At the shipyards of Lorient where the three Belh@rra frigates for the Greek Navy are being prepared, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited on Thursday afternoon.
The Greek Prime Minister was welcomed by the Minister of International Cooperation of the Macron government, Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, who posted the relevant video on X.
“With pleasure, I welcome the Greek Prime Minister for his first visit to the Naval Group shipyards,” Mrs. Zacharopoulou wrote in her post.
Ravie d’accueillir le Premier ministre grec @kmitsotakis à #Lorient pour sa toute première visite des chantiers de @navalgroup, avant qu’il ne rejoigne le Président @EmmanuelMacron pour le 80e anniversaire du #DDay en #Normandie. pic.twitter.com/qK0MEryfAx
— Chrysoula Zacharopoulou ???? (@CZacharopoulou) June 6, 2024
Mr. Mitsotakis accompanied by Defense Minister Nikos Dendias, boarded the frigate KIMON, which is in an advanced stage of construction and is expected to be delivered to the Hellenic Navy by June 2025. He also visited the construction docks of the frigates NEARCHOS and FORMION, which are expected to be delivered by late 2025 and 2026, respectively. Additionally, the Prime Minister met with the personnel of the Hellenic Navy who are at the shipyards overseeing the process.
The frigate KIMON is the first of the three Belharra frigates being built by Naval Group for the Hellenic Navy and is expected to be delivered by June 2025. It will be followed by the frigates NEARCHOS and FORMION around late 2025 and mid-2026, respectively.
These frigates are multi-role vessels with a displacement of approximately 4,500 tons, belonging to the latest generation of “digital” frigates, enhancing the fleet of the Hellenic Navy with a weapon that enables the execution of complex missions and places it in the “arena” of the Eastern Mediterranean, with a powerful arsenal.
A digital ship – The technological marvel behind the frigates
The new frigates that Greece will acquire are equipped with the state-of-the-art AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar Sea Fire with a range of 300 kilometers and carry 32 Aster 30 missiles with a range of 120 kilometers, a combination that will provide both area air defense and anti-ballistic capabilities, thus opening a new chapter of power for the Hellenic Navy.
The armament will be supplemented by an 76mm OTO Melara gun, as well as a RAM system with 21 missiles, which completes the ship’s anti-aircraft and anti-missile shield. In addition to advanced anti-aircraft capabilities, it will also have top-notch anti-submarine capabilities, thanks to the variable depth sonar CAPTAS-4 and the MU-90 torpedoes. It will be combined with the state-of-the-art MH-60R anti-submarine helicopters recently purchased from the USA. The armament against ships will include the most advanced Exocet MM40 Block 3C missiles, capable of striking targets at a distance of 200 kilometers, while simultaneously having the ability to hit coastal targets. All of the above will be coordinated by the modern battle management system SETIS.
Despite the fact that the contract was signed while the program was in an advanced stage of implementation in French shipyards, several Greek companies eventually collaborated and took on tasks, with many more expected to be involved in subsequent stages, thus contributing to the transfer of cutting-edge technology and creating job opportunities in Greece.
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