Floréal-class frigate
Frigate Vendémiaire of the French Navy
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Class overview | |
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Name | Floréal class |
Builders | Chantiers de l'Atlantique, Saint-Nazaire |
Operators | |
Preceded by | D'Estienne d'Orves class |
Succeeded by | La Fayette class; European Patrol Corvette (planned from 2030) |
In commission | 1992–present |
Completed |
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Active |
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General characteristics of French frigates | |
Type | Frigate |
Displacement | |
Length | 93.5 m (306 ft 9 in) |
Beam | 14 m (45 ft 11 in) |
Draught | 4.3 m (14 ft 1 in) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
Range | 9,000 nmi (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
Troops | 24 marines |
Complement | 90 |
Sensors and processing systems |
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Electronic warfare & decoys |
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Armament |
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Aircraft carried | 1 Panther helicopter or Dauphin N3 (the latter replaced former Aérospatiale Alouette III on some ships in 2022). |
Aviation facilities | Flight deck and hangar |
The Floréal class is a type of light "surveillance
The ships' main armament was two
Two more ships were ordered by the Royal Moroccan Navy in July 1999. Constructed by Chantiers de l'Atlantique in 2001–2002, they resemble the French vessels with minor changes. Their main armament are the two Exocet missiles and a Otobreda 76 mm (3 in) gun. The two frigates, Mohammed V and Hassan II, entered service in 2002–2003 and are used primarily for training and patrol.
Design and description
The Floréal class evolved out of a need to produce a cheaper frigate for patrol in the low-threat environments of France's territorial waters and
The frigates are powered by a
The class was initially only to be armed with the weaponry that would be required for the patrol mission, but this was later increased.[4] The frigates were armed with two Exocet MM38 surface-to-surface missiles in launchers situated centrally atop the midships superstructure. Each missile had a range of 42 kilometres (26 mi), carried a 165 kg (364 lb) warhead and could reach speeds up to Mach 0.9.[2] However, at the end of the missile's life cycle in 2014, the launchers were removed as the French Navy did not intend to replace the capability aboard the ships.[6] The ships mount one 100 mm CADAM turret with the Najir fire control system located forwards. The 100 mm (4 in) gun can fire 78 rounds per minute, each round weighing 13.5 kg (30 lb) up to a range of 17 kilometres (11 mi). The frigates are also equipped with two 20 mm modèle F2 guns situated in atop the aft superstructure which can fire 720 rounds per minute up to 10 kilometres (6.2 mi). The frigates are equipped with DRBV-21C (Mars) air sentry, Racal Decca RM1290 navigation and Racal Decca RM1290 landing radars along with ARBG-1A Saïgon communications intercept, CSF ARBR 16A radar intercept electronic surveillance systems and two Dagaie decoy systems.[2]
Ships of the Floréal class mount a 30-by-15-metre (98 by 49 ft) helicopter landing pad located on the stern and a 10-by-15-metre (33 by 49 ft) hangar.[2][7] The frigates are capable of operating the embarked Eurocopter AS565 Panther up to sea state 5,[2][4] and are capable of operating helicopters up to the size of the Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma. However, as late as 2021, Aérospatiale Alouette III helicopters were also being embarked, notably in the Pacific region.[8][9] In 2022, the Eurocopter Dauphin N3 was earmarked to replace the Aérospatiale Alouette III aboard some ships when the Alouette IIIs were withdrawn from service.[10][11] The vessels have a complement of 90 including the aircrew and officers and 24 marines with capacity for a further 13 personnel.[2] The ships are equipped with improved medical facilities including a consultation room and hospital beds for use during humanitarian missions.[4]
Construction
The first two ships were ordered on 20 January 1989, the second pair on 9 January 1990 and the final two in January 1991. The ships are named after months of the
Ships in class
Construction data[2] | ||||||
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Pennant no. | Name | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Status |
F 730 | Floréal | Chantiers de l'Atlantique, Saint-Nazaire, France | 2 April 1990 | 6 October 1990 | 27 May 1992 | In service |
F 731 | Prairial | 11 September 1990 | 16 March 1991 | 20 May 1992 | In service | |
F 732 | Nivôse | 16 January 1991 | 10 August 1991 | 16 October 1992 | In service | |
F 733 | Ventôse | 28 June 1991 | 14 March 1992 | 5 May 1993 | In service | |
F 734 | Vendémiaire | 17 January 1992 | 23 August 1992 | 21 October 1993 | In service | |
F 735 | Germinal | 17 August 1992 | 14 March 1993 | 18 May 1994 | In service |
Service
The Floréal-class frigates main purpose for the French Navy is to patrol and support French forces in the
It is anticipated that the class will be replaced in French service in the 2030s with the planned European Patrol Corvette.[19]
Export variants
The Royal Moroccan Navy operates two Floréal-class frigates, Mohammed V and Hassan II. The two frigates are named after the late Kings Mohammed V and Hassan II. They were acquired with three Panther helicopters in July 1999. The Moroccan frigates of the class are similar to those in French service with a few changes. The frigates are powered by a CODAD system comprising the same four SEMT Pielstick 6 PA6 L280 BPC diesel engines driving two shafts each turning a LIPS controllable pitch propeller. The CODAD system is rated at 7,200 kilowatts (9,600 hp) The vessels are also equipped with one 250-kilowatt (340 hp) bow thruster. Other differences include one Otobreda 76 mm (3 in) gun turret with Najir fire control system located forwards instead of the French 100 mm gun. The frigates are capable of being armed with two 20 mm modèle F2 guns situated in atop the aft superstructure, but did not come with the weapons installed. In place of the 20 mm (0.8 in) guns, the Moroccan Floréal-class frigates can be fitted with twin launchers for Simbad surface-to-air missiles. The Moroccan frigates are equipped with two Decca Bridgemaster radars, one for use as navigational radar, the other for helicopter control, and Thomsen-CSF ARBR 17 radar intercept electronic surveillance system.[20]
Ships in class
Construction data[20] | ||||||
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Pennant no. | Name | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Status |
611 | Mohammed V | Chantiers de l'Atlantique, Saint-Nazaire, France | June 1999 | 9 March 2001 | 12 March 2002 | In service |
612 | Hassan II | December 1999 | 11 February 2002 | 20 December 2002 | In service |
Philippines
STX France revealed a modernized variant of the Floréal class that it was offering to the Philippine Navy in 2014.[21][22]
See also
Citations
- ^ a b Jordan 1995, pp. 119–120.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Saunders 2009, p. 258.
- ^ Jordan 1995, p. 119.
- ^ a b c d e Jordan 1995, p. 120.
- ^ Massicot 2010, pp. 53–54.
- ^ Groizeleau, Vincent (26 November 2015). "Les frégates de surveillance évoluent" [Surveillance frigates are evolving]. Mer et Marine (in French). Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ Massicot 2010, p. 55.
- ^ Vavasseur, Xavier (24 May 2021). "Video Interview: The French Navy In The Indo-Pacific". Naval News. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ "Prairial Stops in Cam Ranh Bay for Helicopter Repairs". Seawaves Magazine. 16 March 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
- ^ Groizeleau, Vincent (30 June 2022). "Les Alouette III terminent leur carrière embarquée avec Corymbe et RIMPAC" [The Alouette IIIs end their on-board career with Corymbe and RIMPAC]. Mer et Marine. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
- ^ Groizeleau, Vincent (17 October 2022). "Un nouvel hélicoptère pour la frégate de surveillance Prairial en Polynésie" [A new helicopter for the surveillance frigate Prairial in Polynesia]. Mer et Marine (in French). Retrieved 17 October 2022.
- ^ Massicot 2010, p. 50.
- ^ Groizeleau, Vincent (12 July 2017). "Les Floréal auront un successeur spécifique" [The Floréals will have a specific successor]. Mer et Marine (in French). Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ISSN 1834-7231. Archived from the original(PDF) on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
- ^ "Histoire et actualités de la frégate Nivôse" [Frigate Nivôse history and news]. Netmarine.net (in French). Archived from the original on 2008-11-06. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
- ^ "Suspected pirates rescued in Gulf of Aden". CNN. 5 December 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
- ^ Britz, Caroline (7 September 2017). "Ouragan Irma : Deux frégates françaises vont porter assistance aux îles sinistrées" [Hurricane Irma: Two French frigates to assist the disaster-stricken islands]. meretmarine.com (in French). Retrieved 24 December 2019.
- ^ "Rescatados 16 cuerpos en el océano" [16 bodies recovered in the ocean]. BBC Mundo (in Spanish). 7 June 2009. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
- ^ Kington, Tom (3 November 2021). "Amid high hopes, can the European Patrol Corvette deliver?". Defense News. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
- ^ a b Saunders 2009, p. 531.
- ^ "STX France lève le voile sur Defendseas". Mer et Marine (in French). 30 October 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
- ^ "STX France se relance dans le militaire". Mer et Marine (in French). 27 October 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
References
- Jordan, John (1995). "France". In Chumbley, Stephen (ed.). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. pp. 95–131. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
- Massicot, Jean (2010). Navires de guerre et marine française (in French). Toulon, France: Desnoel. ISBN 978-1-4461-4597-5.
- Saunders, Stephen, ed. (2009). Jane's Fighting Ships 2009–2010 (112 ed.). Alexandria, Virginia: Jane's Information Group Inc. ISBN 978-0-7106-2888-6.