The Euronaval fair stimulates new business for French naval companies

PARIS – French naval companies are strengthening their global market share with the purchase of navigation systems by the Egyptian and German navies and developments in the multinational multi-role patrol corvette program.

The opening day of the Euronaval show, organized here from November 4 to 7, was a fruitful day for the French naval industry with the announcement of several contracts.

Safran announced that the Egyptian Navy has selected its VIGY 4 optical sights and Argonyx inertial navigation systems to equip 10 of the country’s offshore patrol vessels to detect and track threats.

According to the company, the shortwave infrared technology that powers the sights makes them particularly effective for missions in environments where visibility is poor, such as in the dark or through fog.

The VIGY 4 can also power small and medium caliber weapons, according to a Safran press release.

Another French industrial group that has won a major contract is Exail, which has been selected to modernize the German Navy’s Brandenburg-class frigates, also known as F-123.

The company will provide upgrades to the ships’ navigation capabilities by improving Netans data distribution units and Marins inertial navigation systems to accelerate information distribution and increase positioning accuracy.

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“We are pleased to collaborate with Arche and Saab to deliver state-of-the-art technology for the Brandenburg-class frigates,” Jens Higgen, regional sales director at Exail, said in a company announcement, referring to the other contractors on the frigate program.

On the sidelines of the exhibition, Naval Group also signed an initial consortium agreement with Spanish and Italian shipbuilding companies Navantia and Fincantieri, as well as with Naviris, a joint venture between the latter and the French company.

The partnership will aim to implement the second phase of the Multirole Patrol (MMPC) project, which builds on the foundations of the European Patrol Corvette, initiated under a European Union-sponsored programme.

In the new phase, there will be competition in the design of the corvettes, as well as the integration of new technological packages to equip the ships with a variety of systems and payloads to carry out a wider range of operations.