The French frigate Aquitaine, the first unit in a multi-mission frigate program (FREMM), successfully fired its first two missiles this month, the French Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday.
The Aquitaine fired an Exocet MM40 surface-to-surface missile on May 12 and a naval cruise missile on May 19 at the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA, French research and development service in the ministry) missile testing center firing ranges off of Levant Island.
This was the first time a European surface vessel fired a European cruise missile and it has a range of several hundred kilometers, the ministry said.
The missile firings were prepared by the crew of the French Navy, DGA teams, and the manufacturers MBDA and DCNS. The testing was part of the verification of the technical capabilities of the FREMMs before entry into active service.
Previous milestones of the FREMMs include the firing of an Aster 15 anti-aircraft missile in 2013 and the March 13 commissioning of the MU 90 lightweight torpedo on the NH 90 Caiman marine helicopter.
“Future backbone of the French Navy, the FREMMs are heavily armed warships, carrying naval cruise missiles, Exocet MM40 anti-ship missiles, Aster anti-aircraft missiles and MU90 anti-submarine torpedoes,” the ministry said in a statement.
The FREMMS can all accommodate a Caiman marine helicopter, Special Forces, and their equipment. Six FREMMS are set to be delivered before mid-2019.
MBDA is jointly held by Airbus (37.5 percent), BAE Systems (37.5 percent), and Finmeccanica (25 percent).
DCNS is jointly held by the French state (63.58 percent), Thales (35 percent), DCNS personnel and former personnel through a mutual fund (1.02 percent), and DCNS Actionnariat (0.40 percent).