The construction of the third new generation submarine related to the U212NFS (Near Future Submarine) program for the Italian Navy and assigned to Fincantieri has received parliamentary approval and will now follow the standard administrative procedure.
The programme, which includes two vessels contracted in 2021, as well as the creation of a Training Center, is led by OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’Armement, the international organization for joint armament cooperation).
Pierroberto Folgiero, Chief Executive Officer of Fincantieri, commented: “Within the NFS program we are both design authority and prime contractor. The prosecution of the program acknowledges Fincantieri’s technological and managerial leadership, in full continuity with the pillars set out in our business plan. The submarine is a unique strategic and industrial asset, combining shipbuilding and its highest standards with the underwater, a sector in which crucial games will be played also thanks to our vision of the future”.
The first two vessels will be delivered in 2027 and 2029, with the steel cutting of the second unit scheduled for June 6th.
The U212NFS submarines will be highly innovative, with significant design modifications which will all be developed independently by Fincantieri in accordance with the requirements of the Navy. The program responds to 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 4 “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, major industries, and small and medium-sized enterprises of the sector, enhancing the presence on board of technologically advanced component parts developed by Italian industries.
The submarines carry out many different tasks for the benefit of the community on a daily basis, preserving national interests and collective defense within the framework of the most important alliances in which the Italy participates, NATO and the EU. They range 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), observance of international law, fighting terrorism, defending external borders, and safeguarding maritime infrastructure, including essential offshore and underwater infrastructure, not least preserving marine ecosystems.
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