DCNS launches Moroccan FREMM frigate

 

(Photo: DCNS)

September 14, 2011 defpro.com

Lorient | On 14 September 2011, DCNS launched the FREMM multimission frigate for the Royal Moroccan Navy. The launch took place at DCNS's Lorient shipyard in the presence of senior Moroccan and French officials and is a major milestone in the construction of the vessel, scheduled for delivery in 2013.

DCNS today launched the FREMM multimission frigate for Morocco. The event at the Group's Lorient shipyard was attended by Admiral Laghmari, Inspector General of Royal Moroccan Navy, Admiral Verwaerde of the French Navy and Patrick Boissier, Chairman & CEO of DCNS.

Around 500 DCNS personnel and guests watched as the first FREMM frigate for an export customer was manoeuvred by tugs to the quayside at DCNS's Lorient facility.

Construction of this state-of-the-art warship for the Royal Moroccan Navy began at Lorient in December 2008.

As a frontline frigate, it will enhance the Royal Moroccan Navy's operational capabilities. Designed for reduced crewing, with a complement of just over 100, it will operate in anti-air, anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare roles.

In the next few months, DCNS personnel at the Lorient facility will continue assembly work on the vessel at the quayside. The next major phase is installation of the mast infrastructure, which will house the vessel's sensor suites.

FREMM, A MAJOR PROGRAMME FOR DCNS AND PARTNERS

The French FREMM programme calls for 12 ships — 11 for the French Navy and one for the Royal Moroccan Navy.

FREMM frigates are among the most technologically advanced and competitively priced on the world market. These heavily armed warships are being built under DCNS prime contractorship to carry state-of-the-art weapons and systems including the Herakles multifunction radar, Aster anti-air missiles, Exocet MM40 anti-ship missiles and MU90 torpedoes.

These innovative multirole frigates are designed to respond to all types of threats with unparalleled flexibility, interoperability and availability. The contract to build a FREMM frigate for the Royal Moroccan Navy demonstrates that the type also meets the needs and expectations of international client navies.

FREMM technical data:

• Length overall: 142 m

• Beam: 20 m

• Displacement: 6,000 tonnes

• Max. speed: 27 knots

• Complement: 108 (including helicopter crew)

• Accommodation: 145 men and women