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Today, I’m presenting the latest class of French armed coastal patrol vessels, specifically La Confiance (P733).
La Confiance (P733) is a light patrol vessel (PAG - Patrouilleur Antilles-Guyane) built for the French Navy as part of the effort to strengthen the French maritime presence in its overseas territories. Ordered in 2014, it was built by the French shipyard Socarenam and launched in 2016, before officially entering service in March 2017. La Confiance is the first of three patrol vessels in this class, followed by its sister ships La Résolue (P734) and La Combattante (P735). The name “La Confiance” is steeped in tradition within the French Navy, often given to light, agile, and fast vessels – a name symbolizing vigilance and reliability.
Designed primarily for operations in French Guiana, La Confiance was built to carry out a wide range of maritime sovereignty missions, including fisheries surveillance, combating illegal gold mining, environmental protection, and fighting illicit trafficking. The ship’s design prioritizes endurance, versatility, and autonomy, enabling it to patrol vast maritime areas for extended periods. Equipped with modern communication and surveillance systems, it ensures real-time coordination with French forces operating on land and at sea.
Based in Dégrad-des-Cannes, near Cayenne, La Confiance is one of the cornerstones of French maritime surveillance in French Guiana – a strategic region due to its long Atlantic coastline, the presence of the Guiana Space Centre (CSG), and its abundant marine resources. The ship’s high endurance and rapid deployment capability are enhanced by the use of an ECUME fast intervention craft, enabling a swift response to illegal activities at sea. These characteristics make La Confiance an essential asset for operations such as combating smuggling, supporting internal security forces, and protecting space launches.
La Confiance embodies a new generation of French patrol vessels: modular, high-performing, and robust, perfectly adapted to the complex realities of tropical maritime zones. Its range, maneuverability, and modern systems make it a model for future patrol vessels intended to assert France’s presence and sovereignty over its overseas territories.
Characteristics
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Length : 60.8 m
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Width : 9.55 m
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Draft : 3.20 m
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Mass : 700 tons
The vessel is powered by two 8,050 hp ABC 12 DZC diesel engines, enabling it to reach a top speed of 21 knots. Its cruising range is 3,500 nautical miles at a speed of 12 knots.
Its crew consists of 24 sailors.
Equipment
The exact equipment present on the ship is not known due to its modernity, however two navigation radars can be visually identified above the maneuvering bridge.
Weapons
This ship being a modern coastal patrol vessel, its armament is limited, however, due to its modernity, it allows it to defend itself against ships better armed than it.
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1 x 20mm Narwhal-20B (the 20 mm remotely operated turret in the front allows targeting targets at long distances with a wide range of ammunition, the gun used is the Giat M693)
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2 x 12.7 machine gun (machine guns are on each side of the bridge to defend the ship against close targets)
In-game this ship would be the most modern building available for the French forces coastal tree and one of the most modern combat ships that could be added to the game. Its light armament, low speed and large size making it an easy ship to balance, La Confiance would be a very interesting addition to the French tree.
Video
Boulogne-sur-Mer : baptême du patrouilleur “La Confiance”
Tests du dispositif de pointage intuitif IPD à bord du patrouilleur de la Marine nationale française
Sources
- Patrouilleurs Antilles Guyane | Ministère des Armées
- FAA – FAG : une saisie record pour le PAG La Confiance | Ministère des Armées
- La Confiance : A bord du premier patrouilleur léger guyanais | Mer et Marine
- Le patrouilleur léger guyanais "La Confiance" donne pleinement satisfaction - Zone Militaire
- A bord de La Confiance : immersion au cœur d’un patrouilleur de la Marine nationale
- La Confiance class Offshore Patrol Vessel OPV French Navy
- LA CONFIANCE patrol ships (2016-)
- 20mm Giat M693 | Weaponsystems.net
- 20mm Giat M693 | Weaponsystems.net