F70ASM Frigate class, Georges Leygues (D640)

Mathll · May 27, 2026, 4:49am

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Hello everyone and welcome to this new suggestion.

Today, I’m presenting the lead ship of the F70 class: the Georges Leygues (D640).

Laid down at the Lorient naval shipyard in the mid-1970s, the Georges Leygues was launched in 1976 and commissioned in 1979. Designed during the height of the Cold War, it specializes in anti-submarine warfare, with its primary mission being the protection of French maritime approaches and the escort of strategic nuclear submarines.

From its early years of service, the Georges Leygues was deployed on numerous occasions to the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean, key areas of indirect confrontation between the blocs. It participated in large-scale exercises with NATO navies, notably with the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

In the early 1990s, the ship was involved in the Gulf War. Deployed in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea, it participated in coalition naval operations, carrying out escort missions, maritime surveillance, and monitoring of trade flows in a strategic area. This deployment marked a turning point in the ship’s operational use, as it was now engaged in real-world operations in the context of an international crisis.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, the Georges Leygues undertook numerous long-range deployments. It was regularly present in the Indian Ocean, West Africa, and the Eastern Mediterranean. In particular, it participated in presence and cooperation missions with many partner countries, making port calls in locations such as Dakar in Senegal, Abidjan in Ivory Coast, Djibouti, and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

The ship is also involved in maritime security operations, particularly in the fight against terrorism following the attacks of September 11, 2001. It participates in surveillance and control missions in the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea.

In the 2000s, the Georges Leygues was also involved in crisis management and peacekeeping operations, notably in the Mediterranean and off the coast of Lebanon, as part of international deployments. There, it carried out maritime control, intelligence gathering, and deterrent presence missions.

Throughout its career, the ship has undergone several modernizations to maintain its operational capabilities. It retains a strong anti-submarine warfare capability thanks to its sonar, torpedoes, and embarked helicopter, while gradually adapting to more versatile missions. After more than three decades of service, the Georges Leygues was decommissioned in 2013.

The ship is named after Georges Leygues, a French politician from the early 20th century who served several times as Minister of the Navy and contributed to the development and modernization of the French fleet.

Characteristics

Length : 139 m
Width : 15 m
Draft : 5.5 m
Mass : 4,500 tons

The vessel is powered by a 26,000 hp Rolls-Royce Olympus TM3B gas turbine engine, complemented by two 5,000 hp SEMT Pielstick 16PA6 diesel engines. This allows it to reach a speed of 30 knots with the gas engines and 15 knots with the diesel engines. Its range is 8,000 nautical miles at a speed of 15 knots.

The crew consists of 240 sailors.

Equipment

Radar :
- DRBV 15A global surveillance radar
- DRBV 26A air search radar
- DRBC 33A fire control radar
- DRBN 34 navigation radar
IRST :
- DIBV 2A IRST
Sonar :
- DUBV 24C hull sonar
- DUBV 43B/C depth sonar
- DSBV 61 towed sonar
Decoys and threat detection :
- ARBB 36 jammer
- ARBR 16 radar interceptor (RWR)
- SQL 25 NIXIZ torpedo decoy
- 2 x DAGAIE decoy lancher
- 4 x Irvin Aerospace decoy launcher

Weapons

Guns :
- 1 x 100mm Mle 1968 DCN/GIAT
- 2 x 20mm F2 GIAT
Torpedos :
- 2 x Torpedo tude (L5 torpedo or Mu90)
Missiles :
- 4 or 8 x MM40 Exocet missiles
- 1 x Crotale EDIR (8 missiles)
- 2 x SIMBAD CIWS (2 x 2 Mistral missiles)

In addition to these weapons, the ship can carry a combat helicopter in its hangar and deploy it via the helipad at the stern. The model used is the Linx Mk4 until its decommissioning, then the NH90 until the ship’s decommissioning.

In game this ship would be the most powerfully armed French ship in terms of anti-submarine and anti-ship combat before the arrival of new generation ships with discreet coatings. This ship would therefore be a very interesting addition to the French tree, bringing a powerfully armed combat ship when adding similar ships in the game

Pictures

Video

En mer à bord de la frégate Georges Leygues
French Georges Leygues class Destroyer D 646 Latouche-Tréville battling huge waves.
Frégate D640 Georges Leygues
Passage du Canal de Suez, Frégate Georges Leygues

Sources