Global Defense News
Naval Group delivered the first Defence and Intervention Frigate, Amiral Ronarc’h, to the French Navy in Brest on 17 October 2025 after sea trials and transfer from Lorient. The lead ship brings a digitally driven air and ASW suite into service, expanding NATO area defense capacity and France’s first-rank surface fleet.
France’s Ministry of the Armed Forces and Naval Group confirmed that Amiral Ronarc’h, hull number D660, was handed over in Brest on 17 October 2025, marking the operational debut of the five-ship FDI program. The milestone follows a September 19 arrival in the homeport after a Lorient departure, closing fourteen weeks of trials and ushering in fleet work-ups ahead of commissioning. The ship’s fixed-panel Sea Fire AESA, Aster 15 and Aster 30 missiles, and a compact 4,500-ton design intended for blue-water and littoral tasks.
Built at Naval Group’s Lorient shipyard, Amiral Ronarc’h reflects the FDI design approach: a compact 4,500-ton frigate with oceanic endurance and a high-end sensor and effector suite. The fully digital AESA Sea Fire radar, with four fixed panels, provides air surveillance and missile guidance paired with Aster 15 and Aster 30 surface-to-air missiles. Anti-ship strike uses the Exocet MM40 Block 3C, while MU90 torpedoes and a complete sonar suite provide anti-submarine warfare. A 76 mm gun, two 20 mm Narwhal remote stations, and soft-kill decoys complete layered self-defense.
