Sacré blew! A French warship is seen surviving a huge explosion.
The La Fayette-class frigate Courbet underwent a dramatic shock test to see if its hull could withstand a blast.
The French Navy (Marine Nationale) carried out the exercise on January 25, off the coast of Toulon in the south of the country.
The last time the Navy carried out such a test was in 1995, when a 250-kilogram TNT charge was placed 40 meters deep and 30 meters from the frigate La Fayette.
The Navy explains they are ramping up naval battle tests due to the “geopolitical context.” In December, they fired a torpedo shot from a nuclear attack submarine into the hull of the former patrol boat Premier-Maître L’Her.
Marine Nationale said: “Conducted at sea, this shock test makes it possible to test the resistance of a combat vessel during an explosion.
“This is one of the challenges of the POLARIS approach, initiated in 2021, because it is during these experiments—under conditions closest to real engagement—that preparation for high-intensity combat takes on its full meaning.
“The intensification of the preparation of crews for combat is explained by the hardening of the geopolitical context, as well as by the uncertainty it generates.”
“In this context, the French Navy also carried out a heavy F21 torpedo shot from a nuclear attack submarine (SNA) in December 2024 on the hull of the former Premier-Maître L’Her.
“In December, it was the weapon that was the subject of the experiment. This time, it was the armor that was evaluated.”
