French Navy Frigate under attack!

Published in WarshipsIFR February 2024 p14
On December 9, one week after a crew swap, the French Navy multipurpose frigate Languedoc intercepted 2 drones flying directly towards her at 9.30 pm and 11.30 pm.
On December 11, another drone was shot down. This time, the French Navy warship was protecting a Norwegian tanker hit earlier by another attack, preventing him from being boarded.
Since November 26, the French FREMM class Frigate has been part of the European mission EMASoH started in 2020, at the initiative of the French government, to guarantee freedom of navigation in the straight of Hormuz.

FREMM Languedoc under the command CV Christine Ribbe

It was the first combat use of the Aster system and the first successful missile interception conducted by the French Navy.

This is an important milestone for a weapon system widely deployed and recognised as a very capable fleet defence system but, until today, not combat-proven.

In 2011, the air defence frigate Jean Bart was the first French Navy ship to fire an American-made SM1 missile at a Lybian helicopter, but the interception was aborted due to possible collateral damage.

As per the French Navy's official press release, the interception and destruction of these two inbound threats took place 110 kilometres off the Yemeni coast, near Hodeida, a port in northern Yemen under the control of the Houthi rebels.

Although the type of drone is not yet known, the fact that the official message mentions drones and not missiles means that it was probably a relatively slow target, not a difficult interception for the Aster 15 flying at Mach 3. 

The Aster can intercept multiple supersonic targets (up to 12 simultaneously) from low to very high altitudes.

Another Bravo Zulu to the crew!

The Languedoc was commissioned in 2017 and had a very busy operational life already!

In 2018, she launched 3 MdCN cruise missiles against Syria, another first for the French Navy! 

This cruise missile is the surface and submarine-launched version of the extremely accurate Anglo-French storm shadow/Scalp cruise missile. This weapon has been used multiple times by the Ukranian Air Force from adapted Soviet-era Su 24 fencers and they recently destroyed a Kilo-class submarine in dry dock.

In 2022 The Languedoc was awarded the Hook'em Award by the US Navy for his efficiency in the antisubmarine role.

Iran, who provided the Houti with drones and missiles, has long been deploying means to attack modern warships in the Persian Gulf with swarms of inexpensive semi-submersible fast ships and drones. 

In recent weeks, we have seen multiple civilian cargos hit and US Navy warships being targeted by Houti’s rebels attack. Allied commanders in the region are probably gathering intelligence on weapons’ locations to destroy them in preventive strikes. 

The Languedoc can carry up to 16 MdCN and if a retaliatory strike is ordered by Paris, we might see this ship using them again on a worthy target

The drone problem.

The Languedoc commander reacted to the threat with its primary defence system to ensure the safety of its crew, but one might consider this an expensive overkill considering the 3m euro cost of an Aster against a couple of thousands of USD for the drone. 

The decision made was the right one; the priority is to engage any threat as far away from the ship as possible but the use of very capable and expensive missiles against low-cost weapons raises sustainability questions in the long run.

A swarm of cheap drones can quickly deplete the ship's missile silos and render him vulnerable to a later attack with way more dangerous anti-ship missiles.
Modern warships are eventually limited by the quantity of ammunition they are carrying.

The Fremm Languedoc only has 16 Aster 15. If depleted during a saturation attack, she would have to rely on radar-guided artillery with her 76mm autocannon, 2 Nexter Narwhal 20mm guns and a combination of R-ECM active jammer and smart decoys. During a recent anti-drone exercise, the ship’s Marine Commandos were also involved with their handheld weapons. They would likely be involved in the defence of the ship if needed.

The French Navy is looking at Direct Energy Weapons (DEW) to complement missiles and guns with a more cost-effective system against swarm attacks.

In June 2023, the HELMA-P 2Kw laser turret with a maximum range of a couple of kilometres, was successfully tested aboard the French air defence Frigate Forbin during sea trial.
The ground-based version of this system will be operational for the Paris Olympic Games in 2024. 

Other contenders in the fight against drones at sea are the rapid-fire naval system 40mm turret with a 4 kilometres range.

A proven cost-effective technology, initially designed for small ships, but that can easily be deployed on bigger warships.

The French navy can also choose to mount more MIstral based system. A six-cell turret with the latest version of the Mistral mk3 with an infrared imaging seeker is already deployed on multiple French warships. The seeker is sensitive enough to be used against drones and surface vessels.
With a monthly production of 40 missiles due to its commercial success, it is easily available.

If French Ships are targeted regularly by drones, a crash program will likely result in the deployment of a mix of the above solutions to enhance warship survivability.

In my opinion, the range of energy-directed weapons remains a major issue.
With a practical range of a couple of miles, it is only a last resort weapon as any malfunction will not leave the crew enough reaction time to engage the target with a missile or a gun.
Only a massive improvement in range (20/30+ km) will make this system a possible replacement for Aster or Aegis missile systems. 

But when there is a will there is a way!  Israel company Rafael is about to deploy its brand new Iron Beam laser system. It is reported to reach 100 kW or more. It can focus a beam to the diameter of a coin at a distance of 10 km (6.2 mi).

One thing is sure is the next generation of warships will include such weapons from the design stage.