According to a tweet published by the French Navy on July 5, 2022, the French frigate Prairial conducted joint training with the Japanese helicopter carrier JS Izumo and the destroyer JS Takanami.
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The helicopter carrier JS Izumo, JS Takanami and the French frigate Prairial (Picture source: French Navy)
Prairial is a Floréal-class frigate (French: frégate de surveillance) of the French Navy.The ship was constructed by Chantiers de l'Atlantique at Saint-Nazaire, France, in 1992 and entered service in 1993. Prairial is stationed in the French Pacific territories for patrol duties.
Prairial has a standard displacement of 2,600 tonnes (2,600 long tons) and 3,000 tonnes (2,950 long tons) at full load. The frigate measures 85.2 metres (279 ft 6 in) long between perpendiculars and 93.5 metres (306 ft 9 in) overall with a beam of 14 metres (45 ft 11 in) and a draught of 4.3 m (14 ft 1 in).
The frigate is powered by a combined diesel and diesel (CODAD) system comprising four SEMT Pielstick 6 PA6 L280 BPC diesel engines driving two shafts each turning a LIPS controllable pitch propeller.
The CODAD system is rated at 6,580 kilowatts (8,820 hp) The vessel is also equipped with one 203-kilowatt (272 hp) bow thruster. Due to the mercantile construction design, the four diesels are all located within one machinery room for ease of maintenance.
Both diesel fuel and TR5 aviation fuel are brought aboard at a single location at the stern compared to naval-constructed vessels which sport two. The ship also has three 750 kW (1,010 hp) diesel-electrical generators located just fore and aft of the machinery room.
The frigate has a maximum speed of 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) and a range of 9,000 nautical miles (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).
