The French defense procurement agency (DGA) ordered the fifth FDI frigate for the French Navy (Marine Nationale) from Naval Group. The vessel, to be named Amiral Cabanier, will be built at the shipyard in Lorient.
The order announcement was made today by the French Ministry of the Armed Forces. The actual contract was signed on 31 March 2026. The press release mentions a delivery date of 2032.
For the record, as far as French Navy FDIs are concerned, the first four ships in the class were ordered by DGA to Naval Group as follow:
The first-in-class ship, Amiral Ronarc’h (D660) is currently conducting its long-term deployment (often called long cruise or check down cruise) before formally entering active duty. The frigate’s commanding officer told Naval News during an interview in Sweden that this major step is expected between the Summer and year’s end.
Displacing 4,500 tons, the FDI is a versatile high-sea vessel capable of operating in all domains: anti-ship warfare, anti-air warfare, anti-submarine warfare, asymmetric threat countermeasures, cyber defence, and special forces projection. FDI frigates are designed for high-intensity combat and are equipped with substantial armament: Exocet MM40 B3c anti-ship missiles, Aster 15 and 30 anti-air missiles, MU90 torpedoes, 20 mm and 76 mm artillery.
They can simultaneously embark a helicopter, a drone and accommodate a special forces detachment with two commando boats. Fully digital, the FDI feature a cyber-secured and redundant data center hosting the applications necessary for their operation and combat system functionality. Equipped with significant computing capabilities, these digital fortresses can process a substantial volume of information from the various onboard sensors.
In terms of operational innovation, the FDI is the first ship to natively feature a dedicated management station for combating asymmetric threats, designed to counter air and surface attacks; notably mini-drones and suicide boats. This station is separated from the combat information center (CIC), which is responsible for all other combat domain.
The FDI is equipped with a single mast housing all airborne sensors, enabling continuous 360° surveillance. As the first vessel of the French Navy to be fitted with Thales’ fixed-panel SEAFIRE radar, it boasts the most advanced sonars and its anti-air and anti-surface surveillance is ensured by the most modern sensors, capable of countering the most advanced threats.
The keel laying of the first FDI took place in December 2021 and the launch in November 2022. Amiral Ronarc’h was delivered by Naval Group on October 17, 2025. The first FDI for the Hellenic Navy, HS Kimon was delivered on December 18, 2025. The next five ships in the series (three for the Hellenic Navy and two for the French Navy) are still expected be delivered before 2030. The remaining French frigates in the series – Amiral Louzeau, Amiral Castex, Amiral Nomy and Amiral Cabanier – will complete the French fleet between 2027 and 2032, in accordance with the 2024-2030 French military planning law. The Naval Group shipyard in Lorient has been totally revamped to be able to scale up and deliver two FDI frigates per year.
A total of five vessels are set to be delivered to France. In addition, three frigates are currently under construction for Greece, with an option for a fourth unit officially enforced in November 2025.
Lastly, Naval Group is pitching the FDI to Sweden, Denmark, as well as to Saudi Arabia and Indonesia.
More firepower for French FDI frigates
As previously reported by Naval News, France is in the process of increasing the firepower of the Amiral Ronarc’h-class frigate. The fourth and the fifth ships-in-class will be built with an expanded vertical launch system (VLS) configuration. The decision marks a substantial upgrade to the class’s anti-air warfare capabilities. The first three FDI frigates—Amiral Ronarc’h, Amiral Louzeau, and Amiral Castex—will subsequently undergo retrofits to match this enhanced configuration.
In their baseline configuration, French FDI frigates feature two Sylver A50 vertical launch systems with a total of 16 cells for MBDA Aster 15 and Aster 30 surface-to-air missiles. This arrangement provides robust self-defense and limited area air defense capabilities. The decision to double this capacity to 32 cells aligns the French Navy’s configuration with enhanced export variants already under construction, most notably the Hellenic Navy’s Kimon-class frigates, which feature the expanded VLS arrangement.
A source with knowledge of the matter recently confirmed to Naval News that contractors, DGA and the French Navy are in the final contractual negotiations.