French frigate Forbin (D620)

Forbin in the Arabian Sea in 2009
History
France
Name:	Forbin
Namesake:	Claude Forbin-Gardanne
Ordered:	27 October 2000
Builder:	DCNS and Thales Group, Lorient shipyard
Cost:	USD$770 million
Laid down:	16 January 2004
Launched:	10 March 2005
Commissioned:	2008
In service:	14 October 2010
Homeport:	Toulon
Status:	in active service, as of 2013[update]
General characteristics
Class and type:	Horizon-class frigate
Displacement:	7,050 tonnes
Length:	152.87 m (501 ft 7 in)
Beam:	20.3 m (66 ft 7 in)
Draught:	5.4 m (17 ft 9 in)
Propulsion:	2 × 31,280 hp (23.3 MW) GE/Avio LM2500 gas turbines 2 × 5,875 hp (4.4 MW) SEMT Pielstick 12 PA6 STC diesels 1 × beam propeller 2 × 4-blade propellers
Speed:	29 knots (54 km/h; 33 mph) 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) on diesels
Range:	7,000 nmi (13,000 km; 8,100 mi) at 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph) 3,500 nmi (6,500 km; 4,000 mi) at 25 kn (46 km/h; 29 mph)
Boats & landing craft carried:	EDO, 20-seat EFRC, Hurricane 733
Capacity:	32 passengers or admiral's staff
Complement:	26 officers 110 petty officers 38 sailors
Sensors and processing systems:	S-1850 LRR tri-dimensional sentry radar with IFF ABF TUS 4110 CL hull sonar Towed linear antenna with Alto torpedo detector
Electronic warfare & decoys:	Radar jammer Communication jammer NGDS system (2 decoy launchers, REM, RIR, LAD) Contralto system (2 acoustic decoy launchers) PAAMS EMPAR multifunction radar on G band
Armament:	Anti-air; 1 × PAAMS (48 × Aster 15 or 30 anti-air missiles in SYLVER A50 VLS) 1 × Sadral launcher with 6 Mistral missiles on starboard roof of hangar Anti-ship; 8 × Exocet MM40 Block 3 anti-ship missiles Anti-submarine; 2 × MU90 torpedo tubes Guns; 2 × Otobreda 76 mm super rapid guns 2 × 20 mm modèle F2 gun
Aircraft carried:	1 × NH90 helicopter

Forbin is a large anti-air frigate of the French Navy, lead ship of the Horizon class. Her first task is protecting aircraft carriers, capital ships or civilian ships from supersonic missile attacks; her complement of medium-range anti-air missiles allows her to support the defences of another ship under attack and avoid their saturation. She is also capable of monitoring and controlling operations carried out from the sea by friendly aircraft.Forbin is the sixth vessel of the French Navy named after the 17th century admiral Claude Forbin-Gardanne.

Construction of Forbin began in Lorient on 8 April 2002. The hull was built in 14 sections by a variety of subcontractors of DCN, including several companies from Saint-Nazaire. Each section was 7 metres (23 ft) high, and 16–20 metres (52–66 ft) long. Forbin was laid down on 16 January 2004; the hull sections were transferred from Saint-Nazaire to Lorient on a barge tugged by Alcyon and assembled there from February 2004 to January 2005, finishing with the bow. The engines were delivered by FiatAvio in September.

Forbin was launched on 10 March 2005, after part of the Scorff river was dredged to make it deep enough for her draught. She was towed out of her building dock by four tugboats at 16:15, taking advantage of the tide. On 28 October, Forbin entered dry dock and underwater equipment was installed, notably the sonar, propellers and rudders.

Trials were held throughout 2006. Engine tests started on 10 May, and she sailed for sea trials on 29 June. Tuning of the combat management systems was particularly problematic, setting the completion of the ship off-schedule enough for her commissioning to be delayed by several months. In late January 2007, Forbin underwent new extensive trials at sea, successfully testing her combat systems in exercises against Super Étendard and Atlantique 2 aircraft. The PAAMS was tested in late May at the Centre d'Essais des Landes. From 12 to 17, Forbin sailed to Toulon, her new home port, where her combat, detection and weapon systems were further finetuned. Forbin fired an Aster 30 at the test range of the DGA on 25 November.