Belharra FDI Fregate de Defense et Intervention
[FTI Frégate de Taille Intermédiaire] - Design
With a displacement of around 4,000 tonnes, the FTI would be larger than the French Navy’s corvettes, but smaller than its FREMM heavy multimission frigates, and it's a perfect example of this new breed of digitally enabled vessels. Developed for France but also for export markets, the FTI will be more affordable and easier to operate than the heavier frigates, while still benefiting from state-of-the-art electronic equipment and new technology from Thales.
FTI Figates are 122.5m long, 17.7m beam, displacing just over 4,250 tons. The multimission FTI frigate will carry a 125-strong crew – including a 15-person aviation detachment and with accommodation for another 50. FTI Frigates will be equipped with the MBDA Aster 30 anti-air missiles in 16 (room for 32) VLS launchers and 8 Exocet anti-ship missile, MU90 torpedo, and a 76 mm cannon. The ship will be powered by diesel engines in a combined diesel and diesel (CODAD) arrangement, with an installed power of 32 megawatts. Speed is rated at 27 knots with an endurance of 5,000 nautical miles.
On the level of electronic equipment, they will be equipped with a "CAPTAS-4 compact" embedded sonar, which, compared to CAPTAS-4, offers the same ultra-long range detection capability while having a 50% Light weight 20%, of a SEA FIRE multifunction radar, equipped with 4 fixed-panel antennas, the Aquilon integrated naval communications system and the SENTINEL electronic warfare system. All these components will be supplied by Thales.
The AQUILON advanced communication system from Thales is open, secure, scalable and adaptable to customer requirements, making it the perfect choice for the FTI digital frigate. Built around a secure local IP network, this fully integrated naval communication system provides a full shipboard and external voice and data communication capability (HF, VHF, UHF and satcom).
In particular, PARTNER — the tool that manages AQUILON radio services (antenna selection and configuration, modems, radios, access rights, etc.) — will be upgraded for the FTI programme to allow easier insertion of new functionality in the decades ahead.
The FTI frigate will also benefit from the latest advances in HF communications, with integration of HF XL (or Wide Band HF) into the AQUILON system. HF XL supports higher data rates and improves communication service quality, while providing an advanced jam-resistant solution that is easier-to-implement and more resilient than earlier generations. It offers real scope for naval applications, such as ship-to-shore communications, long-distance communications between naval groups, and long-range communications for submarines and surface vessels in all circumstances.
For V/UHF communications, the FTI frigate will benefit from technological advances derived from France’s CONTACT software-defined radio program. It will also boast an innovative IFF (identification friend or foe) system with active four-panel fixed-array antenna as the perfect complement to the Sea Fire radar. This system will serve as a full-function, all-digital secondary radar and will offer clear operational benefits, thanks to its smart scanning modes, while ensuring full NATO interoperability to the latest Mode 5 standard.
The AQUILON system will also feature the new COMTICS user handset from Thales. An advanced naval smartphone, COMTICS is cybersecured by design and provides secure access to multimedia services, including web browsing and social media, if the operational situation allows. COMTICS will enable greater mobility onboard the vessel and, in turn, drive greater operational efficiency. For example, commanders can use this handheld device to monitor a helicopter launch at the other end of the vessel, while mechanics can send images of a faulty piece of equipment to a shore-based support center.
Based on unique experience with over 50 navies around the world, Thales radiocommunication solutions combine the latest technical innovations with resilient network performance to meet all the key requirements of the future FTI medium-size frigate:
- Integration within a naval task force (compliance with NATO standards for full interoperability), integration between frigates for cooperative engagements (HF XL, etc.) and integration with the platform (open IP architecture).
- Connectivity: the communication system provides a tactical data transmission capability, while its architecture integrates seamlessly with the broader requirements of the frigate and its connected crew.
- Military-grade cybersecurity: Thales radiocommunication systems and products are cybersecured by design, in line with the stringent requirements of the French defence procurement agency (DGA) and Naval Group (formerly DCNS). In addition, the system is fully redundant to meet the demands of operations at sea (combat damage, storm damage, etc.) and ensure high availability, even in the most extreme conditions.
In less than 10 years, the Aquilon naval communication system from Thales has been adopted by navies around the globe. What's behind this unprecedented success? A tried and trusted product that combines an open, modular and scalable IP architecture with robust security to meet the key comms requirements of naval forces in the digital age,
The Aquilon success story began in 2005 when France wanted to equip its FREMM multimission frigates with an advanced IP-based communication solution. The requirement was to not only offer shipboard multimedia services and web-based applications, but also ensure interoperability with the other forces and civil agencies the Navy may need to collaborate with in the future.
The idea looked good on paper, but could it be done? Drawing on its experience with over 40 naval and maritime forces worldwide — including the U.S. Coast Guard, which uses Thales HF radios — we went ahead and proved it could indeed be done. Aquilon is a fully integrated communication system built around a secure local IP network that provides a full shipboard and external voice and data communication capability. The core element of Aquilon is the Partner tool, which manages all comms assets, including selection and configuration of antennas, modems, radios, etc., as well as user access rights.
The Aquilon full IP-at-sea solution was a world première and quickly generated interest — and a flotilla of orders — from Colombia, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Egypt and others. The system quickly became the solution of choice for navies the world over, meeting their need for round the-clock communications, even when docked. Its high level of security was a decisive factor in its selection by the British Royal Navy for its new flagship the Queen Elizabeth supercarrier, the largest warship ever built in Europe and the UK’s first new carrier for 40 years.
The most mature solution in the marketplace today, Aquilon has been fine-tuned and steadily improved based on feedback from customers. Suitable for all operational contexts and all vessel types, the system is particularly prized for its ability to evolve in line with requirements. The average service life of a naval vessel is 40 years, so to keep pace with requirements, it must be possible to modify the architecture of its communication system and add new functionality without compromising overall security. Aquilon was developed with this in mind. Its design concept also reflects Thales’s value-added approach to cybersecurity, which addresses system security as a whole, rather than in terms of individual components or subsystems.
Open, scalable, evolutionary and fully secure, Aquilon delivers shipboard communications via dedicated terminals (telephones, computers, mobile handsets, etc.) and provides a full external transmit / receive capability across the entire frequency spectrum, from VLF to military and civilian satcoms.
The next stage is to increase bandwidth and transmission speeds to meet the growing demand for data transfer capabilities. This will be the first step in the transition from a connected vessel to a connected crew. To provide an attractive working environment, navies will need to offer the same kind of connectivity and experience that users are accustomed to on land.
SEA FIRE Radar - This fully digital multifunction radar, equipped with four fixed panel antennas, is supported by the French state for its development. It meets the needs of different missions from the self-defense of the ship to extended air defense. It is suitable for ASTER missile engagement conduct. In the face of conventional, asymmetric or emergent surface and airborne threats, the SEA FIRE is operational in complex environments in the littoral zone or in the presence of intense jamming. It adapts to all types of ships from corvette to frigate.
CAPTAS-4 compact sonar - This sonar is the new, compact and modular version of the CAPTAS-4 towed sonar currently fitted to the Multi-Mission Frigates (FREMM). It offers the same ultra-long-range detection while having a reduced surface area of 50% and a lighter weight of 20%. With this sonar compact version, the FTI will be equipped with the best anti-submarine detection capability on the market.
Aquilon Integrated Naval Communications System - Thales also provides the fully integrated Aquilon naval communications system as well as an identification system (IFF) coupled with SEA FIRE radar. Already in service in France and in many navies, the Aquilon system is built around an IP architecture that offers all the voice and data services needed to ensure all external and internal communications, thus making the frigate and its crew fully logged. These services, perfectly secure, make it possible to guarantee the interoperability of all the actors with whom FTI can collaborate.
ESM Electronic Warfare System - With its new SENTINEL system, the Electronic Warfare proposed by Thales is also at the forefront of technology with a modular architecture, fully digital, compatible with the electromagnetic environment of a modern combat vessel and capable of providing accurate identification of threats highly scalable in complex radio environments such as coastal areas.
Designed to be operated by digital natives, the naval vessels of tomorrow will be highly digitised and dependent on a wide array of connected, interactive systems. Integrating these new technologies and ensuring the necessary development headroom for the future is a real challenge.
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