FDI HN frigate HS 'Formion' to be launched in France is also made by Greek hands

The FDI HN frigate HS "Formion" being launched at the Naval Group Shipyards in Lorient, France on Wednesday has been partially constructed by Greek hands. Similarly, components for two additional FDI frigates - this time destined for the French Navy - are currently being built in Greece.

In terms of quality, the Greek-built sections are fully comparable to those produced by leading French and German shipyards. At the same time, this development marks a groundbreaking milestone for Greece: for the first time, the country is becoming an exporter of military naval equipment. This achievement is centered at Salamis Shipyards, where part of the HS Formion, along with sections of two French FDI frigates, were manufactured.

As Salamis Shipyards CEO George Koros explained in response to questions from the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA), a total of five hull blocks for the FDI HS "Formion" were produced at the Salamis facilities. These included some of the most technically demanding in terms of their specifications, such as the second section of the bow, which supports the base of the frigate's cannon and houses the ship's bow thruster, as well as the helicopter hangar.

As Koros explained "the remaining blocks of the ship (which were built in France) did not present a greater challenge than the ones we made. That is, we could produce them without changing anything at all (ed. in terms of quality) and we are certainly cheaper than French manufacturers, despite the cost of transportation from Greece to France. And this is a main reason why other global shipbuilding giants have approached us," he noted.

"The launching of the FDI HS Formion frigate at Naval Group's shipyards fills us with pride, as part of this frigate was built at Salamis Shipyards. We look forward to seeing HS "Formion" return to our Navy," according to a post on "X".

As a result of the know-how and high quality certifications they received, Salamis Shipyards, which is promoting a five-year investment plan of up to 15 million euros, is also looking at new export agreements with international companies, in addition to Naval Group, for the construction of warships, "not necessarily for Greece".

As he stated, "we paved the way, we became exporters for the first time in Greece. Warship material has never been exported from Greece. We did it for the first time. This was pioneering."

Μore on subscriber's page.
ANA-MPA SA. Intellectual rights and copyright are the sole property of the ANA-MPA and are allocated to the Agency's subscribers for specific uses only.
NEWS ROOM
MORE NEWS