Greece Initiates Talks for 4th FDI HN Frigate and Cruise Missiles

Throughout his browse through to Naval Team’s Lorient shipyard on September 19, 2024, for the launching ceremony of the Hellenic Navy (HN)’s second FDI HN frigate ‘Nearchos‘ (F602), Greek Preacher of Support Nikos Dendias introduced that Greece will certainly get in settlements to buy a 4th FDI HN frigate and to furnish a variety of them with marine cruise ship projectiles (NCM). The intent to buy a 4th frigate by Greece shows not just the complete satisfaction of the Navy’s management with the progression in the building and capacities of the brand-new frigates however additionally the federal government’s self-confidence in the FDI program.

We advise that the procurement of a fourth frigate has actually belonged to the federal government’s and HN management’s strategy from the get go, and the choice to obtain a fourth frigate was also consisted of in the agreement joined March 24, 2022, in between Greek authorities and French producers Naval Team, MBDA, and Thales. The agreement consists of the purchase of 3 (3) plus one (1) optional Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention (FDI) in their Hellenic Navy (HN) setup (FDI HN), all to be integrated in Lorient, France in addition to their tools tons and incorporated logistics sustain (ILS). These brand-new frigates are planned to change a variety of the out-of-date Elli (Kortenaer/S) course frigates.

The Greek 4,550-ton frigates will certainly be extra greatly armed than their French equivalents, including added capacities such as 16 additional ASTER 30 SAMs, Sylena Mk1 AAW decoy introducing systems (DLS), and a 21-tube Rolling Airframe Projectile (RAM) Close-In Tool System (CIWS). Along with these improvements, each HN frigate will certainly be geared up with a laser caution system (LWS), WiMax/5G capacity for Level-4, an unmanned airborne system (UAS) Camcopter S-100 suitabled for Level-4, and a 76mm weapon with Multi-Feeder (MF).

It must be kept in mind that the choice for the 4th FDI HN, in addition to the associated tools tons and incorporated logistics sustain (ILS), formally ended on June 30, 2023, under the terms of the agreement. For that reason, the existing rate can not be approximated. The overall rate for the choice was much less than EUR1 billion, which was taken into consideration an excellent rate offered the fast rise in resources rates. Particularly, the ship itself would certainly have set you back EUR719.6 million, the ILS was valued at EUR9.4 million, EUR10 million was assigned for 4 MU90 LWT torpedoes and 8 CANTO anti-torpedo decoys for Naval Group’s CMLS DLS, and the rocket plan (ASTER 30 Block 1 SAM and EXOCET MM40 Block 3C SSM) was valued at EUR200 million. According to the agreement, France was dedicated to supplying the 4th FDI HN by December 31, 2027.

These 122-meter multi-mission frontline contenders will certainly be called the Kimon course and will carry the names of famous Greek admirals: Kimon, Nearhos, and Phormion The very first 2 ships of the course, Kimon and Nearhos, will certainly be provided to the Hellenic Navy (HN) in 2025 in the preliminary (Common 1) French setup (FDI), as they were initially planned for the French Navy (Marine Nationale), which has actually introduced strategies to obtain 5 FDI to change the La Fayette-class frigates. In 2027, both ships will certainly be updated to the advanced FDI HN (Common 2) setup. The 3rd frigate, Phormion, will certainly be provided in 2026 and will certainly be the very first ship in the FDI HN setup.

The 4th frigate will likely be called after among one of the most renowned admirals in background, Themistocles, a name presently birthed by a non-modernized Elli course frigate. Significantly, these names were formerly utilized for the 4 previous USA Navy C.F. Adams-class destroyers (1991-2004), which were equipped with a single-arm Mk13 rocket launcher for 40 km-range Common Projectile (SM) -1 SAM.

The large information of the day, nevertheless, is not that Greece is relocating in the direction of obtaining a 4th frigate of this kind, however that several of them will certainly be geared up with Projectile de Croisière Naval (MdCN) additionally called marine cruise ship projectiles (NCM), a tactical tool with a variety of over 1,000 kilometres which couple of nations have, specifically on surface area ships. MdCN- NCM, an item of MBDA, offers a distinct functional capacity with lengthy variety statistics accuracy strike versus politically/ armed forces delicate targets. Particularly the Minsiter claimed:

The brand-new innovative tactical tools on our brand-new frigates will certainly additionally be a considerable variable of power. The frigate ‘Nearchos,’ like the ‘Phormion’ and the 4th frigate, will certainly integrate added modern technologies that will certainly supply brand-new capacities. An essential component of our settlements will certainly be for these 3 frigates to be geared up with the SCALP NAVAL tactical rocket, perhaps one of the most innovative cruise ship rocket efficient in striking tactical targets over a thousand kilometers away with terrific accuracy.

These enhancements have actually been consisted of in the 12-year Long-Term Protection Devices Program, which existed to the Head of state, and in the coming days, the pertinent Board of the Hellenic Parliament will certainly be educated, and I will certainly offer it to the Federal Government Council for Foreign Matters and Protection (KYSEA) for fostering. The 12-year Long-Term Program is additionally gone along with by a 20-year projection, which I think is an initially in the background of the Hellenic Republic. This program will certainly permit our nation to react to any type of obstacle that might emerge.

Nikolaos Dendias, Preacher of Support, Lorient, France September 19, 2024

Nevertheless, the Greek Preacher’s declaration increases considerable inquiries, such as whether 3 ships will certainly certainly have this tactical strike capacity, thinking about that the 2nd FDI HN frigate, Nearchos, is currently at an innovative phase of building with a limited shipment routine. What will the setup of the ships geared up with MdCN projectiles be, because up previously, it was recognized that each ship would certainly have 32 x ASTER 30 SAMs in 4 eight-cell SYLVER A50 VLS? Considered that the SYLVER A50 can just introduce ASTER 15 and 30 SAMs, while the NCM projectiles call for the SYLVER A70, which can not introduce ASTER projectiles, this recommends an adjustment in VLS setup and a decrease in the variety of ASTER 30 SAMs on the ships. Will the ships have 2 or 3 A50 VLS components, with the rest being A70? Or the A70 will lastly be changed to introduce ASTER 30? If this could be done, why really did not the French do it with their very own FREMM ‘Bretagne’ and ‘Normandie’, however rather altered the A43 to A50 to fit ASTER 30? Greece might use the supply of 116 ASTER 30 Block 1 projectiles it will certainly obtain for the 3 very first frigates to furnish a 4th, removing the requirement for added acquisitions, in addition to the MdCN-NCM.

Whatever setup is inevitably made a decision for the Greek ships that will certainly bring the MdCN-NCM, it does not alter the historical importance of this choice, if it is certainly applied. Greece will certainly get in a special club of nations with the capacity to strike over 1,000 kilometres from marine systems, while it additionally unlocks for obtaining this capacity for the 4 (4) brand-new generation submarines that the Navy prepares to obtain. If this takes place, it would immediately offer a small benefit to French (Naval Team) submarine layouts and much less to the German (TKMS) ones, which the HN has actually been making use of for years and was usually the very first client for lots of, such as the Kind 209/1100 and Kind 214 layouts.

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