Dixmude Takes Shape
On 20 January, the first section of the French Navy’s Dixmude force projection and command ship was laid in STX’s shipyard at St Nazaire. The Dixmude, named after a Belgian town of Flanders fiercely defended by Breton marines in WWI, is the third of the Mistral class ships ordered by France. Launched as part of a French government economy recovery plan in April 2009, the Dixmude is expected to join her sister ships Mistral and Tonnerre in operational service 2012. Equipped with a hospital and a large helicopter deck, the 199-metre-long ship can accommodate 900 people in a humanitarian relief mission; as the high level of systems automation allows a reduction of its crew to 160 members. DCNS, as subcontractor, is in charge of the combat system, which represents a quarter of the ship’s value. Propelled by podded electric motors and screws, the class eyes several markets, notably Russian requirements.
Read more in armada International's issue 1/2010
