Formerly known as the Patrouilleurs Océanique (PO) program, the ships will replace various aging patrol vessels in a wide variety of tasks off France.

[5] Designed by Naval Group, the first 7 ships were ordered in 2023 from Piriou Shipyard, Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie, and Socarenam.

[4] The new patrol ships will be significantly larger than their predecessors, allowing for an improved range of 6,000 nautical miles at 21 knots, or, 30 days at sea through the diesel-electric drive.

On top of the superstructure is space for future instillation of a Mistral anti-air missile, located near the life rafts, and the ship's mast.

[4] The French Navy states that there would be room for a total of 84 people on board, not specifying how many of those are crew members.