LORIENT, France, July 8 (UPI) -- France's first-of-class FREMM multi-mission frigate Aquitaine has completed three weeks of sea trials, shipbuilder DCNS said.
The trials and tests carried out by DCNS specialists demonstrated the performance of all combat system sensors and confirmed that everything is on course for the ship's delivery to the French navy next year.
The trials were conducted off Groix island in the Bay of Biscay, with a crew of French navy personnel, customer representatives and DCNS employees.
"Like the first trials, this second series yielded excellent results," said FREMM Program Manager Vincent Martinot-Lagarde. "This time the focus was on the ship's combat system sensors.
"The results demonstrate the quality of DCNS's integration of these sophisticated systems. All tests went as planned, further confirming the quality of the Aquitaine's design and construction."
With sea trials completed, DCNS will move to final outfitting.
FREMM frigate Aquitaine is scheduled to put to sea again in the autumn.
The French FREMM program calls for 12 ships -- 11 for the French navy and one for the Moroccan navy.
FREMM frigates are being built under DCNS prime contractorship to carry state-of-the-art weapons and systems, including the Herakles multifunction radar, MdCN cruise missiles, Aster anti-air missiles, Exocet MM40 anti-ship missiles and MU90 torpedoes.
