DCNS to Maintain French Navy's Front-Line Fighting Ships

(October 12, 2009) -- DCNS has been awarded three contracts worth over EUR310 million to provide through-life support services for the French Navy's front-line fighting ships. The first calls for TLS services for 22 front-line ships including Horizon air defence frigates over a period of six years; the second for TLS services for two amphibious assault vessels and two force projection vessels for four-and-a-half years; and the third for TLS services for missiletracking ship Monge for six years.

The frigate contract, worth EUR250 million, calls for TLS services for front-line fighting ships and their combat systems at the Brest shipyard on the Atlantic coast and the Toulon shipyard on the Mediterranean over a period of six years.


One-quarter of the budget is for the refurbishment of the vessels' combat systems (including launch systems, missile launchers, gun turrets, etc.) and the modernisation of other shipboard systems and equipment.

Ships by name

Helicopter carrier Jeanne d'Arc, anti-submarine warfare frigates (type F70 vessels Dupleix, Montcalm, Jean de Vienne, La Motte-Picquet, Georges Leygues, Primauguet and Latouche- Treville), type F70 anti-air warfare frigates Cassard and Jean Bart, patrol frigates (type A69 vessels Commandant Bouan, Commandant Birot, Enseigne de vaisseau Jacoubet, Commandant Ducuing, Lieutenant de vaisseau Le Henaff, Premier maitre l'Her, Commandant Blaison, Commandant l'Herminier and Lieutenant de vaisseau Lavallee), type F67 ASW frigates De Grasse and Tourville and Horizon air defence frigates Forbin and Chevalier Paul.

The TCD/BPC contract concerns two TCD-type amphibious assault vessels and two BPC-type force projection vessels. DCNS will provide TLS services for these four Toulon-based vessels over a period of four-and-a-half years. This contract covers TLS services for azimuth pods (i.e. the directional or 'azimuthing' units containing an electric motor and mounted under a ship's hull to provide both propulsion and steering), the Thales 3D MRR surveillance radar and the integrated high-speed communications systems carried by the BPC vessels.

Ships by name

TCD-type LPDs Siroco and Foudre and BPC-type LHDs Mistral and Tonnerre.

DCNS has also been awarded a third contract to provide TLS services for the Monge. Under this contract, DCNS will provide TLS services for research and missile-tracking vessel Monge which is owned by the French defence procurement agency (DGA) and crewed by the French Navy.

Source : DCNS