Fourth FDI frigate ordered for the Hellenic Navy from Naval Group

A fourth defence and intervention frigate (FDI) has been ordered for the Hellenic Navy from French shipyard Naval Group.

A contract for the ship was signed on 14 November 2025 by Major General Ioannis Bouras, general director of the Hellenic General Directorate of Defense Investments and Armaments (GDDIA), and Pierre Éric Pommellet, chairman and CEO of Naval Group.

The contract also covers maintenance of the ships as well as the extension of additional capabilities across the entire Greek FDI fleet.

The Hellenic Navy’s FDI programme was initiated in 2022, at which point the navy ordered three FDI frigates with an option for a fourth in conjunction with an ambitious co-operation plan with Greek industry. The first three frigates are currently under construction, with the first one due to be delivered to the Hellenic Navy at the end of 2025.

“We are very honoured by Greece’s order for this fourth FDI frigate,” Pommellet was quoted as saying in a company press release. “With the first three already at an advanced stage of production, this order is a mark of confidence and confirmation of the Hellenic Navy’s satisfaction with these first-rank vessels. We will continue to deploy our expertise in the service of the Hellenic Navy’s sovereignty and naval superiority.”

With the fourth Greek FDI Naval Group has committed to further expanding the integration of Greek companies into its international industrial strategy, reaching 25% of the value of the fourth Greek FDI in local content.

The FDI is a 4,500-ton multi-purpose frigate design with “high-level capabilities in all naval combat domains: anti-ship, anti-air, anti-submarine and special forces projection, with unique capabilities against asymmetric threats”, according to Naval Group.

The ship is propelled by a combined diesel and diesel (CODAD) arrangement, delivering a top speed of 50 km/h and a range of 9,300 km at 28 km/h, and is armed with Exocet MM40 B3C surface-to-surface missiles, RAM and Aster surface-to-air missiles, MU90 anti-submarine torpedoes and a 76 mm Super Rapid gun. The FDI can also carry a medium-sized helicopter plus a number of unmanned aerial vehicles.

Naval Group is also producing five FDIs for the French Navy, the first of which, Amiral Ronarc’h, was delivered on 17 October 2025.