Defense Industry
Naval Group on Nearchos: more than 75 Greek companies in the FDI and submarine programmes, and initial in-service support awarded to the French firm
In its official announcement on the delivery of the frigate Nearchos, Naval Group says more than 75 Greek companies take part in its frigate and submarine programmes and that the initial in-service support of the FDIs was awarded to the French company.
The French company Naval Group issued its official announcement on the delivery of the Hellenic Navy’s second Defence and Intervention Frigate (FDI), the frigate Nearchos, which took place on Friday, October 30 in Lorient. The frigate raised the Greek flag that day. The text, published on the company’s website, dwells on two points concerning the Greek side: more than 75 Greek companies take part in Naval Group’s frigate and submarine programmes, and the initial in-service support of the FDIs has been awarded to the French company.
Three frigates within a year
The ceremony was attended by Greek Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias and French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin. With Nearchos the pace of deliveries rises: Kimon joined the Hellenic Navy in December 2025 and Formion is expected by the end of 2026, so that three frigates will have been delivered within about a year. The company presents this as proof that it can quickly meet the needs of navies.
Chairman and CEO Pierre Éric Pommellet also stressed the speed, noting that only ten months separated the two deliveries. In his words, the new frigate will show “outstanding capabilities”, as Kimon recently did, and will strengthen the Hellenic Navy’s operational superiority at sea. He thanked the two ministers, the company’s teams, its partners in Greece and France, and the crew.
The Greek part of the programme
The Greek FDI programme began in 2022 and, according to the announcement, relies on a network of more than 75 Greek companies. They are involved in three fields: the production of electronic charts, the construction of pre-outfitted hull sections (blocks), and the manufacture of complex mechanical and electronic systems. In the last category is Prisma Electronics, which delivered systems for the FDIs after Naval Group’s acceptance tests.
The second point concerns the ships’ life after delivery. The Hellenic Navy awarded Naval Group the contract for the initial in-service support of the FDI frigates. Maintenance and upgrade work will be carried out in close cooperation between the parent company, its Greek subsidiary Naval Group Hellas, and Greek industrial partners, with the aim of high availability of the ships.
