French shipbuilder Piriou has begun construction of a new series of three offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) for the Argentine Navy under a contract valued at €280 million (US$313 million).
Each warship will have an ice-strengthened hull, a length of 87 metres, a displacement of approximately 1,500 tonnes, a helicopter flight deck, and a 30-millimetre autocannon.
The OPVs' design will be a variation of that of the Gowind-class corvettes developed by Naval Group.
