France: DCNS Names Gowind Offshore Patrol Vessel L’Adroit

DCNS named Gowind offshore patrol vessel L’Adroit at a ceremony that gathered more than 500 potential customers, partners, co-suppliers and employees. The L’Adroit programme spearheads DCNS’s ambitious efforts to win a larger share of the growing markets for small- and medium-displacement surface ships.

Gowind OPV L’Adroit was designed and built by DCNS for maritime safety & security (MSS) missions. The ship was officially named on Thursday 17 June at a ceremony attended by Admiral Pierre-François Forissier, French Navy’s Chief of Staff, and Bernard Huet, Executive Vice President & Deputy Managing Director of DCNS.

The L’Adroit programme introduces innovations across the board by calling into question long-established methods in engineering, production and promotion. First, the product itself is highly innovative. This powerhouse of technology is designed for MSS missions ranging from counter piracy and terrorism to the policing and interdiction of all forms of trafficking. OPV L’Adroit, the first member of the Gowind family, combines advanced technologies including unmanned aerial and surface vehicles (UAVs and USVs), commando boat launch ramps and a single enclosed mast which, with a panoramic bridge, ensures 360° visibility for crew and sensors alike.

The second area of innovation is in production methods. From the outset, the L’Adroit programme was built around tightly integrated design, production and work organisation teams – all dedicated to this programme – with unprecedented autonomy and accountability. These innovations enabled DCNS and its partners to design and build the ship in less than 24 months. In addition to drawing on the vast expertise of its employees, the Group called on some 50 partners, each among the best in its field. Companies that joined DCNS as either co-suppliers or investors contributed experience and continue to contribute flexibility and responsiveness to the programme’s continuing success.

Shipbuilding began in May 2010. Outfitting continues apace with the last equipment compartments approaching completion as systems are powered up and tested. This summer, DCNS employees will put the ship through its first sea trials. Handover to the French Navy is on target for late 2011.

The third area of innovation is in marketing and sales. DCNS built OPV L’Adroit under a self-funded programme. When ready, the ship will be made available to the French Navy for operational trials lasting three years. In achieving ‘sea proven’ qualification, the L’Adroit will win unprecedented credibility among prospective client navies for the entire family of Gowind OPV/corvettes.

OPV L’Adroit is the entry-level representative of the Gowind family. Other Gowind OPV/corvettes can be equipped with a range of weapon systems according to their mission profiles. The top-of-the-range type is a medium-displacement front-line corvette serving as a deterrent or means of preventing military action. To this end, these ships can be equipped with weapons for use against both land and sea targets.

With a length of 87 metres, OPV L’Adroit offers three weeks’ blue-water endurance, a range of 8,000 nautical miles, a top speed of 21 knots and a helicopter/UAV flight deck. The design also features full provision for reduced crewing by a complement of 30 and space for 30 passengers.
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Source: DCNS, June 20, 2011;