Greece receives second FDI frigate HS Nearchos

Naval Group handed over HS Nearchos, the second of Greece's new French-built defense and intervention frigates, to the Hellenic Navy at its shipyard in Lorient, France, on Oct. 30, ten months after Greece received the first ship of the class. Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias and French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin attended the ceremony. The third Greek frigate, HS Formion, is due by the end of 2026, which would give the Hellenic Navy three of the ships within a year, the company said. Naval Group did not say when Nearchos will sail for Greece or enter operational service. "Only ten months after the delivery of HS Kimon, it is an honour to deliver the second FDI frigate for the Hellenic Navy, HS Nearchos, in the presence of Catherine Vautrin and Nikos Dendias, whom I would like to thank for their renewed trust," said Pierre Éric Pommellet, chairman and CEO of Naval Group. The FDI, short for Frégate de Défense et d'Intervention, is a French design of about 4,500 tons and 122 m (400 feet) built for air defense, anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare. Greece's version, known as the FDI HN or Kimon class, carries a heavier weapons fit than the French Navy's ships, with Thales Sea Fire radar and up to 32 Aster 30 long-range air defense missiles. Greece is also buying Schiebel CAMCOPTER S-100 drones to fly from Kimon, Nearchos and Formion for surveillance and anti-submarine work. The first ship, HS Kimon, was delivered on Dec. 18, 2025, and arrived in Greece in January. In March, Greece sent it to Cyprus to help defend the island against Iranian attacks, alongside a Hydra-class frigate and F-16 fighters, its first operational mission. At the time, Kimon was the only Greek warship able to provide long-range air defense, Naval News reported. Greece agreed in September 2021 to buy three of the frigates, with an option for a fourth, in a package worth about €3 billion including weapons, and the program started in 2022. It exercised the option in November 2025, ordering a fourth ship, HS Themistokles, along with maintenance and upgrades for the whole fleet. That ship is due in 2028. More than 75 Greek companies are involved in Naval Group's frigate and submarine programs for Greece, supplying parts ranging from electronic maps to pre-outfitted hull blocks and complex mechanical and electronic systems, the company said. Naval Group has committed to 25% local content on the fourth frigate. It has also won the initial in-service support contract for the Greek FDIs, which it will carry out with its Greek subsidiary, Naval Group Hellas, and local partners. The Greek ships are part of a larger order book. Thirteen FDIs have now been ordered for three NATO navies, five for France, four for Greece and four for Sweden, and Naval Group says its Lorient yard can now deliver two of the frigates a year.