Future of the French Navy

Marine Nationale

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The French Navy is undertaking a significant reinforcement, both in modernising and in number, begun under the Projet de loi de programmation militaire 2003–2008 ("Military programme law project 2003–2008"), which notably includes an ongoing force of 15 large frigate/destroyer sized ships of the Horizon-class, Aquitaine-class and La Fayette-class.

• 8 FREMM multipurpose frigates – Eight ships have been ordered as part of the 2003–08 defence programming law and a further three were planned to be ordered. Two ships will be optimised for anti-aircraft warfare to replace the two cancelled Horizon-class class ships. Construction of the first ship in this class began in 2007 and she was commissioned in 2012. In 2015 the order was cut to 8 in order to allow the purchase of five FTI Mid-Size Frigates from 2023.
• 5 FTI Mid-Size Frigates from 2023. The FTI will replace the La Fayette-class class, which will be fitted with a sonar as an interim measure.
• 4 Bâtiment multi-mission ships of the D'Entrecasteaux class. The first of class was commissioned in 2016.
• Six nuclear attack submarines of the Barracuda-class. The contract for the first three of these submarines was signed in 2006. The construction of the first boat in the class also began in 2006 and she is scheduled to be commissioned in 2017. The additional boats in the class will be built at the rate of one every 24 months, with the sixth submarine entering service in 2027.

The equipment will also be modernised, notably:

• New models of the successful Exocet missile
• Aster and SYLVER systems for anti-missile/anti-air defence
• Cruise missiles (the naval or submarine SCALP EG)
• La Fayette-class class upgrade, to be fitted with a sonar as an interim measure with reduced order of FREMM hulls.