U212 NFS continues progress with design review milestone for battery system
Computer-generated image of U212 NFS submarine showing storage area for lithium-ion battery system (in yellow). (Image: OCCAR)
Passing the system design review for the lithium-ion battery system marks a step towards the potential production of up to four new submarines for the Italian Navy.
The lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery system for the Italian Navy U212 Near Future Submarine (NFS) programme has successfully passed the system design review (SDR) stage, OCCAR announced on 16 March.
It added: ‘This milestone marks a mandatory step forward in the development, possible production and integration on board of the U212 NFS fleet.’
The OCCAR U212 NFS Programme Division, submarine manufacturer Fincantieri and representatives from the Italian Navy cooperated in the SDR process.
With the SDR completed, the next stage is the critical design review to assess whether the design of the Li-ion energy storage system meets the operational requirements of the Italian Navy.
In February 2021, Fincantieri and OCCAR signed a €1.35 billion ($1.63 billion) contract to build two U212NFS diesel-electric submarines (plus two more boats on option) with deliveries scheduled for late 2027 and early 2029.
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