Greece has taken delivery of its first FDI (Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention) frigate from Naval Group, the HS Kimon (F601).
Following the handover ceremony in Lorient, the frigate will sail to Brest for the installation of its weapons systems. The vessel is expected to arrive at Salamina Naval Base near Athens by January 2026.
Initially delivered in the Standard 1 configuration, Kimon is scheduled to undergo phased upgrades, reaching the enhanced Standard 2++ configuration by 2029.
Naval Group plans to deliver two additional Greek FDI frigates—Nearhos (F602) and Formion (F603)—by 2026. Greece also placed an order in November for a fourth FDI frigate, Themistocles (F600), with delivery planned for 2028.
France is the lead nation and original developer of the FDI program, with Greece becoming its first export customer.
Launched in 2022, the Greek FDI program is marketed internationally as the Belharra-class, while within the Hellenic Navy the ships are designated as the Kimon-class.
The 122-meter frigates are designed for multi-domain operations, including anti-aircraft, anti-submarine, anti-surface, and asymmetric warfare, and are intended to replace Greece’s aging Elli-class frigates.
Naval Group delivered HS Kimon roughly two months after handing over the French Navy’s first FDI frigate in October.
Following the vessel’s arrival, the Hellenic Navy awarded Naval Group an initial in-service support contract, with maintenance and future upgrades to be carried out jointly by Naval Group, its Greek subsidiary Naval Group Hellas, and local industry partners.
In parallel, Naval Group is assessing the integration of unmanned systems aboard Greek naval platforms, including FDI frigates and Gowind-class corvettes.
