Defence and intervention frigate

The Frégate de Défense et d'Intervention (English: Defence and Intervention Frigate) or FDI, formerly denominated Frégate de Taille Intermédiaire (English: Medium-Size Frigate) or FTI, is a programme launched in 2015 to produce a new class of first-rank French frigates to complement the Aquitaine-class. As of February 2022^[update], five ships have been ordered for the French Navy and will form the Amiral Ronarc'h class, with the lead ship expected to be commissioned in 2026. In 2021, three units were ordered by Greece for the Hellenic Navy and will form the Kimon-class.

Amiral Ronarc'h, the lead ship of the class, was laid down on 17 December 2021. Commissioning of the warship had been planned from 2024 onwards but it was reported that delays in the fitting out and sea trials would push that date, as well as its entry into full service, into 2026.

The Intermediate Frigate (FTI) program was a response to the requirement for fifteen first-class frigates to allow the French Navy to operate in a crisis zone, as recommended in the White Paper on Defense and National Security of 2013. This would see the five FTI ships join the ten FREMM multipurpose frigates (Aquitaine class) and Horizon class.^{[citation needed]}

Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announced the launch of the five-ship program on 29 May 2015 at the naval aviation base in Lann-Bihoué.^{[citation needed]} In 2021 it was reported that work on the second and third frigates in the series would be accelerated with first steel cut for modules of the second ship of the class envisaged for October.

The FTIs, of a contained size, would better correspond to the demands of the export markets according to the Direction générale de l'armement (DGA; English: Directorate General of Armaments) and also make it possible to maintain the development and production capacities of the French shipyards.^{[citation needed]}

These ships will incrementally supersede the La Fayette-class frigates, in the role of first rank frigates, replacing all five frigates of that class by 2035. In the interim, a modernization of three vessels in the La Fayette class is being undertaken to extend their useful lives into the early 2030s. In November 2022 it was announced that the first two FDI frigates (Amiral Ronarc'h and Amiral Louzeau) would be based at Brest.

The FDI will have significant anti-aircraft capabilities with active antenna radar and fixed planes, anti-submarine capabilities (helicopter and towed sonar), and will have a displacement of 4,000 to 4,500 tonnes (3,900 to 4,400 long tons). In 2025, Yannick Chenevard, a member of the National Defence and Armed Forces Committee responsible for the navy budget, indicated that the fourth and fifth French navy FDIs (Amiral Nomy and Amiral Cabanier) would incorporate enhanced capabilities including 32 Aster surface-to-air missile silos instead of 16. It was also indicated that all remaining French frigates would also receive a similar upgrade in the 2030s, and that all vessels of the class would receive 2 × 2 Sadral Mistral Simbad-RC point defence SAM (either fit from build or retrofit at a later date) to help deal with the rising threat posed by drones.

The French Defence Ministry announced the award of a contract to DCNS for the development and construction of five intermediate-size frigates (FTIs) intended for the French Navy on 21 April 2017. The frigates will be equipped with electronic systems and sensors developed by Thales and Aster 30 missiles.