For her most important upgrade of our Navy in recent decades, and for a very important addition to the deterrence potential of our country, the prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, from the shipyards of the Naval Group, spoke, among others, in Lorient, France, where it was found earlier today, Thursday, and where the three state-of-the-art Belh@rra frigates that will be delivered to the Greek Navy in the next 2 years are being built, according to information from the press office of the Prime Minister’s Office.

Accompanied by the Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of France Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, Kyriakos Mitsotakis was informed by the President and CEO of Naval Group, Pierre Eric Pommellet and Vice President Olivier de la Bourdonnaye, about the progress of the work and the delivery schedule of Belh@rra.

In his statements, Mr. Mitsotakis emphasized, among other things, that “it is my great pleasure to be given the opportunity to visit the Naval Group shipyard in Lorient today, where the three state-of-the-art Belh@rra frigates are currently being built simultaneously, which will have joined the Navy by 2026. It is the most important upgrade of our Navy in recent decades, a very important addition to our country’s deterrent capability. I want to express my satisfaction at the rapid progress of the implementation of this very ambitious equipment program, as well the first of the three frigates, “KIMON”, is already in the water and is expected to be delivered to the Navy within 2025.

Finally, I would also like to emphasize the participation of the Greek defense industry, specifically the Salamina Shipyards, which are building one of the nine blocks that essentially create this state-of-the-art ship.”

Afterwards, the Prime Minister stated that “when the frigates are handed over, they will be the most modern ships that will sail in the Mediterranean, worthy successors of all the historic ships of the Navy, on which the Greek flag always flies high and proud”.

For his part, the chairman of the Naval Group noted: “Mr. Prime Minister, it is a great honor to have you here at the Lorient shipyards for this visit. It is with great pride that we present to you what we are doing for the Greek Navy. The hull you see is for your future frigate. Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for your presence here today.”

In fact, according to government sources, during his visit the Prime Minister boarded the “KIMON” frigate, which is in an advanced stage of construction, and was guided around the shipyards of the “NEARCHOS” and “FORMION” frigates, which are expected to be delivered around the end of 2025 and 2026 respectively.

Afterwards, Kyriakos Mitsotakis also visited the Navy Echelon in Lorient and had the opportunity to be informed by the Commander of the Echelon, Rear Admiral Theoharis Hatzopoulos, regarding the implementation of the frigate program.

Mitsotakis

Belh@rra: the “digital” frigates that open a new page of power in the Navy

Belh@rra are multi-role warships, with a displacement of about 4,500 tons. They belong to the last generation of “digital” frigates. They will enable the Navy’s fleet to carry out complex missions, with their multidimensional capabilities being a force multiplier in the eastern Mediterranean.

The new frigates that Greece will receive equipped with the leading AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) Sea Fire radar, with a range of 300 km, and carry 32 Aster 30 missiles with a range of 120 km, a combination that will offer both area air defense and anti-ballistic capabilities, thus opening a new page of power in the Navy.

Armament will be supplemented by advanced 76 mm cannon, but also a RAM system of 21 missiles, which completes the ship’s anti-aircraft and anti-missile shield.

In addition to sophisticated anti-aircraft capabilities, they will also have top anti-submarine capabilities, thanks to the CAPTAS-4 variable depth sonar and MU-90 anti-submarine torpedoes.

Mitsotakis

The latter will be combined with the state-of-the-art MH-60R anti-submarine helicopters, which our country recently purchased from the USA. The armament against ships will include the most advanced Exocet MM40 Block 3C missiles, with the ability to strike at distances of 200 kilometers, while at the same time they have the ability to hit coastal targets. All of the above will be coordinated by the modern SETIS battle management system.

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 cooperated and took over the project and several will be involved in the next stages, thus contributing to the transfer of cutting-edge technology and creating jobs in Greece.