French naval defense company DCNS has offered to give the French navy an offshore patrol vessel prototype for free.
The French company would deploy a prototype of the new range of Gowind ocean patrol vessels to boost its profile as an exporter of warships, Defensenews.com reports.
"DCNS counts on becoming the world leader in the export of armed ships," Defensenews.com quoted from a draft press release it obtained from the company. "DCNS has proposed to the French navy from 2012 the deployment within its fleet a prototype of the new range of Gowind ocean patrol vessels that the company will build with its own funds. The demonstration of the operational capabilities of this ship in a first rank navy will deliver a significant competitive advantage in international marketing," the report said.
The company is eager to be selected as a supplier under the Batiment de surveillance et intervention maritime (Batsimar) program, which is aimed at replacing France's around 20 P400 patrol vessels and nine Aviso-class frigates starting in 2012. The P400 have been suffering from engine problems and many of the Aviso frigates, launched in the 1970s, have already been decommissioned.
"We hope to have a sea-proven product to show to the (French) Navy at that time," Defensenews.com quotes DCNS CEO Patrick Boissier as saying. "We are studying the ways which would allow us to have a sea-proven ship. There is no question of a (public-private partnership) whatsoever."
With 13,000 employees and yearly revenues of around $4 billion, Direction des Constructions Navales Services is a major player in naval defense equipment. The French state has a 75 percent stake in DCNS, with the remainder held by defense giant Thales.
For the past five decades, it has developed an expertise in submarines and surface vessels; the company in 1967 launched the first nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine and some four decades later, in 2008, unveiled "Le Terrible," a sub that has such an unrivalled stealth capability, firepower and communications technology that France has decided not to export it.
Its surface vessel products include France's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the Charles De Gaulle, launched in 1992.
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