Sale of Four OPVs to Argentina Comes Into Force

Contract for the Sale of Four OPVs to Argentina Comes Into Force

(Source: Defense-Aerospace.com; posted Feb 15, 2019)

L’Adroit, built by France’s Naval Group as a private venture, will soon head to her new home in Argentina after a refit, and will be followed by three other new-build OPVs. Note how her bridge affords 360-degree visibility. (FR Navy photo)

PARIS --- Naval Group’s €318 million contract with Argentina for the delivery of four offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) has come into force, the French website Mer et Marines reported Feb. 15. Contracts generally come into force when the seller receives a down payment.

Signed during December’s G20 meeting in Buenos Aires, the contract covers the refit and delivery of L’Adroit, an innovative OPV built as a private venture by Naval Group and leased by the French Navy to explore and validate its design concept. Her delivery to Argentina is planned for 2019, after a general refit and specific modifications requested by the Argentine Navy.

The other three ships will be new vessels built to Naval Group’s Gowind OPV-87 design.

Altogether, the four ships will cost 319.03 million euros, that Argentina will pay thanks to a financing package put together by French banks Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank and Natixis, together with Spain’s Banco Santander.

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Four Offshore Patrol Vessels for the Argentine Navy

(Source: Naval Group; issued Feb 14, 2019)

(Unofficial translation by Defense-Aerospace.com)

Following the entry into force of the contract with Argentina, Naval Group is launching work on the four offshore patrol boats.

Argentina has chosen Naval Group's four Naval Group Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs).

The contract was put into effect on February 14, 2019 and Naval Group began the first work on the four patrol boats. The first ship to be delivered will be L'Adroit. Developed on our own funds and built in less than two years by Naval Group, L'Adroit was put at the disposal of the French Navy since 2011, thus demonstrating its operational capabilities at sea. The three other OPVs will be built in France.

Naval Group teams will first proceed with the complete overhaul of the ship and equipment upgrades to ensure the maximum potential of L'Adroit to the Argentine Navy, while integrating its specific needs.

The range of all four vessels will be strengthened with an increase in fresh water production capacity on board. The three new OPVs will also be adapted to navigation in cold waters in the southern seas, with a reinforcement of the structures. They will all be equipped with a tele-operated 30mm cannon.

OPV 87 Gowind, an innovative vessel

Deployed on several military missions but also for fisheries and maritime security, and particularly in the Atalanta operation against piracy, L’Adroit has demonstrated its effectiveness and the relevance of Naval Group's innovations in the service of the navies, commandos and coast guards.

The Argentine offshore patrol boats will benefit from the same Naval Group innovations, tested by the French Navy:
-- long endurance and excellent seakeeping
-- 360° visibility from the bridge and a single mast for 360° radar coverage
-- discreet and safe deployment of fast boats in less than 5 minutes
-- Pre-equipment for the operation of aerial and surface drones

This range of vessels also benefits from Naval Group's expertise in information and command systems, enabling extensive surveillance of the maritime area and the automatic detection of suspicious behavior. The Adroit is thus equipped with the POLARIS mission system specifically developed by Naval Group for the missions of action of the State at sea and validated by the Navy.

Technical characteristics
The OPVs can stay at sea for more than three weeks, reach a speed of 20 knots and operate a helicopter. Operated by a crew of 40 people, they can also accommodate thirty passengers.

-- Overall length: 87 meters
-- Width: 14 meters
-- Displacement: 1,650 tons
-- Maximum speed: 20 knots
-- Accommodation: 40 people (crew) + 19 people (passengers)
-- Endurance: 7,000 nautical miles
-- Boarding capacity: 2 light craft of 9 meters and 1 helicopter of class 10 tons

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