France Builds Warships to Fight Drones, Destroy Ballistic Missiles and Hunt Submarines

Sea trials of the FDI Amiral Ronarc'h (D660). (Wikimedia Commons/Marine nationale)

France has built a warship designed to fight drone swarms, destroy ballistic missiles, and hunt down enemy submarines.

Under the Frégate de Défense et d'Intervention (FDI) program, the ships in this class, which are planned to be five units, are designed to be able to deal with drones, destroy ballistic missiles and hunt submarines, making them face various challenges.

The ships are in the process of being built, with the first ship scheduled to be operational by summer.

FDI is said to have one of the most advanced anti-drone systems on a warship with the ability to regularly update its Sea Fire radar software.

This program is being carried out at the Naval Group shipyard in Lorient. The first ship in this class is the frigate Amiral Ronarc'h (D660) which weighs around 4,500 tons.

"This is the best ship capable of facing all threats in modern warfare with a very large growth capacity to adapt to new threats," Herve Boy, former French naval commander and Naval Group operational expert, told The National, as quoted (2/4).

Construction of the FDI warship in Lorient. (Wikimedia Commons/KRaikkonen01)

The Naval Focus publication also noted the Sea Fire's radar, which gives it 360º surveillance and "resistance to saturation attacks" which is a "significant change in the ability for a ship of this size."

The system also provides FDI "cyber resilience from the design stage" which recognizes "cyber attacks as an operational threat and not just a technical issue."

In addition, the inverted bow of the FDI - something also adopted by ultra-modern superyachts - provides much greater stability by reducing "bumps" in the open sea.

In recent trials, the vessel was able to maintain a speed of 20 knots in seven-metre wave and near-storm wind conditions with a bow that allowed the ship to absorb shock with less impact or pressure on its internal structure.

The frigate is also capable of accelerating quickly to 25 knots in less than two minutes. The ship can travel at a speed of 1,200 km/h with a range of 250 km and carries a warhead weighing 165 kg.

In the front part there is a vertical launch cell capable of firing 32 Aster 15 or 30 interceptor missiles designed to shoot down aircraft, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles in the air.

Meanwhile, eight MBDA Exocet missiles are waiting in the middle of the ship to be launched at enemy warships.

Then, four torpedo tubes that can fire MU90 light torpedoes into submarines - manned or unmanned, along with anti-submarine helicopters and 20 mm cannons.

If all that fails to stop the enemy, the main gun OTO Melara 76 mm Super Rapid can destroy anti-ship missiles, at a rate of two shots per second.

FDI Amiral Ronarc'h (D660). (Wikimedia Commons/Direction générale de l'armement)

Naval Group, which is partly owned by the French government and Thales, is also developing a Modular Multipurpose Launcher (MML), which is capable of launching Martlet missiles.

MML can attack targets in the air, sea, or land, as well as fire depth bombs, small drones, and bait.

It is said that the frigate has a crew of 125 people and can carry a special forces team with a fast Rhib boat or alternatively two new Seaquest unmanned boats that can help hunt submarines or fire missiles at threats.

However, it is FDI's adaptation to drone warfare that makes it stand out.

There are many examples of sophisticated weapons that were defeated by cheap weapons available on the market in the protracted war in Ukraine. An example is the Sea Baby Kyiv attack drone for 250,000 US dollars that destroyed a Russian submarine worth 400 million US dollars that was docked in the port in December.

Behind the FDI console, where rows of screens help against conventional threats, there is a room containing the SETIS combat management system built for multi-contact scenarios, from drone swarms to close-in attacks, allowing the captain to handle the bigger picture.

The days of big, complicated architectural planning are gone. Instead, planning is replaced by iPads and flat screens used by a highly skilled workforce - specialist welders trained for eight years to work autonomously.

This also includes a "halo lens" that allows staff to accurately see design plans, measurements, and fixtures through a hologram that changes depending on the direction of view. This also saves up to 20 percent of time without having to take measurements using time-consuming tape measures.

The first of five French frigates ordered, each estimated to cost $770 million, will begin operating this summer, joining a fleet that operates to Tahiti, the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic and the Caribbean, plus a dock in Abu Dhabi.

In addition to France, Greece has also ordered four similar ships for its Navy, two of which are ready to sail.