France Military News, Reports, Data, etc.
- Thread starter navyreco
- Start date
Equation
Lieutenant General
Is the new M51 SLBM suppose to be a replacement for the French navy older M45 SLBM?
So, France will end up with 11 FREMMs, 2 Horizons, and six Barracuda SSNs, along with their Carrier and LPDs and other vessels. A total of 19 major combatants for surface and subsurface operations on the high seas.
By comparison, the UK will end up with 13 Type 26s, 6 Type 45s, and 7 Atutes SSNs to go with their two Carriers, the Ocean and other vessels. Or 26 major combatants for surface and subsurface operations on the high seas.
Both are going to be very modern and very capable forces...but compared to past years in terms of numbers they are just a whisper of their former selves where they had the vessels to have a far greater presence across each of their far-flung possessions and interests.
By further comparison, the PLAN, in the same time frame that it takes to complete these new vessels, will have 16-18 very modern DDGs, 32-36 very modern FFGs, and probably 12 modern SSNs. That would be a total of 66 major combatants for surface and subsurface operations on the high seas (and does not include their probably 40+ smaller Type 056 vessels). Over 20 more vessels than the UK and France combined, and concentrated in a much smaller area of the globe.
The US will have 80-85 DDGs, 30-36 FFGs, and 54-56 SSNs. That's up to 177 total. Almost 3X the PLAN nuimber.
I think I will do a comparative study of current vs 2040 naval force strength for all the major powers. Should be interesting what it says for each individual nation, and for the East - West block nations in total.
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navyreco
Senior Member
-The recent white paper on defence calls for 15 major surface combatants
-In this article the minister only stated 11 FREMMs will be built. He didn't say who will get them. There were rumors about leasing a couple to the Hellenic navy. The third one could go to Morocco who just got one.
-French MoD instructed DCNS to study cost and feasiblity on the upgrade of the LaFayette class Frigates so they may become "Major Surface Combat" thanks to the addition of towed sonar + decent SAM like Mica VL or Aster 15.
That's all we know at this point. 11 FREMMs will get built and jobs are saved no matter what.
In the end France may end up with:
9 Multi purpose FREMMs + 2 Air Defense FREMMS + 2 Horizon + 2 upgraded LaFayette
or
8 Multi purpose FREMMS + 2 Horizon + 5 upgraded LaFayette
Problem is even despite their radar upgrade (Smart S Mk2) the Cassard class are getting old and no matter how you upgrade LaFayettes, there is no way they will be able to provide area air defense.
Plus DCNS is pushing real hard to sell its FREMM ER
Well, I think they will have the 15 surface action vessels and they may well consist of 2 Horizon, 9 FREMMs and 4 LaFayettes. And a modest upgrade to the LaFayette ASW and AAW will make them very good platforms.
All in all, still a very modern and formidable force...just small numbers to cover all of the French possessions and interests around the world.
They will have a good number of those new stealthy patrol vessels I know, but they have very little in the way of armament, even for self defense.
asif iqbal
Lieutenant General
Don't get why France has cut the navy so badly, the second carrier is now cut and 2 extra Mistral Class are also gone, the fleet is to be cut to 15 and not 18, I mean 15?? It's very bad move
They seem to think that by cutting the defence budget somehow they will come out of recession and economy will do better, history has shown that by cutting the defence budget will make no difference to the economy, no country has become rich by cutting the defence budget, infact the country's who have invested in defence end up becoming good economy's
For example, Pakistan armed forces (army, air force, navy, rangers, paramilitray etc etc) employs 1.6 million people, with hundreds of thousands more employed in the defence sector, almost 2 million people, these 2 million and all thier familys get a home, free health care, free childrens education and higher up officers get land and car, the list of benefit to the people is endless and effects more than 10 million people from all walks of life, increasing the defence budget is a must because so many people benefit from the high military budget
Recently the defence budgets of many Western nations have been cut to a fraction of what they used to be, there is no way UK could mass a force similar to the 2003 Iraq invasion and in 2003 they could not manage anything close to 1991 Gulf War, so it's a slow and steady decline
High spending on defence creates jobs, maybe less than in the civilian sector but it's highly skilled jobs like in a naval shipyard, skills which are nessasary requirement which will kick start the economy in the recovery phase, skills which the country's needs to retain if it wants to keep ahead of the competition
Here is the quote from an available on he french Navy site. This is the overview of what the Navy will look like:
French Navy said:
So, this means:
01 x CVN Degualle
03 x LHD (Though not listed above)
02 x DDG Horizon
11 x FREMM FFG
03 x Lafayette FFG
03 x AOR
06 x SSN
04 x SSBN
06 x FFL
15 x OPV
A small overall number of vessels to cover all of France's maritime responsibilities...which are 2nd in size only to the United States world-wide.