TSAMTO, March 25. In accordance with the bilateral agreement on strategic defense cooperation concluded in September 2021, the Greek authorities signed two contracts with Naval Group for the supply of three FDI HN frigates (Belharra class).
The contracts were signed on March 24 in Athens by the General Director of the General Directorate of Defense Investments and Armaments, Vice Admiral (retired) Aristides Alexopoulos and Pierre Eric Pommelle, Chief Executive Officer of the French shipbuilding company Naval Group, in the presence of Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos and French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly.
As planned, the frigates will be delivered in a short time: the first two - in 2025, the third - in 2026. The agreement also contains an option for the supply of another frigate and provides for the support of ships during operation. The contracts also include the supply of MU-90 torpedoes and CANTO false targets.
As reported by TSAMTO, on September 28, 2021, Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos, Chief Executive Officer of the French shipbuilding company Naval Group Pierre Eric Pommelle and MBDA CEO Eric Beranger signed a memorandum of understanding providing for the start of negotiations on the supply of three new multi-purpose frigates to the Greek Navy FDI HN (Fregate de Defense et Intervention Hellenic Navy), and also related equipment and weapons.
In December 2021, the Greek Ministry of Defense announced that the government's decision to purchase three French frigates Belharra in the amount of about 3 billion. euro ($3.51 billion) is final. In fact, Greece refused the US offer to supply four multi-purpose surface warships worth $6.9 billion, along with the modernization of existing Meko-class ships worth $2.5 billion.
On February 15, 2022, the Greek Parliament approved the signing of an agreement worth 3 billion. euro for the supply of three new French-made FDI HN frigates.
The frigate FDI HN will be a multi-purpose warship designed to solve a wide range of tasks, including anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare, air defense, and support for MTR operations. It will be equipped with modern sensors, including Thales' multifunctional Sea Fire radar. The integrated mast will be equipped with sensors that provide continuous monitoring at 360 degrees. The FDI will be the first frigate on the market, initially protected from cyber threats, with two data processing centers, where a significant part of the ship's applications will be located.
The length of the frigate will be 122 m, the maximum width - 18 m, displacement - 4500 tons. The ship will be equipped with a CODAD-type GEU. The maximum design speed is 27 knots, autonomy is 45 days, the crew is 125 people + 28 passengers.
The frigates' armament kit will include a 76-mm artillery mount, 8 MM40 B3C Exocet anti-ship missiles developed by MBDA, 4 torpedo tubes with MU-90 anti-submarine torpedoes developed by Naval Group, 32 Aster-15/30 missiles, RAM missiles, CANTO false targets. The ships will be able to simultaneously use helicopters (class 10 tons, for example NH-90) and unmanned aerial vehicles for vertical takeoff and landing (class up to 700 kg). A group of SSOs with two landing boats will be able to accommodate on board.
