Greece’s Frigate Kimon Arrives at Piraeus Port for the First Time

Greece’s Belharra frigate Kimon, the archetypal of its people to participate work with the Hellenic Navy. Credit: Naval Group Official Twitter Account

Greece’s Kimon frigate arrived astatine Piraeus port for the archetypal clip connected Friday, formally joining the Hellenic Navy fleet aft being deployed adjacent Cyprus successful effect to rising determination tensions pursuing U.S. and Israeli strikes connected Iran.

The warship was positioned adjacent Cyprus aft reports surfaced astir drone threats aimed astatine British sovereign subject bases connected the island. That ngo was besides the vessel’s archetypal operational patrol successful the eastbound Mediterranean, coming arsenic the latest Middle East struggle intensified.

The vessel had been received from French shaper Naval Group astatine the Salamina naval anchorage successful January, the archetypal clip successful 28 years that specified a warship entered Greek service. As the archetypal Belharra-type, or FDI, frigate successful the Hellenic Navy, it is viewed arsenic a important summation to nationalist deterrence successful the Aegean Sea and the eastbound Mediterranean.

Macron acceptable to circuit Greece’s Kimon frigate connected Saturday

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and French President Emmanuel Macron are expected to sojourn and circuit the vas connected Saturday. Macron’s travel is tied to plans for renewing the bilateral defence statement that Greece and France signed successful 2021.

The Kimon frigate strengthens Greece’s naval posture with a displacement of 4,603 tonnes and a magnitude of 121.6 meters (399 ft), a beam of 17.7 meters (58 ft), and a draught of 6.2 meters (20 ft).

Kimon Belharra-class frigate. Credit: Hellenic Navy

Four MTU diesel engines moving connected a combined diesel and diesel strategy present 32,000 kilowatts (43,000 hp) of power.

The vessel reaches a apical velocity of 27.5 knots (31.6 mph), covers 5,000 nautical miles (5,754 miles) astatine 15 knots (17.3 mph), and tin enactment astatine oversea for 45 days. Its unit consists of 110 sailors and astir 15 aerial unit members.

Layered weapons and precocious sensors specify Kimon’s combat reach

Sensors see a Thales Sea Fire progressive electronically scanned array radar, Kingklip Mark 2 hull-mounted sonar, and CAPTAS-4 towed array sonar. Sylena Mk1 decoy launchers transportation CANTO anti-torpedo decoys for protection.

Its weapons see an OTO Melara 76 mm Super Rapid weapon successful a stealth cupola, 2 Leonardo Lionfish 20 mm distant limb stations, and 8 Exocet MM-40 Block 3c anti-ship missiles.

Air defence relies connected Sylver A50 vertical motorboat systems for MBDA Aster 15 and Aster 30 missiles, positive RAM Block 2B surface-to-air missiles. MdCN missiles supply land-attack capability, portion 2 dual torpedo tubes transportation EuroTorp MU90 torpedoes for anti-submarine operations.

The frigate supports 1 MH-60R Seahawk chopper and 1 Schiebel Camcopter S-100 unmanned aircraft.