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Naval Industry News - France |
DCNS
is pursuing sea trials in the Mediterranean for the combat system on
the FREMM Normandie |
The FREMM
Normandie multi-mission frigate, second of the series ordered
by OCCAR on behalf of the DGA (Direction Générale de
l’Armement) and the French Navy, left the DCNS site in Lorient
on 14 May on its way to the DCNS site in Toulon. Over the next few
weeks, DCNS will perform a new series of sea trials to test the performance
of the FREMM’s combat system before delivery to the French Navy
at the end of 2014.
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 The FREMM Normandie during sea trials Picture: DCNS |
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This series of sea trials, which will take place in
the Mediterranean, will allow the Navy’s operating crew and the
DGA, OCCAR and DCNS specialists to check the performance of the main combat
system sensors and their integration into the frigate’s Combat Management
System.
“This period of sea trials is an essential phase in the program: it is focused on the vessel’s combat system. Concretely, the teams will test all the software and equipment parts that make the FREMM one of the most versatile and capable frigates in the world”, underlines Anne Bianchi, Director of the FREMM program. |
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 Inside Normandie's Combat Information Center (CIC). During the sea trials, the teams on board will simulate different operational scenarios to collect the information delivered by the vessel’s different sensors. Numerous tests are performed including in particular electronic warfare and tactical data link tests. Picture: DCNS |
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During these trials, the teams on board will simulate
different operational scenarios to collect the information delivered by
the vessel’s different sensors. Numerous tests are performed including
in particular electronic warfare and tactical data link tests. The teams
will carry out these exercises thanks to the contribution of helicopters,
fighters and vessels provided by the French Navy, and with the human and
data-processing resources of the DGA’s technical centres. The performance
of these trials off the Toulon coast will thus allow the optimized use
of such naval and air support.
Further to these trials, the FREMM Normandie will return to the DCNS site in Lorient so that the final finishing work can be carried out over the summer before its delivery to the French Navy in the final quarter of 2014. |
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 The FREMM Normandie during sea trials Picture: DCNS |
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For DCNS, the FREMM program represents twelve units,
with eleven for the French Navy and one for the Royal Moroccan Navy.
To recall, in November 2012, DCNS successfully delivered the FREMM Aquitaine, the first unit in the series of FREMM multi-mission frigates. The second unit in the program was delivered to the Royal Moroccan Navy on 30 January 2014, in compliance with the contractual agreements. The vessel now carries its definitive name: FREMM Mohammed VI. DCNS is currently building five other multi-mission frigates in Lorient, all at different stages of advancement: - The FREMM Normandie, third unit in the series, started its sea trials in October 2013 and will be delivered to the French Navy in the third quarter of 2014. - The FREMM Provence was floated in September 2013. - The fifth and sixth frigates of the series are currently being assembled. - The cutting of the first metal sheet for the seventh was performed at the end of 2013. Link to FREMM Frigate (Aquitaine class) technical datasheet |
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