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Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri and Italian multinational Leonardo will build three next-generation patrol vessels for the Italian Navy.
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Both companies will deliver the Italian Navy offshore patrol vessels (OPV) under the Orizzonte Sistemi Navali (OSN) joint venture acquisition program after signing with the Italian Secretariat General of Defence and National Armaments Directorate.
The €925 million contract will have options for a further three units, integrated logistics support, and infrastructural upgrades required for naval bases in Augusta, Cagliari, and Messina where the vessels will be based.
OSN will finalise the sub-contracts with Fincantieri and Leonardo, with a value respectively around €540 million and €255 million.
“The signing of this contract marks a significant achievement on a commercial level, given that the OPVs belong to the FCX family, the cornerstone of Fincantieri’s new global Defence offering,” said Fincantieri chief executive officer Pierroberto Folgiero.
“It also confirms the managerial capabilities of the group to take on the role of strategic partner to our Navy, one of the most advanced in the world.
“Last but not least, the program, through the relaunch of Orizzonte Sistemi Navali, further strengthens our collaboration with Leonardo, allowing us to focus on our ship system integration expertise and, in a broader sense, reaffirming the value of our national economic system.”
The OPV program is designed to promote presence and surveillance, maritime surveillance, merchant traffic control, protection of lines of communication, exclusive economic zones, and against threats from marine pollution.
The 95-metre, 2,300-tonne offshore patrol vessels will have capacity for 97 crew members and have capabilities to operate in a wide range of tactical scenarios and weather conditions.
In particular, each vessel will feature a “naval cockpit” allowing ship and aeronaval operations to be controlled by a pilot and copilot, who fulfil the duties of officer of the watch on the bridge and commander from the command bridge. The two operators will also have control over machinery, rudders, platform systems and the combat management system.
“This contract rewards and brings together the best of Italian technology,” said Leonardo chief executive officer Roberto Cingolani.
“Leonardo and Fincantieri, through OSN, are able to offer state-of the-art solutions for national security. This is the fruit of a solid and prospective synergy.
“The Navy is guaranteed the garrison of a long-term capability.”
