Frigate Nearchos: the Hellenic Navy’s second Belharra/FDI joins the fleet with all 32 Aster 30 cells active

The Greek flag now flies from the mast of the frigate Nearchos, as Hellenic Navy personnel on deck render a military salute. The second Greek Belharra belongs to the Fleet from this moment.

The Greek flag is raised on the frigate Nearchos, which now passes to the Hellenic Navy. At the same moment, in naval tradition, a bottle tied with a blue-and-white ribbon is smashed against the ship's hull.

The crew of the frigate Nearchos marches in formation onto the deck for the raising of the Greek flag, carrying the blue-and-white ensign that will be hoisted on the frigate for the first time.

In his speech at the ceremony Nikos Dendias stressed that with the frigate Nearchos a second front-line platform joins the Fleet. Formion follows before the end of 2026 and Themistoklis in 2028. All four frigates will be upgraded, in cooperation with Naval Group, to Standard 2++ by 2030, with "the most advanced air defence, strategic strike and self-protection capabilities".

The deliveries, he said, implement Agenda 2030: protecting sea lanes, sovereignty and the sovereign interests of Hellenism in the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as European interests. At the end of the decade, he added, there will be "a new Navy" with ten modern or modernised frigates and the possibility of two more, as well as autonomous and unmanned systems working with the new platforms.

Addressing the commanding officer and the crew he said: "The homeland trusts you absolutely." He is handing over to them, together with Kimon, the most modern unit of the Fleet, to protect the country's sovereignty and sovereign rights.

The Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff, Vice Admiral Dimitrios-Eleftherios Kataras, called the flag-raising and naming ceremony for the second FDI frigate historic. He said the FDIs "embody the epitome of modern naval warfare", decisively upgrade the Fleet's capabilities and allow the projection of credible naval power in support of national diplomacy.

Of France he spoke of an "unshakeable alliance" and a relationship that "constantly reaches new heights". He explained that the ship bears the name of Nearchos, admiral of Alexander the Great, and thanked the frigate's sponsors, Athanasios and Marina Martinos, for their "selfless contribution", ranking them "among the benefactors of the Nation".

Addressing the crew, he recalled that about two years ago the hull was launched in Lorient and urged them to sail "with irresistible momentum and high morale", so that they will soon look out "with the gaze of a victor and master of the Greek sea". His watchword: "Take your place in the formation, follow the wake ahead." He closed by saying Nearchos charts the course for the frigates Formion and Themistoklis to follow.

Pierre-Éric Pommellet, chairman and CEO of Naval Group, gave an address. He described the frigates not only as a technological achievement but as a commitment to the Navy's operational superiority, in an operating environment he called extremely important.

The head of Naval Group noted that Nearchos belongs to a series of 13 ships ordered by France, Greece and Sweden, delivered at a rate of two frigates a year. The third, Formion, follows in December. "In one year, three frigates for the Hellenic Navy," he said, recalling that the previous ceremony took place in December last year.

He dwelt on industrial cooperation with Greece, with production also in Salamis and many Greek companies in the company's supply chain. He thanked the Ministry of Defence, SEKPY, ELKAK, the French and Hellenic navies, and the Greek team in Lorient. He expressed confidence that the Greek crew, which spent months in Brittany, will keep fond memories.

Naval Group footage shows Nearchos under way, with the number F602 on the hull of the defence and intervention frigate (FDI).

Defence Minister Nikos Dendias signed for the frigate Nearchos as part of the handover ceremony in Lorient, with Hellenic Navy officers beside him.

Nikos Dendias referred to the bilateral meeting he had earlier with his French counterpart Catherine Vautrin. He said the discussion covered European defence, Athens-Paris cooperation and the two countries' joint effort to build defence capabilities within "our European family".

He called the FDI frigate a platform "with impressive capabilities", noting that the Standard 2++ configuration Greece is seeking will be achieved by 2030. "I would like to say clearly, and fully aware of the weight of the expression, that it is the best ship in its class on the planet," he said. He also pointed to Sweden's choice of the same platform, which Vautrin had mentioned before him.

The minister publicly thanked Jean-Yves Le Drian, who was present in Lorient. Le Drian was then French foreign minister, with whom Dendias negotiated and signed the Greek-French agreement that led to the frigate programme. He was and remains, Dendias said, "a close friend of our country".

"A part of the frigate you see behind me has Greek hands and a Greek soul behind it," he noted, recalling that sections of the FDIs are built in Greece. He closed by saying the programme gives the Armed Forces new capabilities and that he expects to welcome Nearchos at the Salamis Naval Base in early December.

French Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin spoke first. She thanked the Greek authorities, stressing that Greece was the first country outside France to put its trust in the FDI. She added that Sweden followed with an order for four frigates, so three countries have now chosen the interoperability the FDI offers.

Vautrin underlined the industrial quality and expertise behind the frigates, noting that jobs are also at stake in a region where industry, and defence industry in particular, carries special weight. She congratulated the Naval Group teams and spoke of partnerships of "mutual benefit" with the countries and industries involved. She welcomed Nikos Dendias and wished the new frigate "fair winds and good seas" as it prepares to put to sea in a few hours.