Italian Navy: Fincantieri bags €1.35 billion order to supply 2 new submarines

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Italian Navy NFS Submarine Contract: The Trieste based Italian shipbuilding giant Fincantieri has won €1.35 billion contract to design and build two new generation submarines for the Italian Navy as a prime contractor of the programme, the company said on Friday.

Fincantieri is one of the world’s leading shipbuilding groups and reference operator in the naval shipbuilding industry, and OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Cooperation en matiere d’Armement, the international organization for joint armament cooperation).

The order is part of the acquisition program of four U212 Near Future Submarines (NFS) for the Italian Navy.

The contract, in which Fincantieri will act as prime contractor, envisages an option for 2 additional units and is part of the new U212NFS (Near Future Submarine) acquisition program of the Italian Navy, said the shipbuilder.

According to a company statement, the total contract value for the first two vessels, including relevant logistics support, amounts to 1.35 billion euros.

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“We are proud that the recognition of our skills by the Italian Navy and the German partner has brought about a change in the relations, thus securing – on the one hand – our role as design authority, on the other as prime contractor,” Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri said in a statement sent to Defence Star.

Bono said the company is going to take a real technological leap forward compared to the submarines of the previous class, starting with the design and the combat system developed along with Leonardo, as Fincantieri was in-charge of on-board integration of the system.

Italian Navy Submarine Fincantieri

U212 submarine. (Image Credit: Fincantieri).

Italian Navy U212 Near Future Submarine Programme

The project is an evolution of the U212A program carried out in partnership with the German defence and engineering giant Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, which resulted in the production of 4 submarines for Italy – Todaro, Scirè, Venuti and Romei, delivered by Fincantieri between 2006 and 2017 – and 6 submarines for Germany.

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The technological content of these air-independent propulsion submarines determined the shift in the balance between nuclear and conventional vessels in the postwar period, said the company.

With the first two deliveries scheduled for 2027 and 2029, the U212NFS program stems from the need to secure adequate underwater spatial surveillance and control capacity, considering the future complex scenarios of underwater operations and that the operational lifetime of the four Sauro class submarines, currently in service, is drawing near.

It also aims at upholding and further developing Fincantieri’s acquired strategic and innovative industrial know-how, as well as consolidating the technological lead attained by the company and its supply chain, enhancing the presence of technologically-advanced component parts developed by Italian industries on board.

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“Our national submarines carry out many different tasks for the benefit of the community on a daily basis, responding to requests coming from the Government or the Nation’s main Alliances, NATO and EU,” Fincantieri said in a statement.

Italian Navy Submarine Fincantieri

U212 submarine. (Image credit: Fincantieri).

The Italian shipbuilder said these tasks include, from purely military missions to operations pertaining to freedom of navigation, anti-piracy, keeping the energy supply routes safe (due to the presence of seabed resources or underwater infrastructure).

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These tasks also comprise observance of international law, fighting terrorism, defending external borders, and safeguarding maritime infrastructure, including essential off-shore and underwater infrastructure, and detecting the presence of whales.

Fincantieri CEO Giuseppe Bono said the new contract would allow Italy to continue to be a main actor among the limited group of Countries that can build such advanced submarines.

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“Once again, a qualified supply chain, made up of small and medium-sized enterprises of the sector, will benefit from the driving effect triggered by our activities, which will in turn generate manifest economic growth in terms of GDP, employment, and research and development advancement,” Bono added.

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