Fincantieri lays keel for third PPA
Fincantieri has begun construction of the Italian Navy’s third Multipurpose Patrol Ship (PPA) at its shipyard in Riva Trigoso, Genova, the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation announced on 8 November.
The ship, the first in the ‘light plus’ configuration, will be launched at the end of 2020. Based on a common platform, PPAs will be built in three different configurations: light (two ships), light plus (three ships) and full (two ships).
The light version will have a complete set of artillery and will be able to deploy developing operational capabilities. The light plus version will be equipped with missile firing capability with actuators also planned for ballistic missile defence. The full version will be able to operate in all naval warfare domains including anti-air warfare, anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare.
The PPAs will also be utilised to support non-combat operations such as disaster relief and humanitarian assistance.
More from Naval Warfare
-
Canada’s submarine availability under pressure as Chicoutimi is unlikely to return to front-line duties
HMCS Victoria and HMCS Windsor could return from their current deep maintenance, but unconfirmed operational timelines leave questions over patrol capacity before the first CPSP arrives.
-
Patrol vessel demand and partnerships anchor North Africa’s naval market
Fincantieri and Naval Group are positioning for long-term work in Egypt and Morocco as demand for local industrial partnerships grows.
-
UK MoD faces ‘serious’ ASW gap as Defence Committee outlines Arctic requirements
Anti-submarine warfare, uncrewed vessels and seabed monitoring top the demand list in the Defence Committee’s High North roadmap for the 2030s.
-
Autonomy gives Turkey a chance to outflank established naval shipbuilders
Turkish shipbuilders have sold ships from Asia to Europe, but autonomy and swarm technology could give them a fairer fight against Western European rivals.