Naval Group proposes extended FDI variant with up to 16 anti-ship missiles

Naval Group's extended FDI frigate concept, stretched by 9 m, shown at Euronaval 2026. (Devrim Yaylali)

Naval Group has proposed an extended version of its FDI (frégate de défense et d'intervention) frigate with the potential for extra weapon systems or other capabilities, company representatives said at the Euronaval 2026 exhibition, held in Paris from 3-6 November.

Naval Group's frigate marketing director (and former commander of French Navy's first FDI frigate, FS Amiral Ronarc'h) Nicolas Guiraud, said of the proposal, “The main idea is to take benefit from FDI's success story to have other versions bigger and more powerful.”

Naval Group said that if needed, the design allows an evolution with a growth of 9 m, added in the middle of the ship. This area could embark new vertical launch cells for anti-air missiles such as VL Mica NG (Vertical Launch Missile d'Interception, de Combat et d'Autodéfense Nouvelle Génération - new-generation, vertically launched interception, combat, and self-defence missile). Alternatively, the vessels could carry more anti-surface missiles (up to 16 instead of 8), loitering munitions, laser weapons, or UAV interceptors. This extension could allow for more command capabilities, or the augmentation of others.

During the presentation, the current commander of FS Amiral Ronarc'h, Commander Fabien Antoine, said that the frigate underwent a long-term deployment between January and May 2026 to assess its seakeeping, endurance, and operational capabilities in different environments. The deployment included operations in the Norwegian Sea and the Baltic Sea, where water temperatures fell to 2°C, followed by an Atlantic crossing to test the ship in warmer waters of up to 20°C.