First steel cutting of eighth Italian FREMM frigate
Italy has begun building its eighth FREMM frigate under the FREMM joint initiative programme. The first steel cutting ceremony of the eighth Italian FREMM frigate took place at the Fincantieri shipyard in Riva Trigoso on 25 February 2015.
This new FREMM frigate will be a general purpose vessel and delivered to the Italian Navy in early 2019. The FREMM joint initiative includes a total of ten frigates for the navy, eight of which have been confirmed with options for two more.
The first FREMM frigate, Bergamini, is currently fully operational by the navy. The second frigate is the anti-submarine warfare configuration Fasan, which is due to finish warranty works by the end of April 2015 and enter full operations. The Margottini, an anti-submarine warfare follow-on ship, will begin its warranty works period soon. The Carabiniere is a second follow-on, due to be delivered by April. The third follow-up ship is the Alpino, which was launched in December 2014. Rizzo, a follow-on ship in general purpose configuration, will launch in February 2016.
The FREMM programme also calls for 11 for the French Navy and one for the Royal Moroccan Navy.
FREMM frigates are heavily armed warships being built under DCNS prime contractorship to carry state-of-the-art weapons and systems including the Herakles multifunction radar, MdCN cruise missiles, Aster anti-air missiles, Exocet MM40 anti-ship missiles and MU90 torpedoes.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![US Pentagon claims to have severely damaged Iranian capabilities, promises to increase attacks]()
US Pentagon claims to have severely damaged Iranian capabilities, promises to increase attacks
US military authorities claim to have sunk 20 Iranian vessels and destroyed Tehran’s Air Force, with the Pentagon making plans to send additional assets to the region.
-
![US Navy SPY-6 approaches FRP with Raytheon already having “a hot production line”]()
US Navy SPY-6 approaches FRP with Raytheon already having “a hot production line”
Jen Gauthier, Raytheon’s VP of Naval Systems and Sustainment, told Shephard that the company is awaiting the US Navy’s green light to move “fully into full-rate production”.
-
![How the Golden Fleet will change the US Navy acquisition process]()
How the Golden Fleet will change the US Navy acquisition process
The procurement of the future USN Golden Fleet is planned to be less bureaucratic than previous strategies, involving AI-enabled designs and scheduling tools to increase productivity and avoid delays.
-
![What capabilities are being tested under AUKUS Pillar II?]()
What capabilities are being tested under AUKUS Pillar II?
Collaboration on AUKUS Pillar II extends beyond the core trilateral agreement, presenting global opportunities for companies with advanced technologies.
