Three original variants of the FREMM were proposed; an
anti-submarine variant (ASW) and a general-purpose variant (GP) and a land-attack variant (AVT) to replace the existing classes of frigates within the
French and
Italian navies. A total of 27 FREMM were to be constructed (17 for France and 10 for Italy) with additional aims to seek exports. However, budget cuts and changing requirements saw this number drop significantly for France, while the order for Italy remained unchanged. The land-attack variant (AVT) was subsequently cancelled. Like the also-Fincantieri-designed U.S. Navy Freedom Class, the FREMM can be equipped with two versions of the Surface Warfare Package, one of which includes some features the theoretical AVT variant would have offered. A third
anti-air warfare variant of FREMM was proposed by DCNS in response to French requirements for a new air-defence frigate, the new variant became known as FREDA ("
FREgates de Défense Aériennes", "Air defence frigate"). This new French requirement was due to the third and fourth s being cancelled after the first two cost €1.35B each, but this decision left French Navy still in-need of replacements for its aging air-defence frigates. As of 2009, the FREDA design features a more powerful version of the
Héraklès passive electronically scanned array radar and 32 cells of
SYLVER A50 vertical launch system in place of the 16 cells of A43 and 16 cells of A70. The SYLVER A50 would allow it to fire the -range
Aster 30 missile. While at one point it was determined that the towed array
sonar would not be fitted, this has subsequently been retained on the FREDA design. At Euronaval 2012
DCNS showed a new concept called FREMM-ER for the FREDA requirement, again based on the FREMM, but specifically mentioning the
ballistic missile defense mission as well as
anti-air warfare. FREMM-ER has a modified
superstructure replacing Héraklès with the new Thales Sea Fire 500 radar, whose four fixed plates resemble those of the
US Navy's
AN/SPY-1. However, unlike the Héraklès and the SPY-1 (both using
passive electronically scanned array technology), the Sea Fire 500 has
active electronically scanned array antennas.
Italy Initial planning assumptions for the Italian Navy are ten FREMM-IT (four ASW variants and six GP variants) at a cost of
€5.9 billion. FREMM-IT will replace the and frigates in service with the Italian Navy. In the 2013 Italian budget, the Italian government laid out the necessary financing for two more GP variants (FREMM-IT 7 & 8) and the contract was awarded in September 2013. On 15 April 2015, the Italian Parliament confirmed the deal between
OCCAR and
Orizzonte Sistemi Navali Spa (Fincantieri and Finmeccanica, since 2017
Leonardo) to begin building units 9 and 10, for 764 million Euros. As of 16 April 2015, the Italian government has approved funding for all ten FREMM-IT to be delivered to the Italian Navy (four ASW variants and six GP variants). FREMM-IT 9 & 10 will have undisclosed enhanced capabilities. All ten Italian FREMM-ITs have extended AAW capabilities, with SAAM-ESD CMS, Aster 30 and Aster 15 missiles for extended area defence. SAAM-ESD CMS use Leonardo MFRA, a 3D active radar (AESA), an evolved version of the Leonardo
EMPAR PESA radar (previously embarked on Horizon-class destroyers and the ). Since the seventh FREMM-IT, there will be updates, such as new conformal
IFF antenna and much more stealth response. Since the ninth FREMM-IT, SCLAR-H was replaced with Leonardo ODLS-20. In 2017 the Italian FREMM refit started with the installation on each of two SITEP MS-424 acoustic guns. In 2020, Italy sold its last two FREMM-class frigates in the current production line (
Spartaco Schergat and
Emilio Bianchi) to Egypt.
Spartaco Schergat was in the final stage of her
sea trials while
Emilio Bianchi would follow within one year. The deal reportedly also involved other military equipment and was worth 1.2 billion USD. Italy then order two additional FREMM frigates to replace those transferred to Egypt with the anticipated delivery of the replacements by 2025, with a new GP&ASW enhanced configuration, named GP-e. On 31 July 2024, Italy ordered at a cost of €1.5 billion another two FREMM from OCCAR, named FREMM-EVO, bringing the class fleet to twelve vessels. The FREMM-EVO will be based on the FREMM-ASW hull with several changes:
PPA's dual-band integrated
X- &
C-band radar, ATBM capability with
Aster 30B1NT missiles,
CAPTAS-4 variable depth sonar (VDS), two Lionfish 30 mm
autocannons to replace 25/80 mm,
etc.
France The original plan was for 17 FREMM to replace the nine
avisos and nine anti-submarine frigates of the and es. In November 2005 France announced a contract of €3.5 billion for development and the first eight hulls, with options for nine more costing €2.95 billion split over two tranches (totaling 17). Following the cancellation of the third and fourth of the Horizon-class frigates in 2005 on budget grounds, requirements for an air-defence derivative of the FREMM called FREDA were placed – with DCNS coming up with several proposals. Expectations were that the last two ships of the 17 FREMM planned would be built to FREDA specifications; however, by 2008 the plan was revised down to just 11 FREMM (9 ASW variants and 2 FREDA variants) The 11 ships would cost €670 million (~US$760m) each in FY2014, or €860m (~US$980m) including development costs. which was initially interpreted as 2 Horizons, 5 s and a reduction in the FREMM fleet down to 8 ships. The 2014–2019 defence plan restated a target of 11 frigates; of which six ASW FREMM variants would be delivered to replace the
Georges Leygues-class frigates by 2019, followed by two anti-air variants to replace the ageing
Cassard-class frigates and a decision was to have been taken in 2016 on what version the remaining three would be. but in 2015 the order was cut to 8 in order to allow for the introduction of five
FTI mid-Size frigates from 2024. The FTI will replace the
La Fayette class in "first-rank" roles, with three of the
La Fayettes also being fitted with active sonar and other improvements so as to extend their service life into the early 2030s.
Export United States On 10 July 2017, it was reported that the
United States Congress was interested in foreign designs such as the Fincantieri FREMM for the US Navy's
FFG(X) Program. According to Representative
Rob Wittman, chairman of the
United States House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, the US Congress was comfortable with models such as Fincantieri's partnership with
Lockheed Martin to build the version of the
littoral combat ship (LCS). If the Italian FREMM design is selected, the
Marinette Marine shipyard in
Wisconsin, part of the Fincantieri group, would build the guided-missile frigates. Marinette Marine is best known for the
US Navy Freedom-class LCS. On 16 February 2018, Fincantieri Marine was one of five companies awarded a $15 million contract for conceptual design of FFG(X), which the Navy would evaluate over 16 months ahead of a final request for proposal in 2019 and contract award in 2020. On 30 June 2017, it was announced that
Leonardo and
BAE Systems will collaborate to provide the US military forces with a wide range of upgraded munitions for advanced, large-calibre weapon systems such as the Leonardo Vulcano and Strales/DART guided munitions. From late May to early June 2018, the Italian Navy deployed
Alpino on a good will visit to the United States along the Eastern seaboard, making port calls in
Norfolk,
Baltimore,
New York City, and
Boston. She was visited by several US Navy officials who toured her as a potential FFG(X) candidate. Among the visitors was the Italian Ambassador to the United States, Armando Varricchio. On 30 April 2020, the US Navy announced that Fincantieri had been awarded a $795 million contract for the first FFG(X), to be built at Fincantieri Marinette Marine in
Marinette, Wisconsin. The contract includes options for an additional nine ships, which, if all options were exercised, would value the contract at $5.5 billion. On 25 November 2025, the Constellation class was cancelled, allegedly due to the amount of changes the USN made to the off-the-shelf FREMM design, reducing the time- and cost-savings.
Egypt Egypt ordered two Italian FREMM frigates in 2020 and one French FREMM frigate in 2015. On 16 February 2015, the
Egyptian Navy ordered one FREMM vessel to enter service before the opening of the
New Suez Canal, as part of a larger deal (including 24
Dassault Rafale aircraft and a supply of missiles) worth US$5.9 billion (€5.2 billion). In order to keep to Egypt's deadlines, France offered to send
Normandie, originally intended for the French Navy. The SYLVER A70 VLS and NETTUNO-4100 jamming equipment were removed due to export limitations for such sensitive equipment. The crew will be around 126 sailors compared to 108 in the French Navy. The SATCOM antenna for the French
Syracuse satellites was also taken down; however, Egypt will use its own military telecommunications satellite, supplied by
Airbus Defence and Space and
Thales Alenia Space, in conjunction with its naval vessels. From March 2015, DCNS trained the Egyptian crew in the technology of the ship and DCNS and its partners accompanied the crew for a period of 15 months. On 23 June 2015, French naval shipbuilder DCNS transferred the FREMM frigate
Tahya Misr (ex-
Normandie) to the Egyptian Navy. A ceremony took place to transfer
Normandie, renamed
Tahya Misr ("Long Live Egypt") to Egypt, in the presence of General
Sedki Sobhy, the Egyptian Minister of Defense,
Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French Minister of Defense, Admiral Osama Rabie, Egyptian Navy Commander in Chief, Admiral Bernard Rogel, the French Chief of Navy and Hervé Guillou, Chairman & CEO of DCNS. The initial Italian sale might be followed by the subsequent acquisition of two additional FREMM frigates by Egypt.
Morocco On 24 October 2007, it was announced that the
Royal Moroccan Navy had ordered one FREMM to replace its . The contract was signed on 18 April 2008 and construction of the Moroccan FREMM began in the summer 2008 with delivery expected in 2012 or 2013;
Mohammed VI was launched in September 2011 and handed over on 30 January 2014. The Moroccan ship is similar to the French anti-submarine version, without SYLVER A70 tubes for
MdCN cruise missile, and cost €470m. There may be collaboration between
PT-PAL Shipyard on
Java and Fincantieri.
Greece Following the unsuccessful negotiations of 2009-2018, which fell through due to the Greek economic crisis, in April 2025 Greek
Minister for National Defence Nikos Dendias announced to the
Delphi Economic Forum. Greece would again seek to purchase two used FREMM frigates from Italy, as part of the country's €25 billion multi-year defence plan. In September 2025, the intent was formalised by signing a naval cooperation agreement for 2+2 frigates, between Greece and Fincantieri who will upgrade and modernise the first two Bergamini class vessels (Carlo Bergamini-GP and Virginio Fasan-ASW) and the follow-on option of two more. With the signing of the MoU, Greece will proceed with the specific requirements of the armament suite, to allow compatibility with systems on the FDI Kimon-class frigates. The Italian Teseo anti-ship missiles will probably be replaced with Exocet or Harpoon, while there is interest in the new ELSA missile system also to be integrated. The first ship is expected to be handed over before 2029, as Italy receives its first FREMM EVO replacement. In September 2017, a variant of the FREMM was offered directly to the Ministry of Defence, in an attempt to protect intellectual property. This direct bid included delivery of the first ship in 2019 if accepted within the year and a fixed price of $30 billion for all 15 ships, versus the $62 billion estimated for the government's prime-contractor ship building plan. In December 2017 the offer was rejected by the
Public Services and Procurement Canada, citing the unsolicited nature of the bid as undermining the fair and competitive nature of the procurement". In October 2018, the
Type 26 design was chosen by Canada as the winner of the program. On 8 February 2019, a contract was signed by Canada to build Type 26 vessels.
Australia In April 2016,
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull confirmed that the Italian FREMM class was one of three frigates shortlisted for the
Royal Australian Navy's replacement. In September 2016, Fincantieri signed a contract to participate in the Competitive Evaluation Process, conducted by the Department of Defence for nine Future Frigates for the Royal Australian Navy. In June 2018, the contract was awarded to
BAE Systems to produce up to six s based on the British
Type 26 frigate, of which three units were ordered in June 2024.
Brazil In January 2019, the Italian government made an offer of two
Bergamini-class frigates to the
Brazilian Navy. The frigates
Spartaco Schergat and
Emilio Bianchi under construction for the Italian Navy, would be transferred to Brazil for €1.5 billion (R$6.37 billion).
Greece On 22 January 2009 the
Hellenic Navy announced an order for six FREMM to replace an equal number of s. After the
Greek government-debt crisis this was cut down to between two and four ships equipped with SCALP Naval, with France alleged to have offered them to Greece at no cost for the first five years. Germany objected to this deal in October 2011 and no deal has been signed. In February 2013 though and during the formal visit of the
President of France,
François Hollande, in
Athens, according to press reports an agreement which includes the long-term leasing of two FREMM frigates (
Normandie and
Provence according to initial reports) to the Hellenic Navy has been reached. On 12 January 2018 the Greek daily newspaper
Kathimerini reported that the Greek government was set to enter talks with France regarding the procurement of two FREMM frigates, with an option for an additional two. Contacts between Greece and France were to begin initially at a military level, starting in February 2018. In April 2018, Greek
deputy Minister for National Defence Fotis Kouvelis stated that an agreement between France and Greece was reached for a five-year lease of two FREMM frigates, which could have been handed over as early as August 2018. After a few days, on 25 April 2018 the Greek minister of Defense
Panos Kammenos denied any information regarding the purchase of two frigates from France. Eventually, Greece abandoned all plans for the purchase of FREMMs in 2019 and pursued with the smaller
FDI Belharra multi-purpose frigates, offered by
Naval Group. ==Country-specific equipment==