Kimon-class frigate
The Kimon class, also known as the FDI HN, is a frigate class for the Hellenic Navy. The FDI HN is a more heavily armed version of the French Defence and Intervention Frigate. The lead ship, Kimon, was originally expected to be commissioned in early 2025, however the sea trials were completed by late 2025, after which the handover took place on 18 December 2025.
History
In September 2021, the government of Greece signed an agreement with France's Naval Group to purchase three FDI HN frigates with an option for one more for the Hellenic Navy as part of a €3 billion defence package.It was reported that the Hellenic Navy ships would eventually carry a more extensive weapons fit, capable of carrying up to 32 Aster-30 air defence missiles. This will permit the Hellenic Navy to operate three ships with 32 air defence missiles plus 21 point defence missiles in a Mk31 21-cell launcher of RAM Block 2B surface-to-air missiles, 8 Block 3 Exocet anti-ship missiles, 2 dual launchers MU90 torpedoes and SYLENA Mk1 decoy launching systems for CANTO anti-torpedo decoys. Two of the vessels, destined for the French Navy in 2025, now will be delivered to the Hellenic Navy. The date of the construction agreement was anticipated to be at late 2021 or early 2022.
On 19 September 2024 during the event of launching ceremony for the frigate “Nearchos”, the Ministry of [National Defence |Defense Minister] announced that Greece is starting procedures to acquire a fourth frigate of the same type. He also revealed that Greece will proceed with the order of strategic MdCN missiles. This was later confirmed by the Prime Minister of Greece Mitsotakis via social media.
Construction
In December 2021 it was reported that an agreement for construction had been signed by France and Greece with the actual contract for the construction of the ships having been signed on 24 March 2022. In February 2022, documents released by the Hellenic Parliament indicated that initially the first two frigates for the Hellenic Navy would be equipped similar to their French counterparts in a "Standard-1" configuration. By 2027 the two ships would be upgraded to a "Standard-2" configuration with 32 A-50 cells as well as with the RAM Block 2B. The third Hellenic Navy frigate would be built from the outset in the "Standard-2" configuration.As of January 2023, 23 contracts had been signed with Greek companies participating in the frigates' construction, with 10 more during the same year.
In addition to contracts involving cooperation in all Greek frigates, contracts concerning construction of pre-outfitted blocks in Salamis Shipyards and shipment to France for assembly, start from the third Greek frigate and involve both Greek and French frigates. In May 2025, a MoU was signed with Hellenic Aerospace Industry on integrating the latter's counter-unmanned aircraft systems aboard the frigates.
In 2024 it was decided to adjust the production sequence by reassigning the fourth and fifth vessels in the production series. The fourth vessel, previously assigned to France, would instead be allocated to Greece, while the fifth ship in the series, previously assigned to Greece, would be destined for the French Navy instead. Each vessel would be renamed accordingly. It was unclear how this reallocation might impact the original intent to have the third Greek FDI built in an enhanced "Standard-2" configuration.
In October 2025, the Greek parliament ratified the amendment to the original purchase agreement, to include the fourth FDI vessel, named Themistocles
The lead ship of the class, Kimon, was officially delivered and commissioned to the Hellenic Navy on 18 December 2025, in a ceremony attended by Greek Minister of Defense Nikos Dendias, his French counterpart, Catherine Vautrin, General Dimitrios Choupis, Chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff, and Vice Admiral Dimitrios-Eleftherios Kataras, Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff. It travelled to Brest under the Greek flag, for its weapons to be delivered. The ship arrived in Greece and was received on 15 January 2026.