The first steel has been cut on the fourth new U212NFS submarine being built for the Italian Navy by Fincantieri.
OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’ARmement, or Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation) is managing the Near Future Submarine (NFS) programme.
It will deliver four new boats for the Marina Militare Italiana, with the first submarine due to be completed in December 2027, and the final boat expected to be ready in 2032.
This week a ceremony was held at Fincantieri’s Muggiano shipyard to mark the official start of construction work on the fourth boat, meaning that all four hulls are now in simultaneous production.
The U212NFS class of diesel-electric attack submarines will be roughly 59 metres long and will displace about 1,750 tons fully submerged. Operated by a crew of just under 30, as per OCCAR they will feature a lithium battery propulsion system and Leonardo’s Athena Mk2/U combat system.
They will carry land-attack cruise missiles and Leonardo’s Black Shark Advanced heavyweight torpedoes. It’s thought they may also be capable of deploying an uncrewed underwater vehicle (UUV).
The Italian Navy is planning to acquire two slightly larger U212NFS EVO boats once the original four submarines are delivered; these are also to be produced by Fincantieri’s Muggiano shipyard.
It is also pressing ahead with plans to acquire NGS (New Generation Submarine) boats that will replace the U212A; at present the intention is that construction work on these platforms will start in the 2040s.
The Italian Navy is also seeking to supplement these capabilities by developing an extra large uncrewed underwater vehicle (XLUUV); it uses the term LDAUV (Large Displacement Autonomous Underwater Vehicle).
- You can read more details about the U212NFS programme on the OCCAR website