P400-class patrol vessel

La Tapageuse
Class overview
Name	P400
Builders	Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie
Operators	Marine Nationale (1986-2023)  Gabonese Navy  Kenya Navy  Marinha do Brasil (Macaé-class variant)
Succeeded by	Modified D'Estienne d'Orves class;[1] Confiance-class patrol vessel; Patrouilleur Outre-mer
In commission	18 September 1986
Active	2 former French Navy vessels transferred to Gabon and Kenya, plus 2 built for Gabon
Retired	8
General characteristics
Type	Patrol ship
Displacement	373 tonnes (367 long tons)
Length	54.8 m (179 ft 9 in)
Beam	8 m (26 ft 3 in)
Draught	2.54 m (8 ft 4 in)
Installed power	Electrical plant: 3 GE Poyaud Jeumond (120 kW (160 hp) each)
Propulsion	Engines : 2 diesel SEMT Pielstick 200PAVGDS 3,700 hp (2,800 kW) each 7,400 hp (5,500 kW), 2 inversor-reductors, 2 fixed-blade propellers
Speed	24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph)
Boats & landing craft carried	1 × EFRC 10 seats 1 × EFR 10 seats
Complement	29
Sensors and processing systems	UHF, VHF, HF, 1 DECCA 1226, 1 OMEGA M6, MF CRM 4215 radiogoniometer, shallow water tester, Ben LMN3 loch, CGM4 gyroscopic compass
Armament	Bofors 40 mm gun 20 mm modèle F2 gun 2 × AA-52 machine guns

The P400-class patrol vessels were small patrol boats of the French Navy. They were designed to accomplish police operations in the French exclusive economic zone (EEZ). They were built by the Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie, which specialise in small military craft. Two similar ships are in service in Gabon, the similar Macaé-class operates with the Brazilian Navy, and two ships were transferred from the French Navy to Kenyan and Gabon navies. The P400 class were originally designed in two versions: one armed with Exocet MM38 missiles, and another public service version with a smaller 16-man complement; eventually neither of these versions were commissioned as the French Navy chose an intermediate version.

All of these craft were based in overseas territories (DOM/TOM) where they conducted sea monitoring missions and secured the EEZ. They also executed missions in the context of French agreements with other nations, typically supporting foreign armies or carrying out humanitarian missions. Since late 2008, ships of the D'Estienne d'Orves class, with their heavy armament removed, were planned to replace the P400 in the high sea patrol role, a task for which the P400 class have proved to be underweight.^[1]