French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has unveiled model of new multi-mission frigate French FTI (Frégate de Taille Intermédiaire or Mid-Size Frigate) at Euronaval 2016 show in Paris.
The French Navy will receive a new generation of frigates: the FTI (Frégate de Taille Intermédiaire or Midsize Frigate) which will start being delivered in 2023 for a total of 5 hulls.
These ships will be included among the 15 first-rank frigates specified in the most recent white paper, in place of the insufficiently armed La Fayette-class light frigates. A five-unit order is envisaged, with a first delivery to the navy in 2023; these FTI will not be as imposing as the FREMM multipurpose frigates or the Horizon-class air-defence frigates.
However, with a displacement of some 4,000 tonnes — 2,000 tonnes less than their predecessors — they will still certainly be well-armed first-rank frigates capable of confronting new threats in a hardening operational context.
