The Greek flag is raised on the FDI frigate “KIMON”

Greece will officially receive the first FDI (Belara) frigate F – 601 “KIMON” in the presence of the Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias and the military leadership.

The Navy officially turns a page, acquiring the first modern and digital superweapon – after almost thirty decades – which will give new “breath” to the Fleet by strengthening its deterrent power in the Aegean and beyond.

Greek flag

The raising ceremony of the Greek flag is expected to take place at around 14:00 (Greek time) at the Naval Group shipyards in the city of Lorient, France.

In Brest for weapons

The frigate “KIMON”, together with the 128-person crew of the Hellenic Navy, will then set sail for Brest with the aim of carrying out the necessary procedures for integrating the weapons systems, thus completing the state-of-the-art platform, while the first FDI will sail in Greek waters around mid-January 2026.

ΔΙΑΒΑΣΤΕ ΕΠΙΣΗΣ

Στο Αποτεφρωτήριο Ριτσώνας ο τελευταίος αποχαιρετισμός στον συγγραφέα Αλέξη Σταμάτη

It is recalled that immediately after, the FDI frigates “NEARCHOS” and “FORMION” will take their turn in mid-2026 and at the same time, the necessary work will be underway so that the fourth FDI “THEMISTOKLES” can proceed after the signatures that “fell” on November 14, 2025.

Enhancing deterrence

The FDI “KIMON” is a multi-role frigate, designed for both regional air defense and anti-submarine warfare.

Features:

• Length: 122 m.
• Displacement: 4,600 tons.
• Range: 5,000 nautical miles.
• Crew: 128 members.

It also has:

• a 76mm OTO MELARA SUPER RAPIDO bow cannon
• 4 VLS A50 vertical missile launchers (with 8 cells each) carrying a total of 32 ASTER 30 anti-aircraft missiles
• a RAM anti-aircraft missile launcher at the stern to provide point air defense
• and 2 quadruple EXOCET MM40 BLOCK 3C anti-ship missile launchers

It can also carry an MH-60 ROMEO anti-submarine helicopter, as well as an S-100 CAMCOPTER Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for which the Government Council on National Security (KYSEA) gave the “green light” a few days ago.

Regarding the detection of enemy submarines, it carries a fixed KINGKLIP MARK 2 sonar and a towed CAPTAS – 4.

Finally, it has the SEAFIRE AESA radar with the ability to identify 800 targets at a distance of 500 km, as well as the SETIS battle management system.

Leading player in the Eastern Mediterranean
With the acquisition of these modern super weapons, Greece not only strengthens the Navy fleet but also its ability to play a leading role in both the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean.

In this context, the political and military leadership of the Ministry of National Defense proceeded with the acquisition of a fourth FDI frigate, “THEMISTOKLES”.