The French Navy has conducted a shock test, detonating a mine near its La Fayette-class frigate Courbet, which was fully crewed.

Since 2021, France has initiated several exercises aimed at enhancing the combat readiness of the French Armed Forces through high-intensity warfare scenarios. A previous French Navy exercise focused on this goal saw an F21 heavy torpedo fired from a nuclear submarine at the decommissioned patrol vessel Premier-Maître L’Her.

As part of this broader initiative, the French Navy undertook a shock test of one of its La Fayette-class frigates on 25 February at 10:00 AM CET off the coast of Toulon. The test involved the detonation of a naval mine near the Courbet, which was underway and fully crewed at the time, with approximately 140 sailors aboard.

“Given the increasingly tense international context, the decision to conduct such at-sea experiments under near-operational conditions is deemed highly relevant,” explained an update from the French Armed Forces.

The controlled detonation was conducted at a safe distance, allowing for an assessment of the explosion’s effects on the 125-metre-long frigate without compromising the vessel’s integrity.

The La Fayette-class frigate Courbet was launched in March 1994 and commissioned in April 1997. In 2019, the Courbet was one of three frigates to receive a mid-life upgrade. It was the first to undergo its refit, which began in October 2020. Following the completion of the refit, she returned to service in June 2021.