FREMM - European Multi-Mission Frigate, France / Italy

The FREMM European multi-mission frigate is a joint programme between France and Italy. It is planned that a total of 27 FREMM frigates will be built: 17 for the French Navy and ten for the Italian Navy. The frigates are 137m in overall length and 19m wide with displacement of 5,800t. The ship's complement is 108 officers and crew.

The prime contractors for the FREMM programme are Armaris of France and Orizzonte Sistemi Navali of Italy.

Armaris was a joint subsidiary of DCN and Thales and is now wholly owned by DCNS The Italian Orizzonte Sistemi Navali is a joint venture between Fincantieri and Finmeccanica.

Both Amaris and Orizzonte will play a major role in the system specification and development of the main subsystems and the combat system.

In April 2007, DCN became DCNS. This followed an agreement in which Thales became a 25% shareholder in the new company and DCN acquired the naval business of Thales France (excluding naval equipment).

In November 2005, the Organisation Conjoint de Cooperation en matière d'Armement (OCCAR) awarded the French companies DCN and Thales and the Italian companies Fincantieri and Finmeccanica the first FREMM development and build contracts.

The first contract covers the design build and support of the first six anti-submarine warfare frigates and two land attack frigates for the French Navy. Deliveries are scheduled over a five-year period from 2011 to 2016. The first delivery is scheduled for mid-2011, the second delivery 13 months later, followed by a delivery rate of one ship every seven months. The first of class vessel will be called the Aquitaine, the second Normandie. Construction of Aquitaine began in March 2007.

In May 2006, OCCAR awarded the contract for the first two Italian FREMM frigates. Italy ordered a second batch of four in February 2008, three of which are to be for anti-submarine warfare (ASW). The first Italian frigate is due to be commissioned in 2012. First of class will be called Carlo Bergamini, the second Carlo Margottini.

In October 2007, DCNS announced that an agreement has been signed with the Royal Moroccan Navy for the supply of one FREMM frigate, the first export order for the vessel.

FREMM design

The frigate's layout has been designed to provide sufficient size for operational effectiveness, maintainability and sustained upgrades. The layout incorporates increased headroom between decks, deeper and longer engine compartments, and larger equipment pathways for access and maintenance.

For quayside maintenance, the frigate is fitted with an aftside door for loading and unloading equipment, load handling equipment and a wide lower deck passage way.

The consoles on the integrated bridge are for all main platform functions including navigation, steering and communications.

The bridge also allows operators to manage and control all the platform systems, to monitor safety and security, and to co-ordinate other operations.

Italian FREMM frigates

The Italian frigates will be armed with the SAAM Aster 15 missile system for air-defence capability and also Teseo mk2 (export version: Otomat mk2) sea-skimming anti-ship missiles both supplied by MBDA. Teseo Mk 2 uses command updated inertial guidance and has a range of up to 55km. Two DCNS Sylver A43 vertical launch systems will be fitted to each ship.

The frigates will be equipped with MBDA's Milas all-weather anti-submarine warfare weapon system. Milas, a derivative of Otomat mk2, carries and releases a lightweight torpedo such as an MU-90 close to the designated hostile submarine. The submarine's position is indicated by the ship's sonar or by other assets such as an ASW helicopter or maritime patrol aircraft.

The vessel's sonar suite includes Thales Type 4110 hull-mounted sonar. The three anti-submarine warfare vessels will also be equipped with Thales Type 4929 active very-low-frequency towed array sonars.

The EMPAR G-band multifunction phased array radar from Selex Sistemi Integrati will be the fire control radar for the missile systems. The vessel's infrared search and track (IRST) system is the Galileo Avionica SASS (silent acquisition surveillance system).

French FREMM frigates

The French frigates will be built in two mission versions, the land attack (Action Vers la Terre or AVT) version that will be fitted with torpedoes and vertically launched self-defence and cruise missiles and an anti-submarine warfare ASW version, fitted with torpedoes, vertical launch self defence missiles and an active towed array sonar.

Sensors

Thales is responsible for the development and supply of the French FREMM surveillance and communications suites.

Systems will include Thales Artemis infrared search and track (IRST) system and the Herakles 3D S-band multifunction surveillance and fire control radar for the frigates' anti-air weapons systems.

Artemis is based on medium-wave staring focal plane arrays and uses multiple static sensor heads rather than mechanical scanning. Herakles has a range of 250km against air targets and 80km against surface targets.

Command and control

The upgradeable high-performance combat system by DCN and Thales is based on a high-speed data network. The combat system architecture will enable future weapon systems to be integrated into the frigates.

The ship's Nato standard external communications include Link 11, Link 16, Link 22 and JSAT tactical data links, allowing full interoperability with Nato forces.

Internal communications include messaging, conventional and wireless telephony, public address, closed circuit television, and internet and intranet ports.

Missiles

For anti-ship capability, the French FREMMs are to be armed with MBDA's Exocet MM40 Block 3 anti-ship missiles, which will be controlled via a CMS multi-function console by a Mer-Mer weapon control system. Block 3 missiles have longer range and an enhanced navigation system to give a littoral attack capability.

The MBDA Aster 15 air defence missile system for the AVT and ASW French frigates will provide protection against supersonic and subsonic threats. Aster 15 has a minimum range of 1.7km and a maximum range of 30km against subsonic airborne threats.

The MBDA SCALP Naval vertically launched cruise missile, which is scheduled to enter service in 2011, will provide the French AVT FREMM's land attack capability.

MBDA was awarded a contract for the first batch of 50 Scalp missiles for FREMM frigates in January 2007.

The Sylver A-70 vertical launcher is being developed by DCN Ruelle. The missiles will use inertial guidance and electro-optical terrain contour matching (TERCOM) in the terminal target approach phase of flight. SCALP Naval has a range of more than 1,000km.

Guns

The French FREMM's main gun is the Oto Melara medium calibre 76/62 Super Rapide naval gun. The gun interfaces to an optronic fire control system. The gun is controlled control either via a CMS multi-function console or through a visual weapons director on the bridge.

Four 12.7mm machine guns are installed for close-in defence.

Torpedoes

The French vessels will be armed with the Eurotorp MU 90 Impact torpedo. MU 90 has a directed energy warhead and a range of 12,000m at maximum speed and 25,000m at minimum speed.

Countermeasures

Thales is developing the integrated electronic warfare suite. Sagem was awarded a contract for the New-Generation Dagaie System (NGDS) decoy system in January 2007.

Aircraft

The frigate has an aft helicopter hangar and a helicopter deck of approximately 520m². The frigate is fitted with an emergency communication and remote briefing system with the ship's helicopter.

The French AVT frigates will be fitted for a tactical unmanned air vehicle (TUAV). The AVT FREMM will also have the capability to control long-endurance, medium and high-altitude (MALE and HALE) unmanned air vehicles launched from ground sites or from other platforms.

Italian vessels will be fitted with the TC-ASIST helicopter handling system from Curtiss-Wright Controls of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Propulsion

Both the French and Italian frigates have gas turbines with two shafts driving fixed pitch propellers.

In March 2006, Avio of Italy was awarded the contract to supply the FREMM power plant for both countries, which will be the LM2500+G4 gas turbine, licensed-built from General Electric, which will provide 32MW power.

The maximum speed is 27kt. For quiet anti-submarine operations the shafts are driven by electric motors and the frigates speed in ASW silent mode is up to 15kt.

An azimuth thruster provides precision manoeuvring for quayside and harbour operations, station keeping and as a back-up emergency propulsion system.