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June 7, 2017 / 6:09 AM

French frigates getting cruise missiles

A Missile de Croisière Naval (MdCN) cruise missile is fired by a FREMM-class frigate. Photo courtesy French Navy

A Missile de Croisière Naval (MdCN) cruise missile is fired by a FREMM-class frigate. Photo courtesy French Navy

June 7 (UPI) -- MdCN naval cruise missiles have entered service on French Navy FREMM frigates, providing them with a deep strike capability.

The missiles from MBDA entered service without fanfare in February, noted Mer et Marine, and are carried by the frigates Aquitaine and Provence.

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The FREMM frigate Languedoc, slated to be commissioned soon into service, will also be equipped with the missiles' All six FREMM frigates will carry the missiles by 2016.

Each FREMM frigate will be equipped with two A70 eight-cell vertical-launch silos for a total of 16 MdCN missiles designed, developed and produced in France by MBDA.

The MdCN is based on the Scalp EG air-launched cruise missile now in service with Mirage 2000 and Rafale combat aircraft deployed by the French Air Force and Rafale Marine aircraft.

The naval version is about 22.10 feet long. It is a fire-and-forget missile weapon with a range of as much as 621 miles. It uses multiple modes of navigation.

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