But what is this futuristic gray boat seen off the coast of Loire-Atlantique?

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The 122 meters of this unregistered hull with avant-garde lines have not gone unnoticed off the coast of the Presqu'île, between La Turballe and Le Croisic (Loire-Atlantique), at the end of the morning of Wednesday December 4, 2024. But what is this boat?

A latest generation warship

It was about the defense and intervention frigate (FDI) Amiral Ronarc’hfirst unit of a program aimed at the renewal of the first rank frigates of the Marine nationale. It is part of an order led by the Directorate General of Armaments from Naval Group, Thalès and MBDA for the French and Hellenic navies.

This new warship was launched at the end of 2022 and the first sea trials were carried out on October 7 in Lorient.

This first outing at sea allowed the crews to take control of their future boat and to test all systems and equipment in situ.

A concentrate of technologies

The IDF are versatile seagoing vessels, capable of operating alone or as part of a naval force in all areas (anti-ship, anti-aircraft, anti-submarine warfare).

On a compact platform, they bring together a concentrate of high naval technology current, while benefiting from powerful armament in terms of missiles and artillery.

They can carry heavy helicopters or drones. They can accommodate special forces with two commando boats.

Ultimately, five FDI will equip our National Navythe first being delivered in 2025. The next units to come will be theAmiral Louzeau (2027), l’Amiral Castex (2028), l’Amiral Nomy (2031) and theAmiral Cabanier (2032), subject to compliance with the military programming law.

Significant technical characteristics

Twenty meters shorter than the multi-mission frigates (FreMm) to which they succeed, the FDI are visually distinguished by their inverted bow and unique mast.

Weighing 4,500 tonnes, their 32 MW engine can propel the 150 tonnes of these ships to a top speed of 27 knots.

Their range of action without refueling is 5,000 nautical miles at an average speed of 15 knots. They are armed by a crew of 125 men who can embark on 45-day missions in complete autonomy.

For this day's outing, his objectives will be more modest. After crossing a few miles from our coast around 11 a.m., the vessel left at the beginning of the afternoon, heading towards Hoëdic, on a sea of ​​oil where its majestic silhouette clearly stood out on the horizon.

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