Speaker A
As we hinted at in a previous video, one of the topics we’re eager to cover is a comparison of the FDI frigates as ordered by France, Greece, and Sweden.
Comparison of FDI frigates by France, Greece, and Sweden, focusing on configurations, armaments, sensors, and operational capabilities.
Key Takeaways
- FDI frigates share a common hull but are configured differently by France, Greece, and Sweden to meet specific operational needs.
- France leads in missile capacity upgrades and detailed sensor integration, including future UAS deployment.
- Greece enhances protection and sensor shielding, with a strong focus on air defense and anti-submarine warfare capabilities.
- Sweden prioritizes a versatile weapons suite with potential land-attack cruise missile capability and a hybrid crewed/uncrewed operational model.
- All three navies use the SETIS combat management system, ensuring interoperability despite configuration differences.
What the video covers
- The video compares FDI frigates ordered by France, Greece, and Sweden, highlighting differences in armament and systems based on operational needs and budgets.
- French Amiral Ronarc'h-class frigates feature ASTER 15/30 missiles, a 76mm Oto Melara gun, 16-32 Sylver A50 VLS cells, and advanced sensors like the SEAFIRE AESA radar.
- French ships also deploy SIMBAD RC self-defense systems, Exocet MM40 Block 3C missiles, Mu90 torpedoes, and helicopters such as NH90 or HIL Guépard, with plans to integrate Airbus VSR700 UAS.
- Greek FDI HN frigates in 'Standard 2' configuration include Leonardo 76mm and LIONFISH 20mm guns, 32-cell Sylver A50 VLS with Aster 30 B1 missiles, RAM CIWS, Exocet missiles, and MU 90 torpedoes.
- Greek ships add protection shields for SATCOM and sensors, use SEA FIRE radar, Kingklip Mk2 sonar, Captas-4 towed array, and SETIS CMS, with helicopters like S-70B Aegean Hawk or MH-60 Seahawk.
- Swedish Luleå-class frigates will have a Bofors 57mm main gun, 40mm secondary gun, Torped 47, Saab Trackfire 12.7mm RWS, and missile armament including RBS15, Aster 30, and CAMM ER missiles.
- Sweden is developing a new cold launch VLS for CAMM-ER missiles and may adopt a land-attack cruise missile capability with an A70 VLS module option.
- Swedish ships will use Saab’s Giraffe 1X radar and emphasize a hybrid force structure combining crewed and uncrewed systems.
- All three navies use Naval Group’s SETIS combat management system for interoperability and connectivity.
- France is the most detailed in disclosed systems, with Greece and Sweden likely to have similar but customized configurations.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction to FDI Frigate Comparison
- 00:57French FDI Frigate Armament Overview
- 02:11French Missile Systems and Upgrades
- 03:16French Self-Defense and Close-In Weapons
- 05:20French Anti-Submarine Warfare and UAS Integration
- 07:10Greek FDI HN Frigate Configuration
- 08:46Greek UAS Acquisition and Sensor Enhancements
- 10:15Additional Greek Communication and Sensor Systems
- 11:40Swedish Luleå-class Frigate Armament
- 12:19Swedish Missile Contract and Future Capabilities
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
As you’ll know from our previous videos comparing different Type 26s and different Type 31s/Arrowhead 140s, customers/operating nations will configure their ships to best suit their respective budgets and operational needs. This results in several navies operating ships with the same basic hull but with potentially different operating systems and weapons.
Speaker A
So what have the French, Greeks, and Swedes chosen for their respective FDI frigates? Let’s take a look!
Speaker A
Getting right to it, let’s begin with France and its Amiral Ronarc'h-class. Our primary source for information on the French ships comes directly from the website of France’s Ministry of Defence - and so we hope it’s the most accurate source available… it’s certainly the most authoritative!
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At the same time, it lacks some specifics such as type of gun or number of vertical launch cells.
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With this in mind, we’ll name any additional sources when that extra information is mentioned.
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For anti-air warfare/air defence, the ships fire ASTER 15 and ASTER 30 missiles, in addition to what Navy Lookout specifies is a single Oto Melara 76 mm Super Rapid gun.
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According to Naval News, it was in November 2025 that it was revealed that France would be doubling its ASTER missile capacity on FDI frigates.
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In their baseline configuration, French FDI frigates feature two Sylver A50 vertical launch systems with a total of 16 cells for MBDA Aster 15 and Aster 30 surface-to-air missiles.
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The decision to double this capacity means that the ships have 32 cells. Shephard Media specifies that the first three FDI frigates are configured with 16 Aster missile cells, but the fourth and fifth will be the ones getting the full 32 cells.
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Other sources state that it’s just the first two French vessels that will be equipped with 16 vertical launch cells due to previously made budget decisions.
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Whatever the case, the government says that the earlier frigates will be upgraded to double the number of launch cells at a later stage.
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The French ships will also be fitted with two SIMBAD RC self-defence systems firing Mistral III short-range missiles.
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For anti-surface warfare, along with the 76mm main gun, there are two 20mm guns, which Navy Lookout specifies as Narwhal remote weapon stations optimised for close-in and asymmetric threats.
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Also used for surface threats are eight Exocet MM40 Block 3C anti-ship missiles, while the Mu90 torpedo is used for anti-submarine warfare. Navy Lookout says that for these torpedoes there are twin tubes fitted on either side of the ship.
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Additional anti-submarine capability comes from the attachment of a medium-sized helicopter to the ship’s operations. For France, this will be either the NH90 – Caïman or HIL - Guépard.
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Navy Lookout says that, like the Royal Navy, the Marine Nationale is also looking to deploy unmanned aerial systems to supplement the crewed helicopter in the anti-submarine role and there is a space allocated for this on the port side of the hangar. The site adds that the Airbus VSR700 will be integrated on the FDI and other French frigates from 2028.
Speaker A
For sensors, the French ships utilize multi-function Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) digital radar with four fixed panels. This is the SEAFIRE radar from Thales, which is said to be capable of providing over 300 km air coverage, detecting and tracking over 800 objects at up to 90° elevation. A 2019 Naval News article offers some slightly different information, reporting that the radar can track 800 objects simultaneously without saturation at a range of up to 500 kilometers in the air and 80 kilometers on the surface.
Speaker A
Shephard Media goes on to specify the following equipment for the French ships: Thales BlueGate E-scan IFF (identification, friend or foe), Thales Altesse-H communication detector, Sentinel radar detector, Aquilon communication system, iXBlue navigation centre, KingKlip Mk2 hull-mounted sonar, CAPTAS-4 Compact Independent towed array, and a Safran PASEO XLR.
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The site adds that the ships are expected to be fitted with the SETIS combat management system, with Naval Group specifying the use of its SETIS 3.0 CMS.
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The FDI’s second customer is Greece (and its Hellenic Navy). The frigates for this country are designated as FDI HN.
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The armament for these ships in the “Standard 2” configuration includes the following: One Leonardo 76mm main gun, two Leonardo LIONFISH 20mm Remote Weapons Systems (instead of the Narwhal systems used by France), two quad-packed launchers for Exocet MM40 Block III, four Sylver A50 VLS firing 32 Aster 30 B1 air defence missiles, a 21-cell RAM Block 2B CIWS, two twin torpedo launchers for MU 90 torpedoes, and finally, a CMLS decoy launcher for Canto torpedo decoys.
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It’s noted that the decoy launching systems will be Sylena Mark 1. Regarding different standards, the first two frigates for the Hellenic Navy are equipped similar to their French counterparts in a "Standard-1" configuration (with 16 Sylver A50 cells).
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When it comes to accommodating a helicopter, the Hellenic Navy’s S-70B Aegean Hawk or MH-60 ‘Romeo’ Seahawks are likely to be deployed.
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In February 2026, it was reported that the Hellenic Navy signed a contract to acquire four Schiebel CAMCOPTER S-100 UAS for its Kimon-class frigates. Each S-100 system comprises two S-100 air vehicles.
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Naval News notes that one of the most striking changes for the Greek FDIs is the addition of protection “shields” in specific places on board the ship.
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The first shield, behind the RAM launcher, protects the SATCOM antenna from RAM missile launches.
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The second, larger shield, is located behind the funnel to protect the sensor from funnel exhaust while avoiding interference between the SATCOM antenna and SEAFIRE multi-function radar (and other antennas located on the PSIM (Panoramic Sensors and Intelligence Module).
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Naval News also spotted additional communication antennas on the mast as well as the sensor at the polemast.
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Speaking of sensors, the FDI HNs will also use the SEA FIRE from Thales. Thales adds that the Greek ships will rely on a complete Thales sonar suite comprising the Kingklip Mark 2 hull-mounted sonar and the Captas-4 Compact towed-array sonar, as well as a digital electronic warfare suite and a full range of integrated naval communication systems to guarantee interoperability and seamless connectivity for the frigates and their crews.
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Finally, on the topic of interoperability and connectivity, the Kimon class will also use Naval Group’s SETIS CMS.
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And now we reach Sweden, which only recently signed the contract for four of its FDI frigates.
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Per Shephard Media’s page on the FDI frigate, the ships of the Luleå-class will be fitted as follows: One Bofors 57mm as the main gun along with one Bofors 40mm as the secondary gun.
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With quantities not available at the time we’re making this video, we know that the Swedish ships will be configured to fire the Torped 47 torpedo and use the Saab Trackfire 12.7mm RWS.
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And finally for weapons, missile armament will include the RBS15, Aster 30, and CAMM ER missiles, again, with quantities yet to be disclosed.
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On this last point, Naval Group is developing a new cold launch VLS to be installed on the Luleå class to fire those CAMM-ER missiles.
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Naval News reported in August 2026 that the contract for the weapons package of the Swedish FDIs will be signed at a later date, and discussions on naval cruise missiles were initiated only very recently between France and Sweden.
Speaker A
However, the site believes that Sweden is likely to follow the Hellenic Navy model, with a source offering the following information: “The contract will include an option to swap one A50 VLS module with an A70 one in order to possibly give a land-attack cruise missile capability to the Luleå-class, if the Swedish side wishes to do so sometime in
Speaker A
On this last point, Naval Group is developing a new cold launch VLS to be installed on the Lulea class to fire those CAMM-ER missiles.
Speaker A
Naval News reported in August 2026 that the contract for the weapons package of the Swedish FDIs will be signed at a later date, and discussions on Naval Cruise Missiles were initiated only very recently between France and Sweden.
Speaker A
However, the site believes that Sweden is likely to follow the Hellenic Navy model, with a source offering the following information: “The contract will include an option to swap one A50 VLS module with an A70 one in order to possibly give a land-attack cruise missile capability to the Luleå-class,
Speaker A
if the Swedish side wishes to do so sometime in the future.” For helicopter complement, the country’s NH90 NFH (NATO Frigate Helicopters) COULD be used, as these WONT be retired early like the country’s NH90 TTH (tactical transport helicopters).
Speaker A
Designated as the Hkp 14F in Swedish service, the site Aviaci Online says that Sweden also plans to initiate the acquisition of a new maritime helicopter at some point in the future.
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Naval News says that the country is looking at the MH-60 Romeo as a replacement for the maritime role, but this isn’t confirmed at the time we’re doing our research.
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Naval News, in a separate article says that Swedish navy leadership envisions reliance on a hybrid force structure, with one admiral saying: “uncrewed where possible, crewed where required.” For sensors, it’s confirmed that the Swedish ships will be fitted with Saab’s Giraffe 1X radar,
Speaker A
although other sensors have not been mentioned by most sources. The site Daily Mare, in a May 2026 article, says that key systems for the Swedish ship will include: the Sea Fire AESA radar.
Speaker A
the SETIS combat management system. And CAPTAS-4 Compact sonar. HOWEVER, given the date of the article, this reporting would APPEAR to be an assumption that the Swedish ships will get the same combat management system, main radar, and towed-array sonar as the others - as few other sources corroborate this information.
Speaker A
At the same time, we would say this is quite a reasonable assumption, since it would take more time to integrate Swedish systems rather than go with the proven, ‘off-the-shelf’ solution that has already been established by Naval Group.
Speaker A
So what can we make of all this? Well, it looks like the French ships have the MOST details available, including for various navigation and communications systems. There’s a decent chance that the other ships will use similar systems but the information just hasn’t been published to confirm such details.
Speaker A
As we mentioned earlier, it would make sense for Sweden to use the same Thales main radar and sonars as the French and Greek ships.
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While Saab’s 9LV combat management system would make sense in terms of training across the Swedish navy, it again makes more sense to have Naval Group’s SETIS installed to speed up delivery.
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When it comes to the Lulea class in general, there are still a few information gaps and blanks to be filled in. At the same time, we can see that the country will install a few systems from its homegrown defense giant, Saab, with use of the Giraffe 1X, as well as Saab lightweight torpedoes,
Speaker A
trackfire remote weapons stations, and the RBS 15 anti-ship and land-attack missile system. With France committed to beefing up its surface-to-air armament from a 16-cell configuration to 32-cell, it won’t be TOO different from Greece on that front.
Speaker A
For self-defence against air threats, the RAM is a nice touch on the Kimon class, and this means it’ll have more missiles to fire compared to the French ships with their SIMBAD RCs.
Speaker A
Sweden looks to have a stronger layered air defence package and it’ll stand out for its use of CAMM-ER missiles.
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With this in mind, Navy Lookout points out that Sweden’s use of both Aster 30 and CAMM-ER means a combination of two European missile families that have not previously been brought together aboard an operational warship.
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With France reportedly ready to allow Sweden to purchase its MdCN sea-launched cruise missiles, it would be a massive capability boost and notably the first export of the weapon outside France.
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But what do YOU think of the configurations of each FDI Frigate? Do you think Sweden’s ships will be as heavily armed as those of the Hellenic Navy? Let us know by leaving a comment.
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Topics:FDI frigatesFrance NavyHellenic NavySwedish NavyAmiral Ronarc'h-classLuleå-classnaval weapons systemsASTER missilesSEAFIRE radarNaval Group SETIS
