La Fayette-class frigate

The French frigate Surcouf
Class overview
Name:	La Fayette class
Operators:	French Navy  Royal Saudi Navy  Republic of China Navy  Republic of Singapore Navy
Preceded by:	Floréal-class frigate
Succeeded by:	Frégates de taille intermédiaire (from 2023)
Subclasses:	Al Riyadh class (Saudi Arabia) Formidable class (Singapore) Kang Ding class (Taiwan)
In commission:	22 March 1996
Completed:	20
Active:	France: 5 Saudi Arabia 3 Taiwan: 6 Singapore: 6
General characteristics
Type:	General purpose frigate
Displacement:	3,200 tonnes, 3,600 tonnes fully loaded
Length:	125 m (410 ft)
Beam:	15.4 m (51 ft)
Draught:	4.1 m (13 ft)
Propulsion:	4 diesel SEMT Pielstick 12PA6V280 STC2, 21,000 hp (16,000 kW)
Speed:	25 kn (46 km/h; 29 mph)
Range:	4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph) 9,000 nmi (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Endurance:	50 days of food
Boats & landing craft carried:	2 × ETN boats
Capacity:	350 tonnes of fuel, 80 m³ of kerosene, 60 tonnes of potable water
Complement:	12 officers 68 petty officers 61 men
Sensors and processing systems:	1 × DRBN34 navigation radar 1 × DRBN34 landing radar 1 × Air/Surface DRBV 15C sentry radar 1 × firing control radar for the 100 mm gun 1 × CN2 firing control radar 1 × Saïgon ARBG 1 radio interceptor 1 × ARBR 21 radar interceptor 2 × Dagaie Mk2 AMGL-1C chaff launcher 1 × AN/SLQ-25 Nixie tugged noise maker 1 × Prairie-Masker noise reduction system 1 × Integrated Shipboard Communication System ISCS (SNTI 120 ch.) 1 × SEAO/OPSMER Naval command support system 1 × Syracuse II satellite transmission system 1 × Inmarsat navigation system
Armament:	Anti-ship; 8 × Exocet MM40 block II anti-ship missiles Guns; 1 × 100 mm TR automatic gun 2 × 20 mm modèle F2 guns CIWS; 1 × Crotale CN2 CIWS
Armour:	On sensitive areas (munition magazine and control centre)
Aircraft carried:	1 × helicopter (Panther or NH90)

The La Fayette class (also known as FL-3000 for "Frégate Légère de 3,000 tonnes", or FLF for Frégate Légère Furtive) are general purpose frigates built by DCNS and operated by French Marine Nationale. Derivatives of the type are in service in Saudi Arabia (Royal Saudi Navy), Singapore (Republic of Singapore Navy) and Taiwan (Republic of China Navy).

The ships were originally known as "stealth frigates" due to their unique stealth design at the time. Their reduced radar cross section is achieved by a clean superstructure compared to conventional designs, angled sides and radar absorbent material, a composite material of wood and glass fibre as hard as steel, light, and resistant to fire. However, most modern combat ships built since the introduction of the La Fayette class have followed the same principles of stealth.

All information gathered by the onboard sensors is managed by the Information Processing System, the electronic brain of the operation centre of the ship. It is completed by an electronic command aid system.

The La Fayette class has space available for the future installation of the Aster 15 air-defence missile, however they will not be installed due to recent cost issues. The ships are designed to accommodate a 10-tonne helicopter in the Panther or NH90 range (though they are also capable of operating the Super Frelon and similar heavy helicopters). These helicopters can carry anti-ship AM39 or AS15 missiles, and can be launched during sea state 5 or 6 due to the Samahé helicopter handling system. France ordered five ships of the La Fayette class in 1988, the last of which entered service in 2002. They will be replaced in French service by 5 frégates de taille intermédiaire (FTI, "intermediate size frigates") from 2023.