Plans for the future of the French Navy (Marine Nationale) were revealed by the Defense Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, during his visit to a naval base in Brittany.
According to the Minister, the French Navy will eventually acquire only eight Aquitaine-class (FREMM) frigates, instead of the eleven vessels that were planned initially.
Besides the eight Aquitaine-class frigates, the Navy will build five more new generation frigates, FTIs (Frégates de Taille Intermédiaire or Midsize Frigates) in order to replace the La Fayette-class multi-mission light frigates. Delivery of these vessels will start in 2023. Once delivered they will form the future fleet of the French Navy, together with two Horizon-class anti-aircraft warfare destroyers and eight Aquitaine-class antisubmarine warfare frigates.
At the moment there are 21 surface vessels on the inventory of the French Navy (of which 15 are front-line surface combatants). These 21 surface vessels comprise:
- Two Horizon-class anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) destroyers,
- One Aquitaine-class anti-submarine warfare frigate,
- Two Cassard-class anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) destroyers,
- Five George Leygues-class (Type F70) anti-submarine destroyers,
- Five La Fayette-class multi-mission light frigates,
- Six Floréal-class light surveillance frigates.
Based on the updated French Military Planning Law, the French Navy will have to replace an Aquitaine-class (FREMM) frigate that was recently sold to Egypt, with a new vessel. The anti-submarine warfare frigate, D651 Normandie, was sold to Egypt two months ago.
Altogether six anti-submarine warfare frigates of the Aquitaine-class have been ordered, and will be delivered to the French Navy before mid-2019. These are the:
- D650 Aquitaine (Already in Service)
- D652 Provence (To be commissioned in 2015)
- D653 Languedoc (Launched on the 12th of July 2014)
- D654 Auvergne (Laid down in 2012)
- D655 Alsace
- D651 Normandie’s replacement.
Two more frigates with enhanced anti-aircraft warfare capabilities, the D656 Bretagne and D657 Lorraine, will be delivered in 2021 and 2022, replacing two Cassard-class anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) frigates.
Regarding the FTI/Midsize frigate shipbuilding programme, the first of these five ships will be delivered to the French Navy in 2023. This means that for a short period of time, the French shipyards will have to run two shipbuilding programmes simultaneously, the construction of the last vessel of the Aquitaine-class and the construction of the first vessel of the FTI frigate programme.
The new FTI/Midsize frigate will be a multi-role vessel, smaller and lower cost than the Aquitaine-class. No further details have been given about the new vessel.