French Offer FREMM Class Frigate For Canadian Surface Combatant

Ottawa Citizen ^ | April 18, 2013 | David Pugliese

[sukhoi-30mki]

French Offer FREMM Class Frigate For Canadian Surface Combatant

By David Pugliese

Defence Watch

Defence Minister Peter MacKay will tour the visiting French Navy frigate Aquitaine at Canadian Forces Base Halifax on Saturday. The French are

European shipbuilder DCNS is offering the FREMM Class frigate to Canada as a choice for the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) program.

The ship is at the port until April 23.

French Navy representatives will visit with Canadian Naval officials and provide the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian industry with the opportunity to tour the FREMM.

The CSC program is part of Canada’s NSPS. Irving Shipbuilding will build the vessels.

Here is the publicity material on the frigate from DCNS:

DCNS’s FREMM is a front-line warship designed to form the operational backbone of major navies. The FREMM Aquitaine Class can respond to all kinds of threats, whether from land, sea, or air.

With 12 frigates already on order, DCNS has the largest naval programme underway in Europe. Having successfully engaged with an export order, DCNS is breaking into the Canadian market and introducing the FREMM to Canada for a choice in CSC.

FREMM: Generic Configurations

Characteristics

• Length: 142 m

• Beam: 20 m

• Displacement: 6000 t

• Range at cruising speed: 6000 nautical miles

• Speed: > 27 knots

• Silent running up to 16 knots

• Crew: Flexible Crewing, 108-180

• Accommodation for 145 to 180 persons

Fully Integrated Combat system

• SETIS

Weapons and sensors

• Radar and communications detection

• Radar jamming

• ASW and AAW decoys

• Hull sonar

• Variable depth/towed array sonar and torpedo alert/warning/soft kill

• Torpedoes

• Broadband communications

• IR surveillance system

• Multi-function radar

• Naval cruise missiles

• Surface to air missiles

• Surface to surface missiles with OTH capability

• Main Caliber Guns up to 127 mm

• CIWS

• Helicopters

• UAVs

Each FREMM is built around a multi-mission core configuration on which the client can chose to enhance the capacities in one or more domains on purchase and as a function of the budget available. The modular design and growth potential of the FREMM design, as well as the active R&D policy of the DCNS, guarantee that FREMM will retain advanced performance throughout its entire active life.

[sukhoi-30mki]

[Don W]

Canada ping

[DesertRhino]

These are fully capable warships, in the 550-650 million US range a copy.
Meanwhile, the USN is building that joke of a ship, the Littoral “Combat” Ship, that has no punch beyond a Bradley tank, and is not required to meet normal USN battle damage standards.
And according to the FY2010 budget document, the total costs of the two lead LCS ships had risen to $637 million for USS Freedom and $704 million for USS Independence.

So it makes more sense for the Canadians, to buy better ships from France. Crazy times.

[fella]

These are fully capable warships, in the 550-650 million US range a copy. Meanwhile, the USN is building that joke of a ship, the Littoral “Combat” Ship, that has no punch beyond a Bradley tank, and is not required to meet normal USN battle damage standards.

However the U.S. war-dingies are so much more enviromentally and politically correct.

[JerseyanExile]

The FREMMs also have almost twice the displacement of the LCS. A better comparison would be the Formidable-class frigates built by France for Singapore. Very nice ships - makes the LCS look pathetic by comparison.

[spetznaz]

The FREMM is indeed capable of punching above its weight, both in terms of offensive and defensive applications. There are also several other ship types that, like the FREMM< have real offensive/defensive capability AND cost the same/less as a LCS.

[Squawk 8888]

Thanks Don W.

To all- please ping me to Canadian topics.

Canada Ping!

[Owl558]

Beautiful ship, but an even more beautiful city and harbor in the background. Thanks for the pic and thanks for your many military-themed posts. I rarely comment, but do read and learn.