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History
France
Name	La Fayette
Namesake	Marquis de Lafayette
Laid down	15 December 1990
Launched	13 June 1992
Commissioned	22 March 1996
Homeport	Toulon
Status	in active service
General characteristics
Class and type	La Fayette-class frigate
Displacement	3,280 t (3,230 long tons) 3,680 t (3,620 long tons) fully loaded
Length	125 m (410 ft 1 in)
Beam	15.4 m (50 ft 6 in)
Draught	4.8 m (15 ft 9 in)
Propulsion	4 × SEMT Pielstick 12PA6V280 STC2 diesel engines, 21,000 hp (16,000 kW)
Speed	25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph)
Range	7,000 nmi (13,000 km; 8,100 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement	170+;197 reported embarked for 2023 global deployment
Sensors and processing systems	1 × Air/Surface DRBV 15C sentry radar 1 x SENIT FLF combat management system (replaced previous Thales TAVITAC CMS during 2021–22 refit) 1 × firing control radar for the 100 mm gun 1 × DRBN34 navigation radar 1 × DRBN34 landing radar 1 x KingKlip Mk 2 hull-mounted sonar (fitted during 2021-22 refit)
Electronic warfare & decoys	1 × Saïgon ARBG 1 radio interceptor 1 × ARBR 21 radar interceptor 2 × Dagaie Mk2 chaff launcher 1 × AN/SLQ-25 Nixie tugged noise maker 1 × Prairie-Masker noise reduction system 1 × Syracuse II 1 × Inmarsat CANTO anti-torpedo countermeasures (fitted during 2021-22 refit)
Armament	Anti-ship; 8 × Exocet MM40 Block 3 anti-ship missiles (Block 3c variant entering service in French Navy from December 2022) Guns; 1 × 100 mm TR automatic gun 2 × 20 mm modèle F2 guns Anti-aircraft; 2 x 6 Sadral launchers with Mistral Mk 3 SAM/SSM (replaced previous Crotale SAM during 2021–22 refit)
Armour	On sensitive areas (munition magazine and control centre)
Aircraft carried	1 × helicopter (Panther or NH90)

La Fayette is a general purpose stealth frigate of the French Navy (Marine Nationale). She is the second French vessel named after the 18th century general Marquis de Lafayette. She is the lead ship of the class.

Upgrade

La Fayette began a major life extension upgrade in October 2021. The upgrade is designed to permit the frigate to operate through the 2020s and into the 2030s and incorporates the addition of hull-mounted sonar, improved point air defence systems, the CANTO anti-torpedo countermeasures system, as well as the capacity to deploy the latest variant of the Exocet anti-ship missile. The frigate returned to sea for testing of her new systems in May 2022 and was declared fully operational again in November 2022. She is to remain active until 2031.

Career Post-Upgrade

In February 2023, the frigate was tasked to initiate an around the world deployment accompanying the helicopter assault ship Dixmude. The deployment was to involve a series of exercises and port calls enroute. According to the commander of the mission, Captain Emmanuel Mocard, La Fayette possesses improved sea-keeping and endurance following her upgrade and the scope of the planned deployment would not have been feasible prior to her refit. The frigate returned to Toulon in July.

In 2024, La Fayette deployed to the Atlantic to fill a gap resulting from the retirement of the patrol vessel Premier-Maître L'Her and a delay in the commissioning of the new frigate Amiral Ronarc'h.

Gallery

In popular culture

• La Fayette was featured in the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye, as the site for the unveiling of the Eurocopter Tiger, which is subsequently stolen in the film. The 1997 video game based on the movie, GoldenEye 007, released for the Nintendo 64, includes a hostage rescue mission on board La Fayette. This mission was reimagined for the game's 2010 remake, developed for the Wii and Nintendo DS consoles, as well as its own 2011 remaster, GoldenEye 007: Reloaded, available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms.

References

1. Groizeleau, Vincent (28 November 2022). "La frégate La Fayette de nouveau opérationnelle après sa rénovation". Mer et Marine. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
2. Vavasseur, Xavier (3 February 2023). "French Mission Jeanne D'Arc 2023 To Sail Across Indo-Pacific". Naval News.
3. "La Fayette Class Frigate". Naval Technology. 3 May 2001.
4. Ozberk, Tayfun (9 February 2023). "French LHD And Frigate Set Sails For Deployment Around The World". Naval News.
5. ^ Vavasseur, Xavier (18 October 2021). "First Upgraded la Fayette-class Frigate back into the French Fleet". Naval News.
6. Manaranche, Martin (31 July 2021). "Video: French Navy's La Fayette-Class Frigate Mid-Life Update". Naval News. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
7. Vavasseur, Xavier (18 July 2019). "Naval Group Ready To Produce CANTO Anti-Torpedo System In Australia". Naval News. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
8. Vavasseur, Xavier (17 October 2022). "Here Is Naval Group's New Torpedo Decoy Launcher". Naval News. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
9. Vavasseur, Xavier (17 October 2022). "First Exocet MM40 Block 3c Missiles Set For December Delivery". Naval News. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
10. Groizeleau, Vincent (15 April 2021). "Première FLF rénovée, la frégate Courbet remise à l'eau". Mer et Marine (in French). Retrieved 26 April 2021.
11. Lavers, Christopher (2012). Reeds Vol 14: Stealth Warship Technology. Reeds Marine Engineering and Technology Series. Thomas Reed Publications. p. 134. ISBN 9781408175538.
12. "FS La Fayette (F710) Light Stealth Frigate Warship (1996)". MilitaryFactory.com. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
13. Manaranche, Martin (31 July 2021). "Video: French Navy's La Fayette-Class Frigate Mid-Life Update". Naval News. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
14. "Toulon : Mise en service opérationnel de la frégate La Fayette rénovée". Press Agence (in French). 24 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
15. "Rénovée, la frégate la Fayette reprend la mer". Mer et Marine (in French). 19 May 2022.
16. "Marine nationale : les programmes qui vont façonner la future flotte française". Mer et Marine (in French). 1 February 2021.
17. Vavasseur, Xavier (3 February 2023). "French Mission Jeanne D'Arc 2023 To Sail Across Indo-Pacific". Naval News.
18. Groizeleau, Vincent (17 July 2023). "Jeanne d'Arc : le PHA Dixmude et la frégate La Fayette sont rentrés à Toulon". Mer et Marine.
19. Tanguy, Jean-Marc (11 July 2024). "La frégate La Fayette fera une première mission en Atlantique cet été". le Marin (in French). Retrieved 20 July 2024.
20. Rayner, Jonathan (2013). The Naval War Film: Genre, History and National Cinema. Manchester University Press. ISBN 9781847796257.

v t e La Fayette-class frigates
French Navy	La Fayette Surcouf Courbet Jauréguiberry / Aconit Guépratte
Republic of China Navy Kang Ding class	Kang Ding Si Ning Wu Chang Di Hua Kun Ming Chen De
Royal Saudi Navy Al Riyadh class	Al Riyadh Makkah Al Dammam
Republic of Singapore Navy Formidable class	Formidable Intrepid Steadfast Tenacious Stalwart Supreme
preceded by: Floréal class followed by: none
frigates of the French Navy frigates of the Republic of China Navy frigates of the Royal Saudi Navy frigates of the Republic of Singapore Navy

• La Fayette-class frigates
• Frigates of France
• 1992 ships
• Ships built in France