French Navy receives fourth FREMM frigate

DCNS has delivered the multi-mission frigate Auvergne to the French Navy, the company announced on 11 April.

This is the fourth FREMM frigate of the series ordered by Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) on behalf of the French armament procurement agency (DGA).

The design and construction process of Auvergne was managed by DCNS in close association with the French Navy, DGA and OCCAR.

The FREMM programme will see the construction of 18 vessels; eight for the French Navy and ten for the Italian Navy.

DCNS is currently working to complete the FREMM Bretagne, which was floated on 16 September 2016 and assembly of FREMM Normandie is ongoing. Work has already commenced on the ninth FREMM in the series - Alsace - which will be one of two FREMMs with strengthened anti-aircraft capacities to be delivered before 2022.

Nicolas Gaspard, director of the FREMM programme at DCNS, said: 'The delivery of the FREMM Auvergne represents an opportunity to applaud the industrial and technological prowess of DCNS and its subcontractors. The frigate Auvergne illustrates our capacity to produce and deliver on time a series of front-line combat vessels to satisfy the needs of our client navies.'