DCNS prime contractor for Europe’s largest naval defence programme

08:38 GMT, October 9, 2009 Lorient | DCNS has signed an order supplement for three new vessels under the European FREMM multimission frigate programme. This brings France’s total order to 11 vessels, scheduled for delivery from 2012 to 2022.

Contract confirmation was announced today by the French Minister for Defence, Mr Hervé Morin, at the production launch of France’s second multimission frigate in the series, the Normandie.

This amendment to the FREMM multimission frigate contract calls for the development and construction of three additional vessels, two in air defence configuration, as well as capability enhancements for all frigates in the series and a delivery schedule of one vessel every 10 months. It also calls for operational support for these state-of-the-art vessels in their first years of service.

“I would like to thank the French defence procurement agency and the Navy for their support and the confidence they have placed in us,” said Patrick Boissier, Chairman & CEO of DCNS. “DCNS is proud to be part of Europe’s most ambitious naval cooperation programme and contribute to this new chapter in the construction of a Europe-wide naval defence community. A project on this scale is a remarkable human adventure as well as an industrial challenge and shows what our teams are able to design and build to meet the emerging requirements of our customers.”

With one vessel delivered every 10 months, the programme represents a significant increase in workload for DCNS and its industrial partners. The Brittany region of France will be the main beneficiaries in terms of employment. The FREMM project provides 3 million hours of employment each year and almost 50 million hours over the duration of the programme, which runs from 2006 to 2022. Each frigate is equivalent to the construction of two Millau viaducts.

The FREMM frigates are the most technologically advanced as well as the most competitive vessels on the market. Built under DCNS prime contractorship, they are heavily armed and carry state-of-the-art weapon systems and equipment, including the Herakles multifunction radar, MU90 torpedoes and Aster and Exocet MM40 missiles.

The FREMM frigates are highly automated to allow reduced crewing. They are inherently versatile to provide a response to all types of threats. World-leading innovation ensures that they offer unparalleled levels of interoperability and readiness. And with their intrinsic flexibility, they can match the requirements of most DCNS customers around the world, as demonstrated by our recent success in Morocco.


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