EDO stands for “Embarcation de Drome Opérationnel”. There currently about 60 of these RHIBs currently in service with the French Navy.
These semi-rigid boats carry out operational missions for state action at sea, personnel and light supply transfer, water surveillance and self-defense, VBSS and search and rescue (man overboard) missions.
The new RHIBs on order will be deployed aboard Mistral-class LHDs Mistral and Tonnerre, first-in-class ship La Fayette and the missile range instrumentation ship Monge.
Main characteristics of an EDO RHIB:
- Displacement full load: 3.4 tons;
- Length: 7 meters,
- width: 2.60 meters;
- Speed of 30 knots in “rescue boat” version with 5 persons on board, speed of about 20 knots in fully loaded displacement with 14 persons on board;
- Transport of a crew of 2 persons + an intervention (VBSS) team of 12 persons.
The first EDO of this new contract will be delivered in March 2021, then deliveries of the ten other boats will be spread out until February 2022.
