On Thursday, February 5, 2026, the French Defence Procurement Agency (Direction générale de l’Armement, DGA), under the French Ministry of the Armed Forces and Veterans, announced that the hull of the future PH Trolley de Prévaux had been launched at the Piriou shipyard in Concarneau, Brittany. It is the first of a total of 10 offshore patrol vessels planned under the Patrouilleurs Hauturiers program.
Photo: DGA
The keel of the vessel was laid on May 22, 2024, and entry into service is scheduled for 2027, following the completion of outfitting work and acceptance trials, including harbor and sea trials.
The first seven ships were ordered on November 23, 2023, from three contractors for a total of 900 million EUR: the aforementioned Piriou, as well as Socarenam and CMN (the remaining three will be formally ordered at a later date). The design was developed by Naval Group under a contract signed on October 14, 2021, when the program was still known as Patrouilleur Océanique (Ocean Patrol Vessel). The program is financed under the Military Planning Law (Loi de programmation militaire, LPM) for 2024–2030.
Naval Group is also responsible for project management support and integration of the combat management system. Meanwhile, Thales will equip the vessels with Bluewatcher hull-mounted sonars, compact multi-mission surface surveillance radars, and identification friend or foe (IFF) systems.
Meanwhile, in April 2025, the keel of the second vessel, PH D’Estienne d’Orves, was laid at the CMN shipyard in Cherbourg. The ship is scheduled to be launched in early 2027, with entry into service planned for the following year. In June 2025, the keel of PH Jeanne Bohec was laid at the Socarenam shipyard in Calais (launch planned for late 2027, entry into service in 2028–2029). Last year also saw the start of construction of PH Chief Petty Officer Nonen by Piriou (entry into service scheduled for 2029).
The next patrol vessels will be PH Jacqueline Carsignol (Socarenam, Calais), PH Commander Ducuing (CMN, Cherbourg), and PH Petty Officer Anquetil (Socarenam, Calais), which are to be delivered between 2030 and 2031.
The following names have been assigned to the three remaining vessels not yet formally ordered: PH Andrée Borrell, PH Sein Island, and PH Émilienne Moreau. All 10 ships are expected to be in service by 2035.
Next-Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels
The program, initially launched under the codename Patrouilleur Océanique (PO), was formally initiated on June 10, 2020. The new vessels are intended to replace three Flamant-class patrol vessel offshore patrol vessels (OPV 54) / Patrouilleurs de Service Public (PSP) and seven D’Estienne d’Orves-class corvette (A69) corvettes (locally referred to as avisos). Details of the program and operational requirements were disclosed on October 23, 2020, during the virtual trade fair Euronaval Online 2020.
The new ships will be based in metropolitan France – in Brest, Toulon, and Cherbourg. Their missions will include supporting combat vessels in deterrence operations, conducting autonomous situational assessments in areas of national sovereignty, escort duties, evacuation of citizens, and safeguarding national interests along maritime approaches.
According to the disclosed operational requirements, PO-class vessels will have a displacement of approximately 2,000 tons, measure about 90 meters in length, reach a top speed of 22 knots, and have a range of 5,500 nautical miles with an endurance of up to 40 days. The crew will consist of 50 officers and sailors. Planned equipment includes a navigation radar, surface and air surveillance radar, identification friend or foe (IFF) system, sonar, combat management system, infrared electro-optical system, and new 40 mm RapidFire T40AA naval guns.
The vessels will also be equipped with three hybrid RHIB-class boats, one 20-foot ISO container (1 TEU), additional technical space, and a stern deck capable of accommodating one medium naval helicopter or a vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aerial vehicle (VTUAV). They are planned for a 35-year service life, with a required operational availability of 300 days per year, including deployments lasting between 140 and 220 days annually.
The Patrouilleurs Hauturiers initiative is part of an innovative industrial program involving cooperation between civilian and military entities, as well as a generational renewal of the Marine Nationale patrol fleet.
The second component is the ongoing construction program of six offshore patrol vessels (Patrouilleurs d’Outre-Mer, POM) under the BATSIMAR (Bâtiments de surveillance et d’intervention maritime) program, intended to protect France’s overseas territories. In 2020, the contract was awarded to a consortium of Socarenam and CNN MCO.
So far, three vessels have been delivered: P779 Auguste Bénébig (2023), P780 Teriieroo a Teriierooiterai (2024), and P781 Auguste Techer (2025). The remaining ships are scheduled for delivery in 2026–2027: P782 Jean Tranape, P783 Philippe Bernardino, and P784 Félix Éboué.
#Capacitaire | À Concarneau, @PIRIOU_Group a mis à l’eau le PH Trolley de Prévaux
1er patrouilleur hauturier destiné à la MarineNationale, construit sous maîtrise d’œuvre d’ensemble de la @DGA
👉 Tête de série d’un programme stratégique au service de la souveraineté maritime. pic.twitter.com/OQUEvzVnJw— Marine nationale (@MarineNationale) February 6, 2026
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