Poster tampion french frigate Courbet

The frigate Courbet (F712) is the third ship of the La Fayette class, a series of five units of the French Navy. It pays tribute to Admiral Amédée Courbet (1827-1885) and is sponsored by the city of Angers.

Its main mission is to protect the maritime interests of the State, in particular overseas, and it can also fulfill various roles such as integrating intervention forces, ensuring the safety of maritime traffic, accompanying carrier battle groups and carrying out missions special or humanitarian. It is codenamed "Cerberus".

In terms of armament, the Courbet carries eight Exocet anti-ship missiles, two SADRAL systems with Mistral missiles, a 100 mm turret and two 20 mm guns on the sides. It can deploy a Panther helicopter with specialized marine commandos for precision missions. In an emergency, up to five paratroopers can be transported. Its electronic warfare capabilities include radio and radar interceptors as well as countermeasures for anti-ship missiles.

On October 5, 2020, Courbet entered drydock for a refurbishment and upgrade program, aimed at modernizing her combat and optronic systems, as well as her stability and structures. It was equipped with SADRAL anti-aircraft defense systems and an underwater warfare capability.

Courbet's operational career has been marked by her participation in various operations and missions, including deployments in the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. It has been engaged in actions against piracy, rescuing migrants and in Operation Harmattan in Libya in 2011. It has also taken part in exercises with other national and international ships.