POM-class offshore patrol vessels

The POM-class patrol ships (working title) are a series of 6 ships of the latest generation of the French Navy.

The construction of patrol ships will be deployed at Socarenam shipyard under the POM (Patrouilleur d'Outre Mer) program, which aims to replace older P400-class patrol vessels located in the French overseas territories of New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Reunion.

The new patrol ships will be built at facilities in Boulogne sur Mer in the north of France and Saint-Malo in Brittany for deliveries between 2022 and 2025. That time frame is two years ahead of the schedule laid out in the 2019-2025 Military Program Law. The vessels will be operated by the French Navy out of the overseas territories of New Caledonia (Nouméa), La Reunion (Port-des-Galets), French Polynesia (Papeete).

The latest generation of OPVs have been designed in collaboration with Marseille-based naval architecture and marine engineering company MAURIC. The design is based around a steel hull and aluminium superstructure.

The new vessels intended for long patrols in the Exclusive Economic Zone and international waters, these vessels can comfortably accommodate a crew of 30 people and 23 passengers for several weeks.

Entirely dedicated to their patrol missions, these ships are equipped with all the necessary equipment: fast intervention boats, intelligence instruments and sensors, rooms dedicated to their missions, light or heavy weapons.

Each offshore patrol vessels will have a length of will be 80 meters long and 11.8 meters wide, with a draft of 3.5 meters, maximum speeds in excess of 22 knots. The vessels features include a stern ramp and lateral davit as well as a flight deck for the launch and recovery of unmanned aerial vehicles. Armament will include a 20mm caliber remote-controlled turret (Narwhal by Nexter) and 12.7 mm and 7.62mm machine guns.