The French Navy has officially taken delivery of its first Defence and Intervention Frigate (Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention – FDI), the Amiral Ronarc’h. Designed by Naval Group and equipped with advanced Thales Sea Fire radar and MBDA’s Aster missile system, this new class of frigate significantly enhances France’s maritime air defense capabilities. The milestone marks a major step in the renewal of the French surface fleet under the Marine Nationale’s strategic transformation plan.
FDI Program Overview: Replacing the La Fayette-Class
The FDI program was launched to replace the aging La Fayette-class frigates while complementing France’s existing FREMM and Horizon-class vessels. The program aims to deliver five multi-mission frigates by 2030. These ships are intended for high-intensity operations in contested environments and are optimized for both blue-water combat and littoral missions.
Naval Group was awarded the development contract in April 2017 by France’s Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA). Construction of Amiral Ronarc’h began in October 2019 at Naval Group’s Lorient shipyard. Following sea trials initiated in 2023, the vessel was formally handed over to the French Navy in late October 2025.
The FDI is also being marketed internationally as the Belh@rra-class frigate. Greece became its first export customer in 2021 when it ordered three ships (with an option for a fourth) under a €3 billion deal.
Key Specifications and Design Features
The Amiral Ronarc’h displaces approximately 4,500 tonnes fully loaded and measures around 122 meters in length. It features a stealthy design with reduced radar cross-section (RCS) thanks to faceted surfaces and integrated mast structures.
- Propulsion: Combined diesel-electric or gas (CODLOG) configuration enabling speeds above 27 knots
- Crew: Approximately 125 personnel plus accommodation for an embarked helicopter detachment or special forces unit
- Endurance: Capable of operating for over three weeks without resupply
- Aviation: Flight deck and hangar support NH90 NFH or UAV operations
The FDI incorporates next-generation digital architecture based on Naval Group’s SETIS combat management system (CMS), offering open architecture for future upgrades. Cybersecurity is embedded from design stage—an increasingly critical feature amid rising threats to naval C2 systems.
Thales Sea Fire Radar Enables Full-Domain Situational Awareness
A centerpiece of the FDI’s capabilities is its fully digital Thales Sea Fire radar—a fixed-panel AESA system operating in S-band. Unlike traditional rotating radars, Sea Fire provides persistent hemispheric coverage via four fixed panels integrated into the superstructure.
- Detection Range: Over 300 km against high-altitude targets; capable of tracking low-RCS threats such as stealth aircraft or supersonic missiles
- Multi-functionality: Simultaneous air surveillance, surface tracking, fire control guidance for missiles
- Electronic Counter-Countermeasures (ECCM): Resilient against jamming thanks to beam agility and digital signal processing
This makes Sea Fire a key enabler of layered air defense—from short-range threats like drones to long-range ballistic missiles when paired with appropriate interceptors.
Aster Missile Suite Delivers Layered Air Defense Capability
The Amiral Ronarc’h integrates MBDA’s Aster family of surface-to-air missiles via Sylver vertical launch systems (VLS). The standard loadout includes both Aster 15 (short/medium range) and Aster 30 (long range) variants—giving it robust area defense capability against aircraft, cruise missiles, UAVs, and potentially even ballistic threats.
- Sylver A50 VLS Cells: Configured for up to 16–32 Asters depending on mission profile
- Aster 15 Range: ~30 km;
Aster 30 Range: >120 km;
(Extended range variant Block-1NT can reach ~150+ km) - Cueing & Guidance: Mid-course updates via CMS + terminal active radar homing from missile seeker
This armament enables cooperative engagement scenarios when networked with other platforms via Link-16 or national datalinks—allowing “engage-on-remote” capabilities essential for modern naval IAMD doctrines.
C4ISR Integration & Multi-Mission Modularity
The FDI is designed as a digitally native platform with full integration into NATO-standard C4ISR networks. Its SETIS CMS supports data fusion from onboard sensors—including electro-optical/infrared systems—and external sources such as satellite feeds or airborne ISR assets.
This allows rapid threat classification across multiple domains—air/surface/subsurface—and enables fast kill-chain execution through automated decision aids. The platform also includes electronic warfare suites developed by Thales that provide threat detection across RF bands along with soft-kill countermeasures such as decoys or jammers.
Beyond air defense roles, the ship can be reconfigured for anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW), special forces insertion or humanitarian assistance missions through modular payloads including UUVs or RHIBs launched from stern ramps.
Tactical Implications for French Naval Posture
The induction of Amiral Ronarc’h marks a significant enhancement in France’s ability to deploy high-end naval assets capable of autonomous operations or integration within NATO task groups. Its combination of stealth design, persistent radar coverage, long-range SAMs and cyber-hardened C4ISR makes it suitable not only for Mediterranean patrols but also Indo-Pacific deployments where peer-level threats are rising.
The remaining four FDIs are expected to be delivered between now and early 2030s at roughly one per year cadence—each incorporating lessons learned from earlier units. Future upgrades may include integration with hypersonic interceptors or directed energy weapons as technology matures within European defense R&D frameworks like PESCO or EDF programs.
A Platform Poised for Export Success?
The international variant—Belh@rra—is already gaining traction beyond Greece. Several Middle Eastern navies have expressed interest due to its compact size yet high-end sensor suite—making it suitable even for regional navies seeking credible deterrence without investing in full-size destroyers.
If successful abroad, this could mirror the export trajectory seen with FREMM—a class that found buyers across Europe (Italy), North Africa (Morocco), Egypt—and even the United States Navy which adopted an evolved version under its Constellation-class frigate program based on FREMM hullform principles.
