DCNS Floats Fourth French FREMM Frigate

By DCNS on Tuesday, July 15th, 2014

France: On 12 July 2014, DCNS floated the FREMM multi-mission frigate Languedoc in Lorient, France. The achievement of this industrial milestone marks an important step in the construction of the vessel. It once again underlines the industrial dynamism of DCNS: five multi-mission frigates are under simultaneous construction, at different stages of advancement.

Today, on its Lorient site, DCNS floated the FREMM Languedoc, fourth of the series ordered by OCCAr on behalf of the French DGA (Direction Générale de l’Armement) and the French Navy.

The technical operations started in the morning with the floating of the construction frame. The different steps of the floating operation were continued over the course of the day, culminating in the frigate being moved out of its construction dock. Over the course of a manoeuvre that lasted about fifteen minutes, tug boats successfully guided the frigate to the quay on the DCNS site in Lorient, where its construction will continue.

“Over the coming months, the Group’s teams alongside the teams of its subcontractors will pursue the assembly and integration of the different systems on the FREMM Languedoc” explains Anne Bianchi, Director of the FREMM Program at DCNS. “The next major step will be the installation of the mast structures with the vessel’s main sensors (radars, antennas, cameras, radar jammers …). They will then be integrated into the latest-generation SETIS combat management system, developed by the Group.”

DCNS started the construction of the FREMM Languedoc, fourth of the series for the French Navy, in September 2011. This new-generation frigate will be operated by a streamlined crew of 108 sailors (i.e., half the number required for frigates of the previous generation).

The FREMM is capable of executing versatile anti-aircraft as well as anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare missions. The first multi-mission FREMM frigate, the Aquitaine, built for the French Navy, was accepted by OCCAr on 23 November 2012 on behalf of the DGA (Direction Générale de l’Armement. The second FREMM frigate, the Normandie, will be delivered at the end of 2014.

The FREMM program: a major program for DCNS and its partners

For DCNS, the FREMM program represents twelve units, with eleven for the French Navy and one for the Royal Moroccan Navy.

To recall, in November 2012, DCNS successfully delivered the FREMM Aquitaine, the first unit in the series of FREMM multi-mission frigates. The second unit in the program, the FREMM Mohammed VI, was delivered to the Royal Moroccan Navy on 30 January 2014.

DCNS is currently building five other multi-mission frigates in Lorient, all at different stages of advancement:

• – The FREMM Normandie, third unit in the series and the second for the French Navy, started its sea trials in October 2013 and will be delivered to the French Navy at the end of 2014;
• – The FREMM Provence was floated in September 2013 and will perform its first sea outing in the third quarter of 2014;
• – The FREMM Languedoc has just been floated;
• – 2 other FREMMs are currently under construction.

FREMM technical characteristics

FREMM frigates are extensively armed and are equipped, under the project management of DCNS, with the most capable weapon systems and equipment, such as the Héraclès multifunction radar, the Naval Cruise Missile, the Aster and Exocet MM 40 missiles or the MU 90 torpedoes.

• Overall length: 142 metres
• Width: 20 metres
• Displacement: 6,000 tonnes
• Maximum speed: 27 knots
• Crew: 108 persons (helicopter detachment included)
• Accommodation capacity: 145 men and women
• Range: 6,000 nautical miles at 15 knots

DCNS designs and builds submarines and surface combatants, develops associated systems and infrastructure, and offers a full range of services to naval bases and shipyards. The DCNS Group generates annual revenues of €3.4 billion and employs 13,600 people (2013 data).

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Adelaide Class Frigate Maintenance Contract Signed

Minister for Defence David Johnston today announced that Thales Australia Ltd has been awarded the Navy’s Adelaide Class guided missile frigate’s (FFG) Group Maintenance Contract.

Senator Johnston said the contract will be for an initial period of four and half years with the potential for contract extensions to an anticipated value of $130 million.

“If contracted quality and service level requirements are met and efficiencies are achieved, the contract can be extended to the ship’s withdrawal from service dates,” Senator Johnston said.

Senator Johnston said this was the second of the grouped-asset, long-term, performance-based contracts for the repair and maintenance of the Navy’s major surface ships.

Planned work on the frigates will be undertaken at Navy’s Garden Island facility in Sydney.

“It demonstrates the Government’s commitment, through the Defence Materiel Organization to apply innovative contracting practices to get the best outcome for the Navy, for industry and for every Australian taxpayer.”

“We have always recognised that the grouping of ship repair and maintenance work offers the potential for real savings by reducing the administrative burden of per-event tender contracting, providing greater certainty of revenue streams and work effort, and promoting better planning.”

Senator Johnston said the design of the contract will provide both industry and Navy with greater certainty and stability in the repair and maintenance of the guided missile frigates.

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Second French FREMM Frigate Pursues Sea Trials

By DCNS on Monday, May 19th, 2014

The FREMM Normandie multi-mission frigate, second of the series ordered by OCCAR (*) on behalf of the DGA (Direction Générale de l’Armement) and the French Navy, left the DCNS site in Lorient on 14 May on its way to the DCNS site in Toulon.

Over the next few weeks, DCNS will perform a new series of sea trials to test the performance of the FREMM’s combat system before delivery to the French Navy at the end of 2014.

This series of sea trials, which will take place in the Mediterranean, will allow the Navy’s operating crew and the DGA, OCCAR and DCNS specialists to check the performance of the main combat system sensors and their integration into the frigate’s Combat Management System.

“This period of sea trials is an essential phase in the program: it is focused on the vessel’s combat system. Concretely, the teams will test all the software and equipment parts that make the FREMM one of the most versatile and capable frigates in the world”, underlines Anne Bianchi, Director of the FREMM program.

During these trials, the teams on board will simulate different operational scenarios to collect the information delivered by the vessel’s different sensors. Numerous tests are performed including in particular electronic warfare and tactical data link tests. The teams will carry out these exercises thanks to the contribution of helicopters, fighters and vessels provided by the French Navy, and with the human and data-processing resources of the DGA’s technical centres. The performance of these trials off the Toulon coast will thus allow the optimized use of such naval and air support.

Further to these trials, the FREMM Normandie will return to the DCNS site in Lorient so that the final finishing work can be carried out over the summer before its delivery to the French Navy in the final quarter of 2014.

The FREMM program: a major program for DCNS and its partners.

For DCNS, the FREMM program represents twelve units, with eleven for the French Navy and one for the Royal Moroccan Navy.

To recall, in November 2012, DCNS successfully delivered the FREMM Aquitaine, the first unit in the series of FREMM multi-mission frigates. The second unit in the program was delivered to the Royal Moroccan Navy on 30 January 2014, in compliance with the contractual agreements. The vessel now carries its definitive name: FREMM Mohammed VI.

DCNS is currently building five other multi-mission frigates in Lorient, all at different stages of advancement:

• The FREMM Normandie, third unit in the series, started its sea trials in October 2013 and will be delivered to the French Navy in the third quarter of 2014.
• The FREMM Provence was floated in September 2013.
• The fifth and sixth frigates of the series are currently being assembled.
• The cutting of the first metal sheet for the seventh was performed at the end of 2013.

FREMM technical characteristics

FREMM frigates are extensively armed and are equipped, under the project management of DCNS, with the most capable weapon systems and equipment, such as the Héraclès multifunction radar, the Naval Cruise Missile, the Aster and Exocet MM 40 missiles or the MU 90 torpedoes.

• Overall length: 142 metres
• Width: 20 metres
• Displacement: 6,000 tonnes
• Maximum speed: 27 knots
• Crew: 108 persons (helicopter detachment included)
• Accommodation capacity: 145 men and women
• Range: 6,000 nautical miles at 15 knots

* OCCAR, Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation, is an international organization whose core-business is the management of cooperative defence equipment programs entrusted to it by the Member States. OCCAR ensures, amongst other things, project management for FREMM multi-mission frigates for France and Italy.

DCNS designs and builds submarines and surface combatants, develops associated systems and infrastructure, and offers a full range of services to naval bases and shipyards. The Group has also expanded its focus into civil nuclear energy and marine renewable energy. Aware of its corporate social responsibilities, The DCNS Group generates annual revenues of €3.4 billion and employs 13,600 people (2013 data).

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Russia Floats Out New Frigate for Black Sea Fleet

By RIA Novosti on Monday, March 17th, 2014

The Yantar shipyard in Russia’s Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad on Friday floated out the first in a series of six Project 11356 frigates being built for the Black Sea Fleet, the company said.

The Admiral Grigorovich was laid down in December 2010. Four more ships of the same class are in various stages of construction at the shipyard. All six frigates will be delivered to the Black Sea Fleet between 2014 and 2017 under two contracts with the Defense Ministry.

The Project 11356 frigates, displacing 3,850 tons, are designed for anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare as well as for air defense missions, operating both independently or as part of convoys and naval task forces.

The frigates are armed with an eight-cell launcher for Kalibr and Klub (3M54E) anti-ship and surface-to-surface missiles, a 100-mm main gun, Kashtan gun/missile close-in air defense systems, Shtil vertical-launch air defense missile systems, two torpedo tubes, an anti-submarine rocket system and a Ka-28 or Ka-31 helicopter, according to defense industry sites globalsecurity.org and rusnavy.com.

Deputy commander of the Russian navy, Rear Admiral Viktor Bursuk, said Friday that the vessels of this class are ideal for operations in the Black Sea or in the Mediterranean, where Russia maintains a permanent naval task force.

Bursuk added that these ships could also be used for anti-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden, between Somalia and Yemen.

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DCNS Floats Out FREMM Frigate Provence

By DCNS on Monday, September 23rd, 2013

On 18 September 2013, FREMM frigate Provence was floated out of its building dock at the Lorient shipyard. With five FREMM multimission frigates at different stages of assembly and construction, this float-out (or pre-outfitting launch) – always a major milestone – highlights the Group’s expertise in concurrent shipbuilding.

Yesterday, DCNS’s Lorient shipyard floated out FREMM frigate Provence. Eleven of the 12 FREMM frigates on order are for the French Navy.

Operations began in the morning with the flooding of the building dock. Following a number of other steps, the ship was gently floated out of the building dock. Executing a manoeuvre lasting 15 minutes, tugs then moved the frigate to a nearby outfitting berth.

Over the coming months, DCNS specialists and subcontractor teams will install the ship’s systems. The next major milestone will be the installation of the Provence’s masts and sensors, including her radars, antennas, cameras and jammers.

DCNS began building the Provence, the third Aquitaine-class FREMM frigate for the French Navy, in December 2010. These highly automated surface combatants require a complement of just 108, or less than half the number required to man earlier generation vessels with similar capabilities.

The FREMM multimission design concept can combine missions including anti-air warfare (AAW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW) and anti-submarine warfare (ASW). On 23 November 2012, following the delivery of first-of-class FREMM frigate Aquitaine for the French Navy in compliance with the relevant contractual requirements, European Joint Armament Cooperation Organisation OCCAR signed off her acceptance on behalf of French defence procurement agency DGA.

FREMM, a major programme for DCNS and partners

The French FREMM programme calls for 12 ships – 11 for the French Navy and one for the Royal Moroccan Navy.

FREMM frigates are among the most technologically advanced and competitively priced on the world market. These heavily armed warships are being built under DCNS prime contractorship to carry state-of-the-art weapons and systems including the Herakles multifunction radar, Aster anti-air missiles, Exocet MM40 anti-ship missiles and MU90 torpedoes.

Thanks to their many innovations, FREMM multimission frigates can respond to all types of threats with unparalleled flexibility and availability. The contract to build a FREMM frigate for the Royal Moroccan Navy demonstrates that the type also meets the needs and expectations of international client navies.

PROGRAMME PROGRESS REPORT

Five FREMM frigates are currently under construction at the Group’s Lorient shipyard:

1. Second-of-type FREMM frigate Mohammed VI will be delivered to the Royal Moroccan Navy in late 2013
2. Third-of-type FREMM frigate Normandie was floated out of the building dock in October 2012 and will begin her sea trials in a few weeks’ time.
3. As reported above, fourth-of-type FREMM frigate Provence was floated out on 18 September.
4. The construction of fifth-of-type FREMM frigate Languedoc will begin shortly in the building dock just vacated by the Provence.
5. The construction of the sixth-of-type FREMM frigate is scheduled to begin in August 2012. The ship’s hull blocks are currently undergoing pre-outfitting.

FREMM technical data

• Length overall: 142 m
• Beam: 20 m
• Displacement (approx.): 6,000 tonnes
• Max. speed: 27 knots
• Complement: 108 (including helicopter crew)
• Accommodation: 145 men and women

DCNS designs and builds submarines and surface combatants, develops associated systems and infrastructure, and offers a full range of services to naval bases and shipyards. The Group has also expanded its focus into civil nuclear engineering and marine renewable energy. The DCNS Group employs 13,200 people and generates annual revenues of €2.9 billion.

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DCNS Pursues Sea Trials with FREMM Frigate for Royal Moroccan Navy

By DCNS on Friday, July 12th, 2013

The FREMM multi-mission frigate on order for the Royal Moroccan Navy is pursuing sea trials off the French coast in preparation for delivery later this year. In June, French naval shipbuilder DCNS successfully completed a third series of trials to test the performance of the ship’s combat system.

The crew and DCNS specialists completed the latest trials off the Brittany coast. This series of tests was designed to check the performance of the combat system’s main sensors.

Operational scenarios were executed to check the consistency of the data analysed and displayed by the combat system sensors with the results obtained during shore-based simulations. Specific tests included target engagement sequences using Aster anti-air missiles and MM40 anti-ship missiles, fire control tests for the 76-mm main gun and exhaustive testing of the multifunction radar. Other vessel capability tests involved helicopter approach control and the deployment of various towed devices.

“This third series of sea trials represents a major milestone for the overall programme and more particularly for the ship’s combat system. Our crews thoroughly tested the full suite of combat system hardware and software that makes FREMM frigates among the most versatile and advanced on the world market”, says Gilles Raybaud, DCNS’s FREMM programme manager for Morocco.

To acquaint them with shipboard operations, members of the crew that will take over once the vessel enters service with the Royal Moroccan Navy participated in the trials. Working in tandem with the French Navy crew, they took part in activities ranging from bridge and propulsion watchkeeping to safety exercises and platform management. The Moroccan crew members had previously completed simulation-based training at DCNS’s Lorient and Le Mourillon centres to familiarise them with the FREMM platform management systems.

Vice-Admiral Laghmari, inspector-general of the Royal Moroccan Navy, toured the future Mohamed VI FREMM at Lorient, meeting members of the Moroccan crew assigned to the trials and congratulating them on the tasks already completed. He encouraged them to continue to familiarise themselves with the new ship prior to delivery, and indicated that he was fully satisfied with the programme’s progress and the results of the sea trials.

The first series of sea trials, conducted in April, demonstrated the full compliance of the ship’s propulsion and navigation systems with the relevant performance requirements.

FREMM, a major programme for DCNS and partners

The French FREMM programme calls for 12 ships – 11 for the French Navy and one for the Royal Moroccan Navy.

DCNS delivered the Aquitaine, the first FREMM multimission frigate, to the French Navy in November 2012.

In accordance the contractual provisions, the second-of-type is scheduled for delivery to the Royal Moroccan Navy by the end of this year. The ship will be named the Mohammed VI.

DCNS is currently working on four FREMM frigates at different stages of completion:
– third-of-type FREMM frigate Normandie will begin sea trials later this year and is scheduled for delivery to the French Navy in 2014
– fourth-of-type FREMM frigate Provence is approaching completion and scheduled to be floated out of her building dock later this year
– the fifth and sixth of type are at earlier stages of construction.

FREMM technical data
These heavily armed warships are being built under DCNS prime contractor ship to deploy state-of-the-art weapon systems and sensors including the Herakles multifunction radar, MdCN cruise missiles, Aster anti-air missiles, Exocet MM40 anti-ship missiles and MU90 torpedoes.

• Length overall: 142 m
• Beam: 20 m
• Displacement (approx.): 6,000 tonnes
• Max. speed: 27 knots
• Complement: 108 (including helicopter crew)
• Accommodation:145 men and women
• Range: 6,000 nm (at 15 knots)

DCNS designs and builds submarines and surface combatants, develops associated systems and infrastructure, and offers a full range of services to naval bases and shipyards. The Group has also expanded its focus into civil nuclear engineering and marine renewable energy. The DCNS Group employs 13,200 people and generates annual revenues of €2.9 billion.

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First Italian FREMM Frigate Delivered

By Editor on Thursday, June 6th, 2013

The 29th of May 2013 was a great day for European collaboration and for Italy. One of the most significant FREMM Program High Level Objective was achieved.

At Fincantieri-Muggiano premises (La Spezia) the Italian Frigate “Carlo BERGAMINI” was accepted by OCCAR and delivered to the Italian Navy. The vessel – whose overall design started in 2006 – is the First FREMM in the General Purpose Class configuration, committed by OCCAR within the framework of the Italian-French cooperation.

The ship represents the state of the art from a technological point of view, designed for achieving a maximum speed of over 27 knots and providing accommodation up to 200 people (crew and additional accommodation), granting high degree of flexibility to operate in most of the all current complex scenarios.

The ceremony was attended by the highest governmental and industrial authorities, testifying the importance of the acceptance of the ship for the Italian Participating State and the Italian Navy as well.

This great accomplishment is the result of hard work jointly performed by OCCAR, Italian Navy staffs and Industry which allowed successfully completing hundreds of demanding tests and completely recovering more than one year delay over the past three years, delivering the ship to the customer three months ahead of the contractual schedule.

This result is even more extraordinary if it is considered that the ship was lengthened of 3.6 metres in the last four months by complex and invasive working activities, which will guarantee more capabilities and flexibility to support flight operations with bigger helicopters such as EH-101, in any sea conditions.

The efficient platform together with the fully integrated and operational Combat System and an operative Logistic Support, make the ship ready for the use by the Italian Navy.

This outstanding result emphasizes the efficient and effective cooperation established between the main actors involved, OCCAR, the Participating States and Industry.

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Two-Ship Programme Firms Up for Indonesian PKR Frigate

17 Mei 2013

Sigma PKR 10514 (photo : Navy Recognition)

Dutch shipbuilder Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding, working in partnership with Indonesia’s PT PAL, has confirmed the programme and build strategy for the construction of the first two SIGMA 10514 Perusak Kawal Rudal (PKR) guided missile frigates for the Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL).

Damen Schelde and the Indonesian Ministry of Defence signed a contract for the engineering, construction, and delivery of a single PKR in June 2012, with the contract coming into force at the end of 2013. An option for a second ship has subsequently been exercised, with this contract coming into effect in the next few weeks, Damen Schelde confirmed at IMDEX Asia 2013 in Singapore.

Displacing 2,365 tons and with accommodation for 120 (100 crew plus 20 spare), the 105 m PKR will be the largest SIGMA variant built to date. While Damen Schelde is prime contractor for the programme, assembly and trials will be undertaken in conjunction with PT PAL in Surabaya under a transfer of technology arrangement.

Each PKR will be assembled using six major block modules.

(Jane’s)

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DCNS Begins Sea Trials with FREMM Frigate for Moroccan Navy

By DCNS on Friday, April 19th, 2013

The FREMM frigate built for the Royal Moroccan Navy put to sea for the first time on 17 April. This key milestone marks the launch of sea trials, which will be conducted over the next few weeks off the Brittany coast. The ship will be delivered to the Royal Moroccan Navy at the end of this year, in accordance with the contract schedule.

During this first period at sea, the crew made up of French Navy personnel, customer representatives and DCNS employees will focus primarily on the performance of the ship’s propulsion system and navigation system. The exceptional seakeeping qualities of the FREMM frigates have already been demonstrated by the first-of-class Aquitaine, delivered to the French Navy in November 2012.

“This milestone is the culmination of a remarkable team effort by DCNS, our partners and suppliers, the trials crew and customer representatives,” said Anne Bianchi, director of FREMM frigate programmes at DCNS. “The FREMM frigates are designed and built by DCNS to meet the needs of many navies around the world, as demonstrated by this first export sale to Morocco. They are among the most technologically advanced and competitively priced vessels on the world market, and are inherently versatile to provide a response to all types of threats. They offer a range of innovative features and unparalleled levels of interoperability and operational readiness.”

The teams on board will work day and night to conduct a series of tests at a sustained pace. The first three days of the campaign, known as the ‘familiarisation’ phase, will be used to test the vessel’s safety systems and equipment, including fire-fighting, flood control and emergency response systems and evacuation procedures as well as manoeuvrability and mooring performance.

The second phase will focus on the propulsion system. The FREMM’s high-performance hybrid CODLOG (COmbined Diesel eLectric Or Gas) power package combines electric motors for low-speed silent-mode propulsion and a gas turbine for high-speed mechanical propulsion, with a maximum speed in excess of 27 knots.

In addition, the DCNS teams will also test the ship’s navigation systems (log, position, heading) and its inertial platforms for precise positioning anywhere in the world.

In the next few weeks, over 150 people, including 60 French Navy personnel, will spend time on this second FREMM frigate. To save the ship returning to port, people will be ferried out and back on a daily basis.

On completing these preliminary trials, the frigate will return to DCNS’s Lorient shipyard for several days of quayside work. A few weeks later, it will put to sea for a second campaign of trials focusing on the combat system.

Royal Moroccan Navy crew training underway

While these first sea trials are taking place, some of the Royal Moroccan Navy personnel who will crew the new vessel are beginning simulator-based training at DCNS’s Lorient facility to familiarise themselves with the vessel and its systems. This training programme will be ramped up over the next few months as further members of the future crew arrive.

FREMM, a major programme for DCNS and its partners

The FREMM programme includes 12 ships, 11 for the French Navy and one for the Royal Moroccan Navy.

In November 2012, DCNS successfully delivered the FREMM frigate Aquitaine, the first-in-class of the new FREMM multimission frigates.

The second vessel of the programme will be delivered to the Royal Moroccan Navy before the end of 2013, in line with contractual agreements, and will be named Mohammed VI.

Four other FREMM multimission frigates are at various stages of completion at DCNS’s Lorient shipyard:

• Normandie, the third in the series, will begin sea trials at the end of the year and will be delivered to the French Navy in 2014.
• Provence is now fully built and will be floated out of the building dock in the fourth quarter of 2013.
• The fifth and sixth of the series are under construction.

FREMM technical data
The FREMM frigates are heavily armed warships built under DCNS prime contractorship to carry state-of-the-art weapons and systems including the Herakles multifunction radar, MdCN cruise missiles, Aster anti-air missiles, Exocet MM40 anti-ship missiles and MU90 torpedoes.

• Length overall: 142 metres
• Beam: 20 metres
• Displacement (approx.): 6,000 tonnes
• Max. speed: 27 knots
• Complement: 108 (including helicopter crew)
• Accommodation: 145 men and women
• Range: 6,000 nm (at 15 knots)

DCNS is a world leader in naval defence and an innovative player in energy. Its leadership is built on a proven ability to meet customer needs by combining exceptional know-how with unique industrial resources. DCNS designs, builds and supports submarines and surface combatants. It also proposes services for naval shipyards and bases. The DCNS Group employs 13,200 people and generates annual revenues of €2.9 billion.

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Royal Navy Lynx joins French frigate for counter-piracy ops

By UK Ministry of Defence on Thursday, November 15th, 2012

The first Royal Navy Lynx helicopter to join a French frigate for a full counter-piracy deployment has arrived on board the ship in Toulon.

As part of the initiative for the UK and French armed forces to work more closely together, the Lynx Mark 8 aircraft from Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton will deploy with the FS Surcouf as part of Operation Atalanta off the Horn of Africa.

The 12 UK personnel from 217 Flight have started a four-week training period, including an exercise to assess the warship’s capability for operations, before deploying at the end of the month.

Flight Commander Lieutenant Mike Curd said: “To be given the opportunity to learn the language and then spend an entire deployment operating with the French Navy is fantastic and my team is very excited, not only to be contributing to counter-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean, but to be doing it in such unusual circumstances.”

Lt Curd and Pilot Lt Chris Southworth are part of a team comprising of senior maintenance rating Chief Petty Officer Matthew Eccles and seven aircraft engineers along with two Royal Marine snipers.

Their training included a 15-week French language course earlier this year to prepare them for life on board the French vessel.

This deployment falls under the terms of the Lancaster House Treaty in which UK and the France agreed military cooperation to assure their international commitments and strengthen their capability.

Op Atalanta is part of the European Union’s ongoing Naval effort to disrupt and deter piracy in a bid to reduce its impact on international trade, maritime security and on the economic activities and security of countries in the region.

Commanding Officer of the FS Surcouf, Capitaine de Frigate (CF) Hughes Laine said: “I am very pleased to welcome 217 Flight to Surcouf and look forward to having the world renowned capability of the Lynx Mk 8 at my disposal for the deployment.”

217 Flight will be away over Christmas and New Year returning to RNAS Yeovilton in March 2013.

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