DÉFENSE ZONE
The French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) has announced the order of the first seven ships of the offshore patrol vessel programme for the French Navy. The order is split into three contracts worth a total of 900 million euros.
The project is structured around three separate contracts with the CMN, Piriou and Socarenam shipyards. In parallel, Naval Group has received a contract for project management support and for building the combat management system. Thales completes the picture, being responsible for fitting these patrol vessels with latest-generation maritime surveillance equipment, including the Bluewatcher hull-mounted sonar and a compact multi-mission surveillance radar.
The offshore patrol vessels are designed to meet the growing challenges of maritime traffic and maritime threats, with extensive capabilities including deterrence, protection, escort and intervention at sea. They stand out for their advanced information-processing capability and their seakeeping, and can operate with helicopters or drones for air-maritime missions.
The order is part of France’s 2024-2030 Military Programming Law (LPM), with the aim of replacing the current patrol vessels with these new ships by 2035. The first delivery is scheduled for 2026.
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