The Italian Navy (ITN) will receive two new FREMM multi-role frigates, under a contract announced on 31 July. The ships will be built to a design evolved from the navy’s existing, in-service, 10-ship Bergamini-class FREMMs.
The contract – worth approximately EUR1.5 billion, according to a statement released by the Fincantieri/Leonardo joint venture Orizzonte Sistemi Navali (OSN) – was signed between OSN and OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’Armement).
In due course, the statement said, OSN will finalise sub-contracts with Fincantieri and Leonardo, with values of approximately EUR690 million and EUR415 million, respectively.
The two frigates will be built at Fincantieri’s integrated shipyard in Riva Trigoso and Muggiano, with the first ship due for delivery in 2029 and the second in 2030.
The statement noted that the two ships – known as ‘FREMM EVO’ frigates, being an evolution of the original FREMM design – will provide cutting-edge, next-generation capability within the wider FREMM programme that is aimed at renewing the ITN fleet.
Broadly, the two ships are designed to boost the ITN’s defensive capabilities and operational flexibility.
The cutting-edge technology will include, for example, capability to both counter and deploy maritime unmanned systems. The statement added that the FREMM EVO ships will provide “high operational performance, with state-of-the-art technology and cutting-edge systems, as well as the latest anti-drone capabilities and the capacity for operational management of unmanned systems across three dimensions (above the surface, on the sea, and below the surface)”.
The two new ships will also feature the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities present in the in-service FREMM ASW units. Six of the original 10 FREMMs were built with an ASW focus.
Other key developments include updating the combat system with the Leonardo SADOC 4 combat management system (CMS) and Leonardo’s theatre ballistic missile defence-focused Kronos dual-band (X/C) radar, plus wider augmentations to the sonar, electronic warfare, communications, and tactical data-link capabilities.
The statement noted there will be particular focus on high levels of interoperability across the new capabilities.
Admiral Enrico Credendino, the ITN’s Chief of Navy, said in the statement: “We have integrated latest-generation technologies and modern systems on the FREMM, thus enhancing the ship’s defence capabilities and broadening the spectrum of activities that can be conducted within missions carried out for the defence and security of our country.” He pointed to particular focus on capacity to keep sea lines of communication (SLOCs) and key maritime straits open, to monitor and secure the seabed, and to support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) requirements.
by Dr. Lee Willett
