Greece Takes Delivery of Its First French-made FDI HN Frigate Advancing Hellenic Navy Modernization.

Greece officially received HS Kimon, the first of four French-made FDI HN frigates, during a December 18, 2025, ceremony at Naval Group’s Lorient shipyard in France. The delivery signals a major upgrade in the Hellenic Navy's combat capability and reinforces the deepening defense ties between Greece and France.

The Hellenic Navy has formally taken delivery of HS Kimon, its first French-made Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention FDI frigate, during an official handover ceremony held on December 18, 2025, at Naval Group’s shipyard in Lorient, France. The event was attended by senior government officials, including Greek Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias and French Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Catherine Vautrin, highlighting the strategic importance of the Franco-Greek naval partnership behind the program.
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HS Kimon, the first FDI HN frigate for the Hellenic Navy, docked in Lorient during the official handover ceremony on December 18, 2025. Designed by Naval Group, the warship represents a leap in Greek naval combat capabilities with full-spectrum warfare systems and advanced digital integration. (Picture source: Naval Group)

The FDI HN is the export version of France’s newest generation of digitally-optimized surface combatants, specifically tailored to meet the operational needs of the Hellenic Navy. While based on the French Navy’s Amiral Ronarc’h-class, the FDI HN variant incorporates several modifications requested by Greece to address the complex maritime security environment of the Eastern Mediterranean. This includes enhanced anti-air warfare capability, reinforced electronic warfare systems, and a configuration optimized for high-intensity combat against both conventional naval forces and hybrid threats.

The foundation of this transformation was laid on September 28, 2021, when Greece and France signed a landmark bilateral defense agreement that included a multibillion-euro contract for three FDI frigates with an option for a fourth, later exercised in 2025. The deal, estimated at over €3 billion, includes not only shipbuilding but also integrated weapons systems, crew training, spare parts, and in-service support. The acquisition was part of a broader strategic partnership agreement that includes a mutual defense clause and enhances long-term cooperation between the two countries’ armed forces. The contract was awarded directly to France’s Naval Group following a competitive evaluation, with rapid delivery timelines and operational readiness prioritized.

HS Kimon, named after the ancient Athenian admiral and statesman, represents a generational leap for the Hellenic Navy. Designed to operate in high-threat maritime environments, the FDI-class frigate integrates advanced combat systems in a compact hull, offering robust multi-domain capabilities across anti-air, anti-surface, anti-submarine, and electronic warfare missions. Naval Group’s state-of-the-art Sea Fire radar, paired with MBDA’s Aster 30 air defense missiles and Exocet anti-ship weapons, gives the vessel cutting-edge lethality, while its digital combat architecture positions it as one of the most connected and data-centric platforms in its class.

Built with survivability and adaptability in mind, the FDI incorporates stealth design features and modular combat system architecture, allowing rapid upgrades and mission flexibility. The HS Kimon will also be equipped with a full suite of sensors and electronic countermeasures, a hangar for a 10-ton-class helicopter, and an integrated command system capable of fleet-wide coordination during joint NATO- or EU-led maritime operations. Hellenic Navy sources told Army Recognition that the ship’s combat systems have already been stress-tested in operational simulations involving swarming drones, hypersonic threats, and cyberattack scenarios, confirming its relevance for both symmetrical and hybrid threat environments.

The program includes a robust industrial cooperation component, with Naval Group establishing its subsidiary, Naval Group Hellas, to work alongside more than 50 Greek defense and shipbuilding firms. Under the terms of the contract, the French company is providing initial in-service support for the FDI HN frigates, with long-term sustainment and future upgrades to be carried out in Greece. This arrangement aims to strengthen the Greek defense industry and ensure a high level of fleet availability through localized maintenance and technology transfer.

The FDI program is a cornerstone of the broader strategic defense agreement signed between France and Greece, which includes mutual assistance provisions and long-term industrial collaboration. Greece’s order of three FDIs, with the option for a fourth exercised in 2025, follows France’s commissioning of its own FDI variant, the Amiral Ronarc’h, in October. While the French Navy will operate a heavier version tailored for blue-water operations, the Hellenic variant maintains the same core capabilities with adaptations for Eastern Mediterranean conditions, where regional tensions continue to escalate over maritime boundaries, energy resources, and strategic access.

Construction of the HS Kimon proceeded on an accelerated timeline thanks to Naval Group’s investment in modular production techniques and digital twin modeling. The ship was completed less than 3.5 years after steel was first cut, and trials were reportedly concluded ahead of schedule. Two more FDIs are slated for delivery in 2026, while the fourth vessel is expected to join the fleet by 2028.

Defense analysts view the FDI acquisition as part of a broader Hellenic rearmament effort aimed at countering growing Turkish naval capabilities, including Ankara’s expanding MILGEM program and the forthcoming deployment of its domestically produced TF-2000 air defense destroyer. In this context, HS Kimon represents both a tactical asset and a strategic message: Greece intends to maintain technological superiority and secure its maritime interests through high-end deterrence.

Naval Group, for its part, sees the FDI class as its flagship export product for the next decade. Following contracts with Greece and France, the company is actively promoting the platform to prospective customers in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. Its emphasis on digital integration, system scalability, and full-spectrum warfare capabilities makes it a strong contender in an increasingly competitive global frigate market.

The commissioning of French-made FDI frigate HS Kimon signals a new era for the Hellenic Navy, one in which it fields not just more ships, but smarter, more capable platforms designed to operate seamlessly within allied coalitions and complex maritime threat environments. As tensions continue to evolve in the Eastern Mediterranean and beyond, this frigate will stand as both a shield and a statement of Greece’s enduring maritime resolve.

Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.