The class was intended to be constructed in two groups, the A 69 and A 70 types, with the latter type fitted with two Exocet MM38 surface-to-surface missiles (SSM) on either side of the funnel, but in the end, all ships of the class were fitted with the SSMs. The ships are armed with a CADAM gun turret with Najir fire control system and CMS LYNCEA, a pair of modèle F2 guns and four machine guns. For ASW operations, the "D'Estienne d'Orves" class mounts four fixed catapults for L3 or L5 type torpedoes with no reloads carried and one remote-controlled sextuple rocket launcher, with 30 reloads carried in a magazine located beneath the aft deckhouse.