Greece will begin negotiations for the procurement of a fourth Belharra-type frigate, in addition to the three built by France’s Naval Group, National Defense Minister Nikos Dendias announced on Thursday during the launch of the second such frigate in France on Thursday.
Three of the four Belharra will be able to carry “Scalp Naval” cruise missiles with a range of up to 1,000 kilometres (621.37 miles), Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said during the launch ceremony of “Nearchos”, the second of three Belharra-type frigates at the shipyards in Laurient, France.
The Nearchos is the second frigate to be launched after ‘Kimon’, and will be followed by the construction of ‘Formion’.
Greece agreed in 2021 to get three new Belharra frigates for 3.0 billion euros ($3.34 billion), with an option for one more, as it aims to replace old units that have operated for more than 30 years in its navy.
Minister Dendias added that Greece will also initiate a program to upgrade a series of Hellenic Navy ships.
Dendias anounced that the four Belharra-type frigates, the programs to upgrade the multi-purpose combination (MEKO) frigates, the Roussen attack missile boats, and the submarines that will begin shortly in Greece, will help create an unassailable missile surface wall in the Aegean Sea.
This will be achieved also with the procurement of four Island-class patrol boats (to be incorporated shortly), the future participation of Greece in the design and launching of the new Constellation-class frigate, and Greece’s participation in the European corvette program. The government also hopes to expand number of Greek companies contributing to frigate construction rising from the current 12% to 15%, he added.
Frigate specs
The “Nearchos” frigate has a displacement of 4,500 tons, a length of approximately 122 meters, a maximum speed of 27 knots, a crew of 120 people and incorporates advanced digital technologies.
These include, among others, the integrated sensor network PSIM (Panoramic Sensor Intelligence Module), where almost all of the warship’s sensor systems are gathered, the advanced anti-submarine warfare sonar, type CAPTAS-4 and the full digital Sea Fire radar.
Only buy two frigates .
Then put a billion euros into the fire service !!!
Toys for boys. Will they be better maintained than the transport system?