Aviso type A69 Commandant Birot (F796)

Mathll · May 26, 2026, 1:42am

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Hello everyone, and welcome to this new presentation.

Today, I invite you to discover another ship of the A69 class: the Commandant Birot (F796).

The A69 class avisos, also known as D’Estienne d’Orves type vessels, comprise a series of 17 offshore patrol vessels built for France between the 1970s and 1980s. These relatively modestly sized ships are designed to perform a wide range of missions, from anti-submarine warfare and maritime surveillance to presence and security operations.

Laid down in 1981 and commissioned in 1984, the Commandant Birot is one of the last ships of this class. Initially based in Brest, it subsequently served in several locations, including overseas, before returning to Toulon where it spent the majority of its operational career.

Commander Birot is distinguished by his particularly active service, participating in numerous missions in the Mediterranean and beyond. He is notably involved in operations to combat illicit trafficking, an area in which he has distinguished himself on several occasions. In 2013, he participated in the boarding of a vessel carrying a large cargo of cannabis, an action that earned him a commendation from the division. A few years later, in 2019, he took part in a major seizure of several tons of narcotics.

The ship is also involved in humanitarian missions. In 2015, as part of the European Union’s Mediterranean Sea Surveillance Operation, it rescued several hundred migrants in distress. Throughout his career, Commander Birot has been deployed to numerous theaters of operation: Operation Corymbe in the Gulf of Guinea, deployments in the Indian Ocean, and participation in maritime security operations in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Among its notable anecdotes, the ship is often nicknamed a “surface submarine” by its crews, due to its seakeeping abilities and its hull, which has been particularly hardened by the years. Despite its age, it maintains excellent technical readiness, allowing it to remain fully operational until the end of its career. Shortly before its decommissioning, it undertook a final symbolic sea trial with several of its former commanding officers on board.

The Commandant Birot was finally decommissioned in 2025, after more than forty years of active service, marking the end of the career of an iconic vessel of the French Navy.

The ship is named after Roger Birot, an officer in the Free French Naval Forces and a Companion of the Liberation. Commander of the aviso Mimosa during the Second World War, he disappeared at sea after his ship was torpedoed by a German submarine.

Characteristics

Length : 80 m
Width : 10.3 m
Draft : 5.3 m
Mass : 1250 tons

The vessel is powered by 2 SEMT Pielstick 12PC2V400 diesel engines giving a total power of 12,000 horsepower, 2 propeller shafts are present and each has a propeller with four adjustable blades. The power system is completed by 3 diesel generators capable of generating 840 kW of power. Its maximum speed is 24 knots and its range allows it to cover 5,000 nautical miles at 18 knots. Its crew varies between 90 and 100 sailors.

Equipment

Radar :
- DRBV 51A Surveillance radar
- DRBC 32E Fire control radar
- DECCA 1226 Navigation radar
- ARBR 16 : Radar interceptor (RWR)
Sonar :
- DUBA 25 hull-mounted sonar
Decoys :
- 2 x Dagaie decoy launcher
- SLQ-25 Nixie towed torpedo decoy

In addition, the ship was equipped with a reconnaissance drone during its final years of service.

Weapons

Before 1976 :

1 x 100mm (front gun)
2 x Oerlikon 20mm anti-aircraft gun mounts (one on each side)
4 x L3 or L5 torpedo (two fixed tubes on each side)
1 x 375mm x 6 anti-submarine rocket launcher (turret on rear platform)
4 x 12.7 machine gun (two gun slings at the front above the gangway and two on the rear platform)

After 1976 :

1 x 100mm (front gun)
2 x Oerlikon 20mm anti-aircraft gun mounts (one on each side)
2 x MM38 Exocet (one on each side)
4 x L3 or L5 torpedo (two fixed tubes on each side)
1 x 375mm x 6 anti-submarine rocket launcher (turret on rear platform)
4 x 12.7 machine gun (two gun slings at the front above the gangway and two on the rear platform)

In 2009, the Estiennes D’Orves-class ships were reclassified as ocean-going patrol vessels and therefore had to reduce their armament (anti ship and anti submarine weapons were removed).

After 2009 :

1 x 100mm (front gun)
2 x Oerlikon 20mm anti-aircraft gun mounts (one on each side)
1 x Sambad weapon system (double Mistral launcher place where the 375mm was installed)
4 x 12.7 machine gun (two gun slings at the front above the gangway and two on the rear platform)

In game this ship would be an interesting addition for the french coastal tech tree, adding a rather modern and well equiped ship with different kind of weapons and capacity.

Pictures

Video

Aviso commandant Birot
FRENCH NAVY F796 COMMANDANT BIROT
A bord du patrouilleur français pour sauver les migrants
French Navy D’Estienne d’Orves-class aviso Commandant Birot F796 transits Istanbul towards Black Sea
Alerte à la piraterie en hausse dans le Golfe de Guinée

Sources