Naval Group in France has announced that the FDI HS Kimon frigate, destined for the Hellenic Navy, began its initial sea trials in Lorient on May 21st, following the experience of Amiral Ronarc’h of the Marine Nationale, the first FDI produced.
The sea trials, overseen by representatives from the Hellenic Navy, will be conducted in two phases to test the propulsion, navigation, combat, and seaworthiness systems.
The FDI program will reach a milestone in 2025 with the delivery of the first frigate to Greece and the launch of the third ship, the HS Formion, planned for 2026. This will allow the Hellenic Navy to operate with three advanced, multifunctional FDI frigates in the near future.
The FDI is a ship designed for first-rank military navies, characterized by advanced, versatile combat capabilities that allow it to face a variety of threats at sea. With high anti-aircraft, anti-submarine, anti-ship, and special force projection capabilities, the frigate will ensure the Hellenic Navy’s maritime superiority in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Thanks to Thales’ innovative technologies, including radar, sonar, and electronic warfare, the FDI is also at the forefront from a technological point of view. With an advanced digital architecture and native cyber protection, the ship can constantly adapt to new threats without the need for costly upgrades. The introduction of a gateway dedicated to asymmetric threats represents a significant operational innovation, allowing the FDI to coordinate defense against small-scale air and surface attacks.
Technical characteristics and armament
The FDI HS Kimon will have a displacement of 4,500 tons, a length of about 122 meters, a width of 17.7 meters, and a draft of 4.5 meters. The frigate with a crew of 125 men will reach a maximum speed of 27 knots and a range of 5,000 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 15 knots.
The Kimon will have a flight deck and hangar sized to operate with a 10 ton class helicopter and vertical takeoff/landing (VTOL) UAS. HS Kimon’s armament will be particularly large, focusing on Sylver A50 VLS for 32 Aster 15 and 30 missiles, 8 MM40 Block 3C Exocet anti-ship/attack missiles in two quadruple launchers, a RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile system for close-range defense, a Leonardo Super Rapido 76/62 mm gun, two Nexter Narwhal 20 mm systems, two twin 324 mm torpedo launchers for anti-submarine torpedoes, and two CANTO decoy launch countermeasure systems.
Source and photo credit @Naval Group
