The keel has been laid on Pietro Calvi, the second U212 Near Future Submarine (NFS) being built for the Italian Navy.
A special ceremony took place last week at shipbuilder Fincantieri’s Muggiano Shipyard in La Spezia, marking the transition from the fabrication of individual blocks to their assembly as a complete vessel.
The new 59-metre NFS boats will deliver a leap forward in capabilities from the force’s existing U212A submarines, including enhanced stealth characteristics and improved resilience against cyber attacks.
A new lithium-ion propulsion battery will deliver improved performance and the boats will also feature a new combat management system.
Each submarine will carry a crew of 29 sailors and is expected to be armed with torpedo-tube-launched cruise missiles and Leonardo’s Black Shark Advanced heavyweight torpedoes.
As per a Fincantieri press statement: “The keel-laying of the second unit further confirms the production continuity of the U212NFS program and Fincantieri’s ability to integrate shipbuilding expertise, advanced technologies and know-how, together with the excellence of the Italian industrial supply chain, in support of the development of national underwater capabilities.”
Four U212 NFS boats are being built, as well as an additional two successor U212 NFS EVO submarines. The keel of first-in-class boat Goffredo Mameli was laid down at the end of February this year, and her commissioning is scheduled for 2027.
The U212 NFS programme is being run by European joint procurement and through-life management organisation OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’ARmement).
In July an acceleration of the U212 NFS programme delivery schedule was announced, with the delivery date for the third boat, Enrico Tazzoli now pencilled in for the end of 2030. The final U212 NFS Enrico Toti has also been brought forward by two years to 2032.
The revisions will also see these boats fitted with additional countermeasure systems developed by WASS.
- You can read more details on the Fincantieri website and more about the wider NFS programme on the OCCAR website
