French shipbuilder Naval Group has launched the Marine Nationale’s final FREMM Lorraine at its Lorient site.
Lorraine is the eighth unit in its class, and the second air-defense variant, boasting an enhanced air defense capability.
The ship entered the water fifty-four months after the start of the production and just over a month after its predecessor Alsace started sea trials.
The two air-defense FREMMs feature more powerful multifunction radar supplied by Thales, enhanced communications, three additional consoles of the Setis combat management system in the “central operations center” with an enhanced air defence capability through the use of Aster 15 and Aster 30 missiles. They also benefit from a new mast, optimized to increase detection performance.
In addition to Aster 15 and 30 missiles, the 142-meter-long Alsace and Lorraine carry Exocet MM 40 missiles and the MU 90 torpedoes. They displace 6,000 tons and have a range of 6,000 nautical miles.
Naval Group has built a total of 10 ships under the FREMM program. In addition to eight French ships, the shipbuilder delivered FREMM Mohammed VI to Morocco in 2014 and the Tahya Misr to Egypt in 2015.
