The French National Navy has decided to equip all five of its defense and intervention frigates (FDI, Amiral Ronarc’h class) with 32 SYLVER A50 cells instead of the 16 initially planned.
This increase doubles the missile firing capacity of Aster 15 and Aster 30 missiles, allowing the FDIs to shift from a close escort role to a true area air defense and antimissile capability.
Lessons learned from operations in the Red Sea, where 22 Aster missiles were fired in just four months, along with alignment with the standard of the Greek FDIs (Kimon class), have driven this strategic evolution.
The 4th and 5th frigates will be delivered directly with 32 cells, while the first three will be progressively modernized under the 2024-2030 Military Programming Law.
