Article Posted on : - Mar 17, 2016

FREMM frigate. A DCNS image

PARIS (BNS): Shipbuilder DCNS has officially handed over the third FREMM multi-mission frigate "Languedoc" built for the French Navy.

The frigate was officially accepted by OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation) on behalf of the French Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) on March 16 (Wednesday), the company announced on Thursday.

FREMM "Languedoc" is the fifth unit built by DCNS and the third intended for the French Navy.

The first two frigates of the series, Aquitaine and Provence, have been delivered to the French Navy in 2012 and 2015 respectively.

The FREMM family of frigates with technically advanced features is being built to counter all threats emanating from air, sea or land. With a displacement of 6000 tons and a length of 142-m, the vessel can cruise at a speed of 27 knots.

Each warship will carry state-of-the-art weapons and systems including the MdCN cruise missiles, Aster anti-air missiles, Exocet MM40 anti-ship missiles and MU90 torpedoes. The sensor suite of the frigate is designed around the Herakles multifunction radar with a range of more than 250 kilometres.

The FREMM programme currently involves the construction of ten frigates, eight of them for the French Navy. Six of these are slated for delivered by 2019. The remaining two, equipped with extended anti-aircraft capabilities, will be delivered before 2022.

DCNS is currently completing the FREMM Auvergne, which was floated on 2 September 2015, and is pursuing the assembly of the FREMM Bretagne. Work has started on the eighth FREMM in the series, the Normandie.

The shipbuilder is also finalising the design of the last two FREMMs with strengthened anti-aircraft capacities.

Two other frigates have been sold to export customers -- the Royal Moroccan Navy and the Egyptian Navy.