After participating in a PASSEX (a short exercise on transit) with the Portugese Air Force and the NATO martime force SNMG1, the French warship 'Courbet' arrived in Lisbon on friday. She's going to participate in the CONTEX-PHIBEX 15 exercise integrating the EUROMARFOR Task Group.

The frigate 'Courbet' is commanded by capitaine de frégate Antoine Vibert since 16 january 2015.

This frigate, launched in 1997, belongs to the latest generation of frigates built at the DCN Lorient Naval Dockyard. By its size, the Courbet takes the second place among French battleships, the first being the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaullle. This gem of the French Navy, characterised by a number of stealth features, its modular design, a high automation level, as well as its blow resistance, can justly be called a battleship of the 21st century. She incorporates a notable number of stealth features – the sides of the vessel are sloped at 10° to minimize radar cross section, surfaces are made of alloy, reinforced plastic and kevlar. The profiles of external features have been reduced.

As well as other sisters French Navy La Fayette class stealth frigates, the Courbet weighs 3,600 tons.  Its propulsion system has two diesel engines, rated at 5, 220 hp. The Courbet’s crew consists of about 16 high officers, 95 non-commissioned officers and 42 sailors. In this mission the crew is 156. This frigate also has a helicopter unit, a flight deck for helicopters such as NH 90, eight Exocet missile launchers, and the Crotale surface-to-air missile system.

The class 'La Fayette' was designed primarily to protect and enforce the interests of the French state in its maritime areas and overseas territories, to participate in the settlement of crises outside Europe, and to be integrated into a naval force. Secondary roles for this class include providing support for an intervention force or the protection of commercial traffic and special operations or humanitarian missions support.