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France Naval Group
FREMM (Aquitaine class)
A Franco-Italian family of multipurpose frigates co-designed by Naval Group and Fincantieri, with the French Aquitaine-class variant emphasizing anti-submarine warfare and land-attack strike. It carries Aster air-defense missiles and SCALP naval cruise missiles in separate vertical-launch modules.
In service since 2012 · 4 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
6,000
t
28
kn
6,000
nmi
32
VLS
108
crew
Pricing: Unit cost not publicly disclosed
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
French export-licensed
CIEEMG inter-ministerial approval; broadly export-oriented.
Channel: DGA / direct commercial
Fielded & proven
Established · 4 operators
In service since 2012. Status: active · ~8 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
No public unit price to model from. Why so few systems publish one →
Interoperability
Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Compatible munitions & weapons
Publicly reported weapons the FREMM (Aquitaine class) can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.
Full specifications
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
| Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type. | 76 mm main gun |
|---|---|
| VLS cells Vertical-launch missile cells on a warship, a proxy for magazine depth. Higher means more missiles before rearming. | 32 |
| Torpedo tubes Number of torpedo tubes (submarines and some surface ships). | 2 |
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
| Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable. | 142 m |
|---|
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
| Radar Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art. | Herakles multifunction radar |
|---|---|
| Sensors IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights. | hull-mounted and towed-array sonar |
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
| Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability. | 8 |
|---|---|
| Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem. | 4 |
Specifications compiled from public Naval Group and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
Compare with rivals
See how it stacks up
Navantia Alvaro de Bazan class (F100) Head-to-head comparisons
FREMM (Aquitaine class) vs
Type 054A 
Arleigh Burke-class Destroyer 
Type 45 Daring 
Sachsen-class 
Maya-class 
Kirov-class Frequently asked questions
What is the main armament of the Naval Group FREMM (Aquitaine class)? +
The Naval Group FREMM (Aquitaine class)'s primary weapon is the 76 mm main gun.
What is the Naval Group FREMM (Aquitaine class) used for? +
The Naval Group FREMM (Aquitaine class) is a warship typically used for deep strike, air defense.
How many countries operate the Naval Group FREMM (Aquitaine class)? +
The Naval Group FREMM (Aquitaine class) is operated by 4 countries.
How much does the Naval Group FREMM (Aquitaine class) cost? +
Naval Group FREMM (Aquitaine class): Unit cost not publicly disclosed. Defense program costs are rarely fully public and vary by contract and configuration.
Similar systems
Related coverage
FREMM (Aquitaine class) in the news
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