Greece Receives First French FDI Frigate, to Order Israeli PULS Artillery System

Greece has received its first French-built FDI frigate and approved funding for the purchase of Israel’s PULS rocket artillery system.

Naval Group delivered HS Kimon, the first defence and intervention frigate for the Hellenic Navy, on December 18 during a ceremony in Lorient attended by Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias and French Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Catherine Vautrin.

HS Kimon is the first of four FDI frigates ordered by Greece. Two additional ships are scheduled for delivery in 2026, while a fourth frigate ordered in November is expected within three years. The delivery follows the handover of the first FDI to the French Navy two months earlier.

Naval Group has also secured the initial in-service support contract for the Greek FDI fleet. Maintenance and upgrade work will be carried out with its subsidiary Naval Group Hellas and local industrial partners. The company said it is using an industrial process that allows the construction of up to two ships per year.

The FDI frigates are intended to conduct anti-air, anti-submarine, anti-surface and asymmetric warfare missions, operating independently or as part of a fleet against threats including submarines, missiles, cyberattacks and irregular forces.

Separately, Elbit Systems announced that the Hellenic Parliament and Greece’s Government Council for National Security have approved a budget for the acquisition of the company’s PULS rocket artillery system. Elbit said it expects a contract of material value, subject to the completion of commercial negotiations with the Greek Ministry of National Defense.

PULS can launch unguided rockets, precision-guided munitions and missiles at different ranges and can be mounted on existing wheeled or tracked platforms to limit training and maintenance demands.