Naval Group Cuts Steel For Second FDI HN frigate

The steel-cutting ceremony for the second FDI Frigate for the Hellenic Navy (FDI HN) took place today at the Naval Group shipyard in Lorient.

The program for three frigates plus one optional, for the Hellenic Navy was signed the 24th of March 2022. Less than four months later, and while the first frigate is already in production, the steel-cutting ceremony held today in Lorient marked an important step in the program and the beginning of the production phase of the second frigate. The ceremony was led by Gilles Langlois Naval Group Program Director for Hellenic Navy Frigates in presence of Commodore Theocharis Chatzopoulos Commanding Officer of the Hellenic Navy Detachment in Lorient.

“We are very pleased to be here in Lorient today to celebrate this first major industrial milestone in the production of the second frigate for the Hellenic Navy. We are proud to achieve this milestone more than three months ahead of schedule and fully committed to delivering the best frigates to the Hellenic Navy in the shortest possible timeframe.”

“The steel-cutting ceremony is an important step in the FDI HN program. The FDI frigates will contribute to strengthen the capabilities of the Hellenic Fleet and address the security challenges of the coming decades. The cooperation of the Hellenic Navy and Industry in the context of FDI program is just starting to take place and there are promising signs of a smooth and productive collaboration.”

The FDI HN will quickly and sustainably enhance the capabilities of the Hellenic Navy’s surface fleet as they will be delivered in a very short timeframe, starting in 2025 with the first two units and in 2026 for the third one.

As part of the frigates for the Hellenic Navy program, Naval Group defined a robust Hellenic Industrial Participation plan to develop new capacities in the Hellenic industry, sustaining highly qualified jobs and generating long-term economic spin-offs in Greece.

The first 4 contracts with Hellenic companies have been signed in June, Naval Group has entered into an exclusive competitive dialogue with 5 companies for the procurement of the major equipment for the frigates and more contracts will be announced in the coming months.

Beyond the frigates program, Naval Group is committed to building strong and long-term partnerships to support the Hellenic Navy and the development of the naval warfare capabilities of the Hellenic Industry.

The FDI HN frigate is a 4,500-ton class high sea warship. Multipurpose and resilient, she features high level capabilities in all warfare domains: anti-ship, anti-air, antisubmarine and special forces projection. Strongly armed (Exocet MM40 B3C anti-surface missiles, Aster anti-air missiles, MU90 antisubmarine torpedoes, artillery), the HN Frigate is able to embark simultaneously a helicopter and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).