The French Navy's first FREMM frigate, the Aquitaine, has successfully conducted its first missile tests to verify the ship's and the weapons' capabilities.
The French Ministry of Defense said the recent tests were conducted from the ship at the Ile du Levant test center by service personnel, officials of the government's military procurement agency and contractors MBDA AND DCNS.
The missiles used were the MM-40 Exocet anti-ship missile and the Missile de Croisiere Naval, or MdCN, a naval cruise missile for use against land targets.
"These two test firings … were part of the verification process of the ship's military capabilities before they are cleared for operational service," the ministry said. "It is a further milestone, after the firing of an Aster 15 anti-aircraft missile in 2013 and the service introduction of the MU90 lightweight torpedo on the NH90 Caiman shipborne helicopter (used from a FREMM) on March 13."
FREMM vessels are multi-purpose frigates being built by DCNS and Fincantieri for the French and Italian navies, respectively. The French version is 466 feet long, has a speed of more than 27 knots and a range of 6,000 nautical miles while sailing at 15 knots.
France has ordered six of the vessels, with deliveries to be completed before the middle of 2019.
