FREMM class Multi-Mission Frigates
In the course of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's October 2007 state visit to Morocco, the Kingdom's highest authorities confirmed an agreement between the two countries to provide the Royal Moroccan Navy with a FREMM multimission frigate. The contract was reportedly signed on April 18, 2008 and construction of the Moroccan FREMM began in the summer 2008 and is expected to be delivered by 2012. The purchase is widely seen as a consolation prize for Paris after Rabat bought the Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter instead of the Rafale from Dassault Aviation.
French Prime Minister François Fillon confirmed at a seminar in Rabat 23 April 2008 that DCNS has finalised the contract for a multimission frigate for the Royal Moroccan Navy. "We welcome the decision by Morocco's highest authorities in favour of the DCNS-designed FREMM frigate to modernise their fleet. This ship will benefit from the many advances arising from the FREMM programme to produce a new generation of front-line vessels for the French Navy. Morocco is our first international customer for this new-generation vessel," said executive vice-president and CEO Bernard Planchais. "This success opens up new business opportunities for this type of vessel as navies around the world seek to renew and modernise their fleets. Ongoing cooperation with Morocco is a key factor as we pursue development with new customers, particularly the Middle East."
This multimission front-line fighting ship will expand the Navy's operational capabilities, particularly for anti-air, anti-surface and anti-submarine missions. In addition to reduced crewing (a little over 100 officers and sailors), the ship will benefit from the many advances arising from the FREMM programme to produce a new generation of front-line vessels for the French Navy. The FREMM frigates for the French Navy are being built under DCNS prime contractorship. These heavily armed ships will carry state-of-the-art weapons and systems including the Herakles multifunction radar, MU90 torpedoes and Exocet MM40 and Aster missiles. The Moroccan FREMM is based on the French Navy's version with little modification.
Jean-Marie Poimbouf, Chairman & CEO of DCNS, said: "We welcome the decision by Morocco's highest authorities in favour of the DCNS-designed FREMM frigate to modernise their fleet. Morocco is our first international customer for this new-generation vessel. This success opens up new business opportunities for this type of vessel as navies around the world seek to renew and modernise their fleets. Ongoing cooperation with Morocco is a key factor as we pursue development with new customers, particularly in the Mediterranean and the Middle East."
The FREMM program - Europe's most ambitious naval cooperation program ever - calls for 27 multimission frigates for France and Italy. The 6,000-tonne vessels will be delivered in anti-submarine, anti-surface, anti-air and land strike versions to meet the client navies' specific needs. The FREMM frigates for the French Navy are being built under DCNS prime contractorship. These heavily armed ships will carry state-of-the-art weapons and systems including the Herakles multifunction radar, MU90 torpedoes and Exocet MM40 and Aster 15 missiles.
The FREMM vessel purchased by Morocco will have anti-air, anti-surface and anti-submarine capabilities and will introduce new capabilities for offshore and, if required, participation in international operations. The ship, to be delivered by 2013, is required to extend the patrol capabilities of the Moroccan Navy and to enable joint operations with NATO and other navies.
With the French warship builder DCNS pushing ahead with the construction of a first FREMM multi-mission frigate for the Moroccan Navy - ordered in 2007 - as of January 2011 Rabat was examining the idea of buying at least one additional vessel.
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