French frigate Auvergne

Auvergne in the Persian Gulf on 19 September 2017
History
France
Name	Auvergne
Namesake	Auvergne
Builder	DCNS, Lorient
Laid down	August 2012
Launched	2 September 2015
Completed	11 April 2017
Commissioned	14 February 2018
Homeport	Brest
Identification	MMSI number: 227999500 Pennant number: D654
Status	Active
General characteristics
Class and type	Aquitaine-class frigate
Displacement	6,000 tons
Length	466 ft (142.0 m)
Beam	65 ft (19.8 m)
Draught	16 ft (4.9 m)
Propulsion	MTU Series 4000 (2,2 MW everyone) CODLOG
Speed	27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph); max cruise speed 15.6 knots (28.9 km/h; 18.0 mph)
Range	6,000 nmi (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement	145
Sensors and processing systems	Héraklès multi-purpose passive electronically scanned array radar CAPTAS-4 towed-array sonar UMS 4110 CL hull-mounted sonar
Armament	1 x 76 mm Super Rapid gun 3 x 20 mm Narwhal remote weapon systems 16-cell SYLVER A43 VLS for Aster 15 air defense missiles 16-cell SYLVER A70 VLS for MdCN cruise missiles 8 x Exocet MM40 Block 3 anti-ship missiles (Block 3c variant entering service with the French Navy from December 2022) 2 x B-515 twin launchers for MU90 torpedoes
Aircraft carried	1 × NH90 helicopter
Aviation facilities	Single hangar

Auvergne (D654) is an Aquitaine-class frigate of the French Navy. The Aquitaine class were developed from the FREMM multipurpose frigate program.

Development and design

Original plans were for 17 FREMM to replace the nine D'Estienne d'Orves-class avisos and nine anti-submarine frigates of the Tourville and Georges Leygues classes. In November 2005 France announced a contract of €3.5 billion for development and the first eight hulls, with options for nine more costing €2.95 billion split over two tranches (totaling 17).

Following the cancellation of the third and fourth of the Horizon-class frigates in 2005 on budget grounds, requirements for an air-defence derivative of the FREMM called FREDA were placed – with DCNS coming up with several proposals. Expectations were that the last two ships of the 17 FREMM planned would be built to FREDA specifications; however, by 2008 the plan was revised down to just 11 FREMM (9 ASW variants and 2 FREDA variants) at a cost of €8.75 billion (FY13, ~US$12 billion). The 11 ships would cost €670 million (~US$760m) each in FY2014, or €860m (~US$980m) including development costs. In 2015, the total number of ASW variants was further reduced to just six units, including Auvergne.

Construction and career

Auvergne was developed as part of a joint Italian-French program known as FREMM, which was implemented to develop a new class of frigates for use by various European navies. Constructed from 2012. The frigate Auvergne was launched on 2 September 2015 and commissioned in 2018.

In late 2021/early 2022, just prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the frigate deployed to the Black Sea for exercises with the Bulgarian and other NATO navies. The frigate departed the Black Sea prior to the outbreak of hostilities.

She was initially home ported at Toulon, but transferred to the naval base at Brest in December 2022.

Views of Auvergne

• 
  Auvergne at Fremantle on 18 November 2017.
• 
  USS Nimitz and the frigates Jean Bart and Auvergne on 19 September 2017.
• 
  NHIndustries NH90 helicopter of the French Naval Aviation landing on Auvergne.