FS Aquitaine D-650

History

The FS Aquitaine completed its first operational deployment on March 25, 2016. The ship participated in Operation Arromanches 2 in the Persian Gulf as part of Task Force 473.

During the mission, the frigate was tasked with protecting the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which was using its airborne team to bomb the Islamic State as part of Operation Chamar.

In April 2018, the frigate in the eastern Mediterranean was the target of an intimidation exercise by Russian armed Su-24 bombers. The latter flies over it at a shorter distance.

It was a warning to French authorities, who remained concerned about the desirability of cracking down on the Syrian regime after the Douma chemical weapons attack was blamed on him.

On April 14, 2018, the frigate participated in Operation Hamilton, the French part of the Bazar and Hinshal bombing, with the United States and the United Kingdom. After failing to fire her MdCN missiles within the allotted time, like the neighbouring Auvergne, it was finally the frigate Languedoc (D 653) that did her baptism of fire.

Specification

Basics

Year of Service

2012

Origins

France

Status

In service

supplement

145

staff

Class information

Class

Aquitane class

Class Size

8

ships

Class

FS Aquitaine D-650; RV Provence (D652); FS Languedoc (D653); FS Auvergne (D654); FS Brittany (D655); FS Normandy (D651); FS Alsace (D656); FS Lorraine (D657)

Operator

France

Characters

Sea Bombing

Maritime bombardment/attack of surface targets/areas primarily through ship-based ballistic weapons.

Land Assault

Littoral attacks against surface targets primarily through ship-based missiles/missile weapons.

Sea Patrol

Active patrolling of critical waterways and sea areas; also serves as a local deterrent against air and maritime threats.

Airspace Denial/Deterrence

Neutralization or deterrence of flying elements by airborne missile weapon ballistics.

Fleet Support

Provide support (fire or materiel) to major surface fleets in blue water environments.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

466. 0 feet

142.04m

Ray

65.0 feet

19.81m

Draft

16. 0 feet

4.88m

Shift

6,000 t

Power and Performance

Installed Power:

CODLOG (diesel-electric-or-gas combination): MTU series 4000; 4 diesel generators; 1 bow thruster; 2 x axle rear.

Weapons

1 x 76mm OTO-Melara (Leonardo) SR Dual Purpose Deck Gun (DP). 1 x 16-cell MBDA SYLVER A43 Vertical Launch System (VLS) for 16 x MBDA Aster 15 Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAM). 1 x 16 unit MBDA SYLVER A70 VLS for 16 x SCALP Navy Land Attack Cruise Missiles. 8 x MBDA MM. 40 "Exocet" Block 3 anti-ship missiles.

2 x 324 mm (13 in) Leonardo (WASS) B-515 torpedo tubes (MU90 torpedo series). 3 x Nexter 20mm Narwhal Automatic Guns.

Aircraft

1 or 2 x NHIndustries NH90 medium lift/multi-role naval helicopters, supported by a combined stern hangar-heliport facility.