Italy signs €925 million contract for new class of OPVs
The new PPX OPVs will have space to accommodate 97 personnel and will adopt new automation and manoeuvrability technologies. (Image: Fincantieri)
Up to six new offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) are set to boost Italian Navy capabilities with a new order placed on 31 July.
A contract worth €925 million ($1 billion) was signed between the Italian defence department and joint venture company Orizzonte Sistemi Navali (OSN) for an initial batch of three OPVs for the Italian Navy.
OSN is comprised of Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri and defence manufacturer Leonardo. OSN stated that Fincantieri will receive sub-contracts worth €540 million with Leonardo to be awarded €255 million.
A spokesperson from Fincantieri told Shephard that the option for a second batch of OPVs ‘should be ordered in the next two years’.
The OPVs are being built under the Italian Navy’s Future OPV programme (Pattugliatori Polivalenti) or PPX
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