1st/12/2005

Signing of FREMM, the largest contract of shipbuilding in Europe

After three years of a hard work between DGA/SPN, DGA/D4S (specially the Subdirectorate of the co-operation and European development and the SAA of Rome) and of all the program team, DGA gave the control management of work of the "frigate multi-missions" (FREMM) progamm to OCCAR, which has notified on November 16, 2005, on behalf of France and Italy, the contract of realization of the frigates at ARMARIS and ORIZZONTE companies, thus marking the launching of the greatest naval program ever carried out in Europe. Of course, DGA will continue to ensure its role fully, in particular, of technical expertise, like it does it for all the other programs entrusted to OCCAR, in addition knowing that the management of the program by OCCAR constitutes a pledge of opening making it possible other nations to come, if necessary, to join this program later on.

The contract deals with the realization of 27 frigates (17 for France and 10 for Italy) for a total amount of 11 Md€ HT including 6,5 for France. This notification, initially envisaged on October 4, was deferred due to difficulties of financing encountered by Italy, which was finally regulated insofar as the Italian draft budget for 2006 includes from now on the cover of the financing for the realization of the first 2 Italian ships and for the whole of the development allowing the launching of the program.

The initial engagement of France relates to the realization of 8 frigates (6 in underwater version "anti" and 2 in version "action towards the ground"), of which first is envisaged to be delivered in 2011. The realization of the 9 complementary French frigates will be the subject of a conditional phase, just as the first phase of initial support with engagement of availability for the first 8 ships over one duration covering the period of delivery of these 8 buildings, that is to say approximately 5 years.

The FREMM, whose essential missions will be the control of the aeromaritime medium and the active participation, within a framework interarmées, with the support of the air and sea and amphibious group, have vocation to currently replace three types of building (A69 sloops, underwater frigates anti F67 and F70) in service in France, progressively with their arrival at the end of the lifetime. They must thus constitute, since 2011, the framework of the national Navy in terms of surface vessels.

ICA François Mestre
DGA/SPN – Head of FREMM program

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