PARIS - France's Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) agency placed an order on January 18 with joint Piriou and DCNS subsidiary Kership for the delivery of a fourth Batiment Multi-Mission vessel, or B2M.
The original December 2013 order by the DGA included an option for the fourth ship, rounding out an element that will add to the French Navy's future force structure as outlined under the last Defense White Paper (released in 2013) that is expected to be in place by 2025. That force structure will involve 4 ballistic missile submarines, 4-6 attack submarines, 1 aircraft carrier, 15 "first-rate" frigates, 6 light surveillance frigates, 15 patrol boats, and 3 BPC (Batiment de Projection et de Commandement) force projection and command ships (the current Mistral class fulfills this requirement), plus a renewal of mine warfare assets (slated for around 2020).
The first B2M, the D'Entrecasteaux, was commissioned on March 25, 2016. The second-in-class, Bougainville, was commissioned on September 16, 2016, and the third, Champlain, is slated for delivery this year. The newly-ordered fourth ship, to be called Dumont d'Urville, will be delivered in the second half of 2018.
The B2M ships are derived from an offshore support vessel design. Each ship displaces around 2,300 tons and has a top speed of 12-15 knots. They are capable of carrying out missions of up to 30 days without refueling and are able to remain deployed at sea for 200 days per year. The B2Ms are able to forward-deploy 20 personnel with two 4x4 vehicles, plus weapons and ammunition. In French service they are used for monitoring and protecting France's exclusive economic zones (EEZ) and the deployment of forces in support of humanitarian, peacekeeping and security missions.
The B2Ms are replacing the 1980s-legacy Batral-class light transport ships.
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