group to promptly meet the needs of customers.
The crew of the frigate "Nearchus", Greece
Naval Group
"Just ten months after the transfer of the Kimon, it is an honor for me to transfer the second FDI–type frigate to the Greek Navy," said Pierre Eric Pommellet, CEO of Naval Group. "Thank you to everyone who contributed to achieving this milestone – the company's staff and our partners in Greece and France, as well as the crew and the Greek Navy."
France and Greece signed a contract for the supply of three frigates of the type FDI HN in March 2022. Later, in November 2025, Athens ordered an additional fourth ship of this type. It is assumed that the Greek shipyard Salamis Shipyards will be actively involved in its production.
The Nearkh was laid down in 2023 and launched in September 2024. It is assumed that the official commissioning of the ship will take place in December this year.
The next frigate in the series, the Formion, was laid down in April 2024 and launched in January 2025. The transfer ceremony to the Greek navy is scheduled for December 17 this year, and commissioning is scheduled for April 2027.
The last ship, Themistocles, is due to be built by December 2028.
It should be noted that the Kimon was transferred to the Greek Navy in the initial Standard 1 configuration, equivalent to the basic version of the French fleet's FDI-type frigates. "Nearh" is built in the "Standard 2" configuration, and "Formion" is built in the "Standard 2+" version.
As previously reported, Greek frigates will undergo a series of phased upgrades until 2030, gradually moving to the "2++ Standard".
The final modification of the Standard 2++ will include the integration of additional weapons systems, including 16 Aster-30 anti-aircraft missiles, a 21-RAM Block 2B anti-aircraft missile launcher and the SYLENA Mk2 air defense system, as well as significant software updates and combat control systems, sensors and other electronics, including full integration of CAMCOPTER S-100 unmanned aerial vehicles.
The displacement of the FDI frigates is about 4,500 tons, the length of the hull is 122 meters, the width is 18 meters. The maximum speed is 27 knots. The range of navigation is 5,000 miles, and the autonomy is 45 days. The crew consists of 125 people (additional accommodation for 28 people is possible).
The ship's combat systems are controlled by the SETIS 3.0 system, developed by the Naval Group. The frigates' arsenal includes MM40 Exocet anti-ship missiles, Aster 15/30 anti-aircraft missiles, 76-mm artillery systems, remotely controlled 20-mm Narwhal artillery complexes and 324-mm torpedo tubes. It is also planned to base a multi-purpose NH90 helicopter on board.
