The French Navy’s third FREMM multi-mission frigate, the Languedoc, has been floated out from DCNS’ Lorient shipyard to undergo sea trials off the coast of Brittany. The Languedoc is the third FREMM ordered by OCCAR 1 on behalf of the DGA (French Defence Procurement Agency) and the French Navy.

The main objective of the sea trials was to test the performance of the vessel’s propulsion and navigation system.

The FREMM Languedoc will benefit from a significant reduction in the duration of its sea trials compared to the previous FREMMs: six weeks instead of the previous eight. This optimised trial

DCNS has already delivered two FREMM Multi-Mission Frigates on schedule to the French Navy. By mid-2019, DCNS will have delivered six FREMM’s to the French Navy, in accordance with the Military Programming Law 2015-2019, as well as two FREMMs for the export market (The Royal Moroccan Navy and the Egyptian Navy).

The experience and lessons learned from the FREMMs already delivered enabled DCNS and its partners to proceed with the integration of the combat system’s sensors and weapons prior to the FREMM Languedoc’s first sea outing. This led to a reduction in the total time required for vessel trials – from six week to the previous eight. This optimised trial duration illustrates the transition to “series mode” or multi-mission frigates.

“The acceleration of the trial scheduling for the FREMM Languedoc is a demonstration of DCNS capacity to ensure efficient serial production”, explains Anne Bianchi, Director of the FREMM Programme at DCNS.