At the Muggiano (La Spezia) plant, production began today for the first of the 2 new generation submarines relating to the U212NFS (Near Future Submarine) acquisition program of the Italian Navy.
The program, which also includes the related in service support, the option for an additional 2 units and the creation of the Training Center, is managed by OCCAR (Organization Conjointe de Cooperation sur l'Armement, the international armaments cooperation organization) in accordance with the most innovative management, through life management and risk management procedures.
The project is an evolution of the U212A program, conducted in collaboration with the Germans of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, which led to the construction of 4 submarines for Italy - "Todaro", "Scirè", "Venuti" and "Romei", delivered by Fincantieri between 2006 and 2017 - and 6 for Germany. According to the most accredited analyzes, these air independent propulsion boats, due to their technological content, have shifted the balance between nuclear and conventional units created after the war.
The new boats will be highly innovative, with significant design changes that will all be developed independently by Fincantieri. The U212NFS program, which provides for the first two deliveries in 2027 and 2029, responds to the need to ensure adequate surveillance and control capabilities of underwater spaces, given the complex operational scenarios that will characterize the future of operations in the underwater sector and the approach the end of the operational life of the 4 units of the “Sauro” class currently in service. It will also serve 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 companies and small and medium-sized enterprises in the sector, because the presence on board of components will be enhanced. developed by the 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.
