The construction of the third new generation submarine related to the Navy's U212NFS (Near Future Submarine) program and assigned to Fincantieri has received parliamentary approval and will now continue with the usual administrative procedure.
The programme, which includes two vessels contracted in 2021, also provides for the related service support and the creation of the Training Center, and is managed by OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d'Armement, the international organization for armaments cooperation ).
Pierroberto Folgiero, Chief Executive Officer of Fincantieri, commented: “The NFS program sees us cover both the role of design authority and that of prime contractor and its continuation represents an important confirmation of Fincantieri's technological and managerial leadership, in full continuity with what is outlined by the cornerstones of our industrial plan. The submarine is a unique strategic-industrial asset of its kind, which summarizes the highest standards that shipbuilding can express and which pertains to diving, a sector in which fundamental matches will be played also thanks to our vision of the future ".
The first two vessels will be delivered in 2027 and 2029, with sheet metal cutting of the second unit scheduled for June XNUMXth.
The U212NFS submarines will be highly innovative, with significant design changes all developed independently by Fincantieri in accordance with the Navy's requirements. The program responds to the need to ensure adequate underwater surveillance and control capabilities, considering the complex operational scenarios that will characterize the future of operations in the underwater sector and the approaching end of the operational life of the 4 "Sauro" class units currently in service. It also serves to preserve and increase the strategic and innovative industrial know-how gained by Fincantieri and to consolidate the technological advantage achieved by the company and the supply chain, major industrial realities and small and medium-sized enterprises in the sector, because the presence on board of components will be enhanced developed by domestic industry.
The tasks that submarines perform daily in favor of the community are many, satisfying the protection of national interests and collective defense in the context of the most important alliances in which the country participates, NATO and the EU: to the purely military missions are added those concerning freedom of navigation, anti-piracy, the safety of energy supply and data flow routes (by virtue of the seabed resources and underwater infrastructures present), compliance with international law, the fight against terrorism, the protection of external borders , the safeguarding of maritime infrastructures, including vital off-shore and underwater ones, and not least the safeguarding of marine ecosystems.
