Floréal class, Prairial (F731)

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Hello everyone and welcome to this new suggestion.

Today, I’m presenting a Floréal-class frigate: the Prairial (F731).

Laid down by Chantiers de l’Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire in 1989, the Prairial was launched in 1991 and commissioned into the French Navy in 1992. The second unit of its class, it is, like its sister ships, designed for surveillance and patrol missions in the territorial waters of French overseas territories.
Once commissioned, the Prairial was assigned to the Pacific Fleet and joined its home port in Tahiti. There, it carried out numerous patrol and maritime control missions. The ship participated for the first time in a major operation in 1999, during the East Timor crisis. On this occasion, Australia, leading Operation INTERFET (the international peacekeeping force pending the arrival of the United Nations), requested assistance from its allies in the region.

France, possessing naval assets in the Pacific, deployed a group comprising the frigates Prairial and Vendémiaire (F734), as well as two transport and landing ships. The precise role of these units remains poorly documented, but it is generally accepted that they carried out patrol, logistical support, and transport missions.

Following this operation, the Prairial resumed its usual missions in its assigned area. In 2015, like the other ships of its class, its MM38 Exocet missiles were removed during a technical stopover in France due to their obsolescence.
Subsequently, the ship participated in numerous international exercises, representing France in various maritime theaters. Notable examples include its participation in the RIMPAC exercises in 2016 and 2022, as well as joint maneuvers with the British and Chilean navies in the region.

More recently, the Prairial has conducted several patrol missions in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, also taking part in joint exercises with the Japanese Navy.

Finally, like all ships of its class, the Prairial is named after a month in the French Republican calendar, established after the French Revolution. The month of Prairial corresponds to a period extending from the end of May to the beginning of June.

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Characteristics

  • Length : 93.5 m

  • Width : 14 m

  • Mass : 2950 tons

The ship is powered by 4 Pielstick 6 P.A.6 diesel engines of 6,470 kW each and has 2 propellers with adjustable blades. 3 electric generators of 590 kW each complete the ship’s energy system. This allows it to reach a speed of 20 knots maximum and to travel nearly 10,000 nautical miles at 15 knots without refueling. In addition, the ship can be refueled at sea.A bow thruster is also present at the front of the ship for port entry and exit maneuvers.

The crew is made up of around a hundred people, including personnel from the 36F squadron for the commissioning of the on-board helicopter.

Equipments

  • Radar :

    • DRBV-21 : Surveillance radar
    • RACAL DECCA : Navigation and approach radar

  • Decoys :

    • Daguay Decoy Launcher

  • Helicopter :
    A helicopter is present in the ship’s aft hold and can be deployed on the helipad provided for this purpose. The aircraft on board was an Alouette III until the Panthers were put into service, which replaced them. This helicopter can carry weapons in order to carry out patrols and defend boats (warning shots have been fired against pirate boats).

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Weapons
  • Before 2015 :
    • 1 x 100 mm/55 (3.9") Model 1968 CAMDAM canon (front gun)
    • 2 x 20mm canon (a cannon mounted on each side)
    • 2 x MM38 Exocet missiles (A missile launcher to each side)

In 2015, the ships underwent an evolution, making them more capable of carrying out their surveillance and counter-piracy missions but consequently making them less suitable for combat.

  • Afer 2015 :

    • 1 x 100 mm/55 (3.9") Model 1968 CAMDAM canon (front gun)
    • 2 x 20mm canon (a cannon mounted on each side)

  • Additional armament :

    • Sambad System (a Sambad system launching short-range Mistral missiles can be installed above the helicopter hangar to defend the ship from aerial threats)

In game this Frigate would be a very interesting addition to the French Navy, bringing a more modern ship than what is already in game but having a relatively simple armament (if we omit the exocet missiles) which would make the ship easily balanced.

Pictures

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Video

Le Prairial reçoit son nouvel hélicoptère.
RIMPAC 2022 | French Navy frigate FS Prairial (F731) arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam

Sources
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