On October 1–5 FS F710 La Fayette of the French Navy is on a port visit in Klaipėda. It is currently the main combat ship of advanced design in the French Navy.
Commanding Officer Commander Anne Favède was welcomed ashore by Commander of the Lithuanian Navy Fleet Admiral Giedrius Premeneckas, the guests will also be touring institutions of the City of Klaipėda.
The frigate was commissioned to the French Navy 1996, in 2021 her different types of radars and air defence systems were upgraded. FS F710 La Fayette is equipped with the Mistral Mk 3 SAM/SS anti-aircraft and the Exocet MM40 anti-ship missile systems, as well as a 100 mm naval gun and 20 mm machine-guns. The ship supports Panther or NH90 types of helicopters. FS F710 La Fayette sails at up to 25 knots (46 km/h), its cruising range is 7000 nautical miles (approx. 13000 km). It is manned by the crew of approx. 200 seamen.
NATO warships are conducting port visit to Lithuania on a regular basis, the first French warship to come by since the restoration on independence NATO was the Lieutenant de Vaisseau Le Henaft frigate in 1992.
Photo credit: PO3 Akvilė Bertulė
