photo: Naval Group
From 11th to 14th April 2023, Naval Group (France) participates to LAAD Defence & Security – International Defence and Security Exhibition, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The group will be showcasing its leading technologies designed to meet the needs of modern navies, offering submarines, surface ships as well as high-tech solutions covering the entire vessels life cycle.
The Latin American Defence and Security exhibition – LAAD- is an opportunity to reinforce the long-lasting presence of Naval Group in Brazil and in Latin America and to reiterate its commitment to Brazil as a major industrial partner.
The group stands ready to continue providing technological superiority through its wide range of solutions. Naval Group, a long-term strategic partner of Brazilian sovereignty In 2009, within the framework of the French-Brazilian strategic defense cooperation agreement, the Brazilian Navy chose Naval Group for its Programa de desenvolvimento de Submarinos, the ProSub program.
The “Blue Amazon”, Brazil exclusive economic zone is equivalent to the surface area of the Amazon forest, and covers 3.6 million square kilometers of Atlantic coastline. To protect its rich marine biodiversity and energy resources and assert its sovereignty over the area, Brazil decided to reinforce its submarine force with four new conventional submarines (SSK) and the development of an indigenous nuclear-powered submarine (SSN). Through an unprecedented transfer of technology, Naval Group is working with Brazil to build and operate four conventional Riachuelo-class submarines (Scorpène® type) in a new shipyard and naval base built in Itaguaí for this purpose. Riachuelo, first of the four submarines of the ProSub program was commissioned by the Brazilian Navy in September 2022 and Humaitá, the second submarine of the series, launched in December 2020, will be delivered by the end of the year. Naval Group also supports the Brazilian Navy in the design and construction of the first Brazilian nuclear-powered submarine and will provide support beyond the construction of the submarines over the entire life cycle of the ships.
Naval Group will present a large range of equipment and solutions including:
Scorpène® conventional submarine
Naval Group’s Scorpène combines a unique platform and an outstanding combat system.
Scorpène® is ideally suited for action and operational effectiveness. Robust and enduring, it’s an ocean-going submarine also designed for shallow waters operations. Multipurpose, it fulfils the entire scope of missions such as Anti-Surface and Anti-Submarine Warfare, special operations, and intelligence gathering.
Standing as the latest generation of combat system, SUBTICS® addresses the growing challenges of modern submarines missions in blue and shallow waters in the entire domain of submarine warfare. Highly modular and scalable, SUBTICS® can be integrated either on new platforms or as part of modernisation programmes for existing submarines.
With 14 submarines built worldwide, the Scorpène® is a key reference of conventional attacksubmarines (SSK) for navies around the world. She can be easily adapted to specific requirements of customers and the continuous improvement of the Scorpène ensures the seamless integration of the latest technology onboard.
Gowind® corvette
Gowind® is Naval Group’s response to 21st century security and defence challenges. It is a corvette-size multi-mission Surface Combatant offering capabilities in all areas. It is designed to perform the full spectrum of naval defence operations and maritime security roles, with the highest level of performance.
Sturdy, strongly equipped, highly manoeuvrable, Gowind® integrates, through Naval Group’s SETIS® Combat Management System and innovative structural solutions, the latest generation sensors and weapons. Designed to be used against air, naval or underwater threats from the initial steps of the engineering process, Gowind® is multipurpose by design.
Gowind® enjoys significant commercial success as 12 units have already been sold. Most of them are built locally through Transfer of Technology and partnerships with local industry.
Belh@rra® frigate
Belharra® (or FDI) is the innovative, 100% digital and cybersecure combat ship, designed for crisis management as well as naval supremacy in high intensity conflict. This compact frigate provides a wide and complete spectrum of missions, alone or as part of a collaborative naval force, for long-duration missions on the high seas as well as for littoral operations. As the first digital frigate, Belharra® has high-level capabilities in anti-air, anti-surface, anti-submarine and asymmetric warfare, considering the French Navy’s operational heritage acquired in operations. Modular and scalable, Belharra® can be adapted to meet the specific needs of the navies. This frigate, natively ready for technology transfer and local construction, contributes to the sovereignty of our client countries.
The French Navy FDI program will see the first of its five frigates completed in 2024 and the Belharra® has also been selected by the Hellenic Navy.
Mine countermeasures vessel
Alongside its partner Exail, Naval Group developed a new generation of mine countermeasures vessels which is one of the first native drone projection ship. This solution already acquired by the Belgian and Dutch navies is a complete paradigm shift in the way mines are fought by adopting a remote position (stand-off) which reduces the risk for personnel and the mothership and allows a substantial increase in the speed of coverage of mined areas.
These specialized and cyber secured by design mine countermeasures (MCM) vessels are the first to have the capability to embark and launch a combination of surface drones (themselves 12- metre, 18- ton vessels), underwater drones and aerial drones. The mine countermeasures vessels will use a mainly autonomous system for detection, classification and neutralization of mines. They can withstand underwater explosions and have very low acoustic, electrical and magnetic signatures, in line with the missions to be carried out.
Unmanned systems expertise
Naval Group masters the entire value chain of unmanned systems: designer, manufacturer, and in-service support partner of unmanned naval combat systems in surface, underwater, mine and seabed warfare as well as integrator of any type of drone to its armed vessels.
Naval Group has developed several demonstrators of unmanned naval systems including D2i, Sterenn Du, Remorina and an autonomous, long endurance, ocean-going XL UUV demonstrator that can be armed. The company is actively enhancing its multi-mission/multi-drone system to ensure seamless integration of unmanned systems into naval combat operations.
Naval Group is investing in future concepts through simulation, artificial intelligence, smart maintenance and digital twin It is designing global unmanned solutions to enhance its customers’ capabilities.
Services
Naval Group offers a range of services covering the entire life cycle of a ship, from design to construction, maintenance and dismantling. At Naval Group, more than 5,000 employees – almost one third of its total workforce – located in France and abroad, are responsible for the design, production and implementation of integrated logistical support, in-service support and modernization of ships, training, simulators and marine infrastructures. To optimize ship availability, Naval Group develops innovative digital service solutions in the fields of cyber security and intelligent maintenance.
Today, Naval Group is conducting more than twenty major in-service support programs. Each year, some fifty surface ships and submarines are maintained in service in France and abroad, drawing on rare expertise and high-quality industrial partnerships.
Naval Group is a major French industrial group specializing in naval defense design, development and construction. Its headquarters are located in Paris.
Heir to the French naval dockyards initiated in 1631 by Cardinal Richelieu and to the Direction des Constructions et Armes Navales (DCAN), which became Direction des Constructions Navales (DCN) in 1991 and then DCNS in 2007, the company was rebranded Naval Group in 2017. Its two main shareholders are the French State (62.25%) and Thales Group (35%).
