FDI class, Amiral Ronarc'h

Mathll · June 12, 2026, 11:02pm

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Hello everyone,

Today, I will be presenting a new class of modern French frigates, the FDI class, and more specifically the lead ship of this class, the Amiral Ronarc’h.

The FDI (Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention – Defense and Intervention Frigate) represents the latest generation of frigates to enter service with the French Navy. Although these vessels are smaller in tonnage than the FREMM and Horizon-class frigates, they are equipped with advanced combat systems and weaponry that enable them to counter all types of threats effectively. Visually, FDI frigates are easily recognizable thanks to their distinctive inverted bow, which sets them apart from more traditional warship designs. These ships are built by Naval Group at its Lorient shipyard. The Hellenic Navy also showed interest in the class, and both countries placed their orders simultaneously in order to reduce production costs. More recently, Sweden has expressed interest in acquiring four frigates of this class to further strengthen its naval capabilities.

The Amiral Ronarc’h is the first frigate of this class to enter service and, at the time of writing this historical overview, remains the only one in active service. The second ship, the Amiral Louzeau, is expected to join the fleet in the coming months. Launched in 2019, the frigate was commissioned in 2025 following an extensive trial period designed to validate all of its new systems. Since the beginning of 2026, the ship has been undertaking its first long-duration deployment to further assess the performance of its various systems over an extended period and ensure its successful integration into the French fleet. This explains the several replenishment-at-sea operations conducted throughout the deployment. During this maiden voyage, the Amiral Ronarc’h visited several French overseas territories, including the Caribbean islands, and made port calls in a number of allied nations such as Sweden, Norway, and Brazil. The deployment also included a visit to the United States, with a stopover in New York, as part of its representational and diplomatic mission.

Since returning to its home port of Brest, the ship has taken part in a variety of missions and exercises with the French Navy, most notably Exercise Orion 2026, which was conducted a few months ago. The vessel is currently participating in several naval events and was recently present in Dunkirk, where it was opened to the public for visits.

The ship is named in honor of Admiral Pierre Alexis Ronarc’h, a Breton naval officer who commanded the French naval infantry at the beginning of the First World War. He was later appointed head of naval operations in northern France, a position he held until the end of the conflict, before eventually becoming Chief of Staff of the French Navy.

Characteristics

Length : 122.00 m

Width : 17.70 m

Draught : 6.40 m

Mass : 4460 tons

The ship is powered by a CODAD system consisting of two interconnected diesel engines, providing 32 MW of power and enabling a top speed of 27 knots. It has a range of 5,000 nautical miles at a speed of 15 knots. The crew consists of 110 personnel plus 15 personnel for helicopter commissioning and maintenance.

Equipment

Radar :

Sea Fire 500 AESA surveillance radar
STING-EO Mk 2 FCR tracking radar
Navigation radar

Sonar :

Kingklip Mk II hull sonar
CAPTAS-4 towed sonar

Optical/IR :

PASEO XLR multiband surveillance and targeting system

Electronic warfare :

SENTINEL R-ESM RWR
ALTESSE-H CWR

In addition, the ship carries an NH-90 Caiman Marine attack helicopter in its aft hangar. This helicopter is equipped by the French forces with acoustic buoys and anti-submarine torpedoes, enhancing the ship’s anti-submarine warfare capabilities. A VSR700 reconnaissance drone can also be operated from the aft platform.

Weapons

The Admiral Ronarc’h has a slightly different armament than the other ships of its class. Indeed, its VLS number is currently only 16 cells; however, future ships will be equipped with 32 cells, allowing for the carriage of more missiles.

Guns :

1 x 76mm/62 Otobreda gun
2 x 20mm Nexter Narwhal
machine guns

Torpedo :

2 x torpedo tube for Mu90 anti sub torpedo

Missiles :

2 x 4 Exocet laucher for Exocet MM40 missiles
16 vertical cells for Aster 15 and Aster 30 missiles

In addition, an LMP turret can be mounted on the ship. This modular turret, developed by Thales and KNDS, can launch rockets, missiles, countermeasures, or other systems. The objective of this turret is to improve the anti-drone capabilities of French ships, which currently rely only on systems that are either very expensive or outdated.

This ship is obviously not one to be added immediately; however, if this type of ship is added to the game, it would be an interesting addition, providing a vessel with powerful but limited weaponry and some of the most modern detection systems in the world.

Pictures

Video

FDI Amiral Ronarc’h, première sortie en mer / sea trials
Cérémonie de départ de la FDI Amiral Ronarc’h de Lorient, pour rejoindre son port-base de Brest
15.09.2025 : Départ de la FDI Amiral Ronarc’h de Lorient

Sources

Pipimer · June 13, 2026, 3:46am

+1, for the Greek ones as well

CharAznable3 · June 13, 2026, 3:57am

U-boats are going to hate this if added