By the end of 2015, the French Navy is scheduled to have begun upgrade work on its three Mistral-class landing helicopter dock BPC (Bâtiment de Projection et de Commandement) amphibious assault ships
Mistral (L9013),
Tonnerre (L9014), and
Dixmude (L9015) with the aim of reinforcing their autonomous protection capability.
Each ship will be outfitted out with two Nexter Systems NARWHAL 20B remote weapon stations and two Sagem Electro-Optical Multifunction System - New Generation (EOMS-NG) day-night, gyro-stabilised, infra-red search-and-track optronic systems.
The current two 20 mm 20F2 cannons will be withdrawn, although the ships will keep their two MBDA SIMBAD launchers armed with two ready-to-fire MISTRAL very-short range surface-to-air missiles.
Dixmude will be the first ship to receive updates beginning in late 2015, followed by
Mistral in 2016, and
Tonnerre in 2017. The installations will occur during the ships' intermediate refits, the French Navy told
IHS Jane's .
The NARWHAL 20B system features a gyro-stabilised mount, 20M693 single-feed automatic cannon with firing rate of 700 20 x 139 mm rounds/min, and an Exavision electro-optical payload. Six systems were purchased by DCNS in July 2014.
FREMM frigate Normandie fitted with the NARWHAL 20B remote weapon system. Normandie has recently been sold to the Egyptian navy. (Victor M.S. Barreira)
Six EOMS-NG systems were procured under a contract placed by DCNS in March 2013. Additional systems were acquired for the landing platform dock vessel (LPD)
Siroco (L9012). The system offers 360° long-range panoramic search, and automatic detection and tracking of incoming threats (including anti-ship missiles, aircraft, and fast attack craft) using a high-resolution thermal imager, a TV camera, and a laser range finder.
Both systems can be controlled via the ships' combat management system or an operator console installed in the bridge.
Gowind corvette L'Adroit was the first French naval unit to receive the EOMS-NG infra-red search-and-track system. (Victor M.S. Barreira)
DCNS ordered a total of 22 NARWHAL 20B systems, to equip also the navy's FREMM multimission frigate. The first FREMM fitted with the system was
Normandie (D651), which was recently sold to Egypt and will be delivered by mid-2015 with a NARWHAL system installed.
The Gowind corvette
L´Adroit was the first ship to receive the EOMS-NG system. It is understood that the F 70 Cassard-class and Forbin-class Horizon guided-missile destroyers, Floréal-class guided-missile frigates, and the aircraft carrier
Charles de Gaulle will receive it also.
