Aquitaine class frigate

The French frigate MN *Aquitaine* at port on December 14th, 2013.

The Aquitaine-class frigates are a class of seventeen frigates that being built for the Marine Nationale. The Aquitaine-class will replace the nine D'Estienne d'Orves-class avisos, nine Tourville and Georges Leygues-class ASW frigates, and two Cassard-class air warfare destroyers on a one-to-one basis. They will be complimented by the Entente-class frigates.

Specifications[edit | edit source]

Type: Multirole Frigate
Service Period: 2011-Present
Characteristics
- Length: 466 feet (142.04 meters)
- Beam: 66 feet (20.12 meters)
- Draught: 16 feet (4.88 meters)
- Displacement: 6,000 tons
Complement: 145
Crew: 108
Propulsion: GE/Avio LM 2500 G4 gas turbine 32 MW, 2 EPM Jeumont 2,25 MW, 4 Diesel Generators MAN X 2.1 MW: CODLOG combination
Range: 6,800 miles (10,994 kilometers) at 15 knots (27.78 km/hr)
Speed: 30 knots (55.56 km/hr)
Sensor Suite:
- Héraklès RDF
- SETIS combat system
- SOFRESUD Quick Pointing Devices "QPD"
- Sagem Najir fire control system for the 76mm gun
- Terma Scanter 2001 RDF
- Thales Artemis IRST
- Thales UMS 4410 CL hull ASDIC
- Thales UMS 4249 CAPTAS4 towed ASDIC
- Thales TUUM-6 Underwater Telephone
Countermeasures
- NGDS decoy launcher
- SLAT anti-torpedo system
- Sigen RECM jammer
Armament
- 1 x Otobreda 76mm Super Rapid Gun
- 1 x 16-cell SYLVER A43 VLS (fires Aster 15 AAMs)
- 1 x 16-cell SYLVER A70 VLS (fires SCALP Naval Cruise Missiles)
- 8 x MM40 Exocet Block III AShMs
- 2 x Nexter 20mm Narwhal remotely operate guns
- MU 90 torpedoes with Calzoni THS (Torpedo Handling System)
Aircraft Carried: 1 x NHIndustries NH-90, can carry the AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin, Eurocopter AS.532 Cougar, and Eurocopter EC.725 Caracal