Naval Group Picks iXblue Navigation Solutions for Future French Navy Supply Ships

iXblue was selected by Naval Group to provide navigation systems to the four future tankers for the French Navy, the company said today.

Phins navigation systems and Netans navigation data distribution & computation systems will thus equip the future logistics support vessels, as part of the “Logistics Fleet” programme (Flotte Logistique (FLOTLOG)) led by the European Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation (Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’ARmement (OCCAR)) on behalf of the French Defense Procurement Agency DGA, and its Italian counterpart, NAVARM.

This contract reinforces a long-standing collaboration with Naval Group, iXblue navigation solutions having already been selected by the defence contractor for French and export programmes.

“The BRFs are an essential strategic component of the naval operations of France and its allies. They will enable the French Navy to operate at sea in theaters of operations far from the mainland or from support bases”, explains Benoît Kerouanton, Head of IXblue’s Navigation Division.

“Reliable, resilient and high-performance navigational data is therefore essential to the success of the operations of these ships, on which the autonomy of French Navy combat vessels and aircraft depends. Our Phins navigation systems and our Netans navigation data distribution & computation systems satisfy this need for reliability and performance perfectly, whatever the environment, including in GNSS-denied situations. It is a source of pride for our company to have been selected by Naval Group and to continue to play a role in France’s defense capacity by providing navigation systems to these four new BRFs.”

Based on Fiber-Optic Gyroscope (FOG) technology, iXblue navigation solutions already equip more than 650 surface ships and underwater platforms in 40 national navies and coast guards. This includes major programmes such as the French Navy’s future frigates (Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention – FDI), the new Astute-class nuclear attack submarines and the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers of the UK Royal Navy, as well as the F123 (Brandenburg-class) and F122 (Bremen-class) frigates of the German Navy. –shp/iz