The visit had a technical nature, with the main aim being to replenish supplies and provide rest for the crew following operations in the Baltic Sea. In March, the ship conducted exercises with Lithuanian, Finnish, and Swedish vessels.
Photos: Michał Szafran, MILMAG
The Aquitaine is the prototype unit of the FREMM class for the Marine Nationale, which entered service in 2012. In total, the French acquired eight vessels of this type (six in the ASW version, and the last two were completed as anti-aircraft frigates FREMM-DA). In 2016, the Normandie was sold to Egypt, where it serves as the Tahya Misr alongside units acquired from Italy – the Al-Galala and Bernees (formerly Spartaco Schergat and Emilio Bianchi).
Armament Of the first four AWS frigates is composed of:
- OTO Melara 76/62 Davide\Strales gun
- two quadruple MBDA Exocet MM-40 Block 3C missile launchers;
- two 20 mm Nexter Narwhal;
- two MU90 Impact torpedo launchers;
- Sylver A43 vertical launch system for 16 Aster 15 surface-to-air missiles;
- Sylver A70 vertical launch system for 16 MdCN land-attack cruise missiles.
The vessel is equipped with the Thales Herakles 3D radar with a characteristic pyramid-shaped antenna. For detecting submarines, it utilizes the towed Thales CAPTAS-4 active-passive sonar and the UMS 4110 CL sonar. The entire system is integrated with the SETIS combat management system.
Since January 2023, the French have consistently obscured the hull numbers of their warships to hinder their identification. The name on the stern is still visible, but from a greater distance, it is extremely difficult to determine which specific unit it is.
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