According to the independent ship-tracking websites, the French signal intelligence (SIGNT) ship named Dupuy de Lome has entered the Eastern Mediterranean and is headed toward Syria. The ship is designed to conduct electronic surveillance and intelligence. According to the information available online, it is equipped with a wide assortment of antennae and communications equipment, is accompanied by a Lafayette-class general-purpose frigate.
Dupuy de Lôme (A759), named after the 19th century engineer Henri Dupuy de Lôme, is a ship designed for the collection of signals and communications beyond enemy lines, which entered the service of the French Navy in April 2006.
According to open sources, Dupuy de Lome — weighing some 3600 tons and 334 feet long — is used for signals intelligence by the Directorate of Military Intelligence of France (DRM).
Launched in 2004, little is known about the ship. Open sources suggest that installed equipment includes various radio-intelligence systems, a radar/radiation warning system, satellite communications systems, and two navigational radar locators. The ship’s hardware allows for the discovery, pinpointing, and analysis of various radar systems’ radiation and the ability to intercept, pinpoint, and eavesdrop on communication systems, including low Earth orbit satellites.