Greece has formally received its first defense and intervention frigate (FDI) from Naval Group, the HS Kimon (F601), marking a key milestone in the Hellenic Navy’s modernization program.
After the handover ceremony in Lorient, the frigate will transit to Brest for weapons system integration before sailing to Greece. The ship is expected to berth at Salamina Naval Base near Athens by January 2026.
Delivered initially in the Standard 1 configuration, Kimon will undergo a series of capability upgrades, ultimately reaching the Standard 2++ configuration by 2029.
Naval Group is set to deliver two additional FDI frigates to Greece—Nearhos (F602) and Formion (F603)—by 2026. In addition, Athens ordered a fourth ship, Themistocles (F600), in November, with delivery scheduled for 2028.
France leads the FDI program as its originating nation, with Greece becoming the first international customer.
Introduced in 2022, the Greek FDI program is internationally known as the Belharra-class, while the Hellenic Navy refers to the vessels as the Kimon-class.
Each 122-meter frigate is designed for a wide range of missions, including air defense, anti-submarine warfare, surface combat, and asymmetric operations, and will replace the navy’s aging Elli-class frigates.
The delivery of HS Kimon came approximately two months after Naval Group handed over the French Navy’s first FDI frigate in October.
Following the ship’s arrival, the Hellenic Navy awarded Naval Group an initial in-service support contract, with sustainment and future upgrades to be jointly managed by Naval Group, Naval Group Hellas, and Greek industry partners.
At the same time, Naval Group is examining options to integrate unmanned systems aboard Greek warships, including FDI frigates and Gowind corvettes.
