According to the French shipbuilding group Naval Group, on October 21, 2022, in its arsenal in Loriana, the ceremony of the official laying and exhibition of the first block of the hull of the head frigate of the project FDI HN of the French type FDI (Frégates de Défense et d'Intervention), called F 601 Kimon (ΚΙΜΩΝ), was held. The ceremony of the official laying and exhibition of the first block of the hull of the F 601 Kimon frigate under construction for the Greek Navy (ΚΙΜΩΝ) of the French type FDI HN (Frégates de Défense et d'Intervention) in the arsenal of the French shipbuilding group Naval Group in Loriana on 10/21/2022 (c) Naval Group
Recall that an agreement worth about 3 billion euros on the acquisition by Greece in France of three frigates of the new French type FDI (the option for Greece is designated FDI HN), with an option for another frigate, was signed on March 24, 2022 in Falera in the suburbs of Athens. Earlier in September 2021, Greek Minister of National Defense Nicolas Panagiotopoulos signed a memorandum of understanding with the Naval Group and MBDA associations regarding the supply of three FDI HN frigates for the Greek Navy with an option for another ship, as well as weapons for them.
The FDI-type frigates are a new project of a "medium" multipurpose frigate for the French Navy, designed to replace five La Fayette-type frigates in the French Navy. The French Navy has ordered five FDI-type frigates, the lead of which D 660 Amiral Ronarc'h was started construction at the Naval Group Arsenal in Lorian on October 24, 2019 and officially laid down there on December 17, 2021. Its transfer to factory sea trials is expected by the end of 2022 with the transfer to the French Navy by the end of 2024. The fifth ship is to be handed over to the French Navy in 2029.
Greece became the first foreign customer of frigates of the type FDI. In September 2022, the Greek Navy assigned three ordered frigates of this type names in honor of the Greek ancient naval commanders - F 601 Kimon ("Kimon", ΚΙΜΩΝ), F 602 Nearchos ("Nearchus", VΕΑΡΧΟΣ) and F 603 Formion ("Formion", ΦΟΡΜΙΩΝ). All three frigates ordered by Greece are to be built by Naval Group in Loriana, with the first two to be commissioned in 2025, and the third in 2026. This is expected to lead to a one-year shift (for 2026 and 2027) of the deadlines for the delivery of the second and third frigates of the type FDI for the French fleet.
FDI-type frigates are smaller ships than FREMM-type frigates built for the French Navy, and until the end of 2018 were officially designated as "intermediate-size frigates" (Frégates de Taille Intermédiaire - FTI). A feature of the architecture of the frigates of the type FDI is the "water-cutting" shape of the bow of the ship. The total displacement of the frigate type FDI for the French Navy is 4,500 tons, the maximum length is 122 m, width is 18 m. The power plant is diesel (four diesel engines with a total capacity of 42900 hp), the highest speed is 27 knots, the cruising range is 5,000 miles at 15 knots, the autonomy is 45 days. The crew is 125 people with the possibility of accommodating another 28 people.
The armament of the FDI-type frigates for the French Navy should include eight MBDA Exocet MM40 Block 3C missile launchers, 16 Aster 15/30 vertical launch launchers, one 76 mm and two 20 mm artillery mounts, four 324 mm torpedo tubes for MU90 anti-submarine torpedoes, the NH90 Cayman helicopter is based in the hangar, as well as BLAH. It is reported that in the variant of the FDI HN, the Greek ships will have not 16, but 32 vertical launch launchers, and only for Aster 30 Block 1 missiles. In addition, the Greek ships will additionally receive one 21-charge launcher Mk 31 Rayhteon RAM Block 2B self-defense missile system of American production.
The electronic armament of the French and Greek ships of the FDI type will include a new multifunctional radar complex Thales Sea Fire 500 c AFAR in an integrated mast, SETIS control system, Kingklip Mk 11 and towed GAS CAPTAS 4, Aquilon communications complex, iXblue MARINS and iXblue NetANS navigation systems and SENTINEL electronic warfare complex.
The export version of the FDI frigates is promoted by Naval Group on the world market as a modular project under the designation BELH@RRA. The Greek Navy showed interest in this project from the very beginning and in October 2019 signed the first memorandum of understanding on the acquisition of two frigates of this type, and the commander of the Greek Navy, Admiral Nikolaos Tsaonis, attended the ceremony of the first steel cutting for the lead French frigate of this type Amiral Ronarc'h in Loriana. However, subsequently, the Greek Navy arranged a tender process for the selection of a new frigate, in which the Fincantieri FREMM, Damen SIGMA 11515, Lockheed Martin HF2 (a variant of the Freedom-type LCS ship) and Babcock Arrowhead 140 projects were also contenders. In reality, apparently, the tender was more of a formality and was used to improve negotiating positions with the French side.
Image of prospective frigates of the FDI HN project of the Greek Navy (c) of the Greek Navy