Fincantieri builds two more submarines for Italy

On 26 February, the Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri signed a contract with Occar to build two submarines for the Italian Navy. These are units of the U 212 NFS (Near Future Submarine) class that have yet to be developed. The new boats are based on the 212 A programme and will again be equipped with an air-independent propulsion system. The German Navy currently has six of these in service. The Italian Navy has four boats of this type, which were delivered by Fincantieri between 2006 and 2017. The design comes from Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. A total of 1.35 billion euros has been earmarked for the construction and technical and logistical support of the two new boats. Delivery is scheduled for 2027 and 2029, and an option to build two more units for the Marina Militare has also been agreed. The new submarines will replace the four active units of the Sauro-class. Of the original eight boats in this class, which were commissioned between 1980 and 1995, four have already been "retired".
Occar is the joint organisation for armaments cooperation in Europe. In addition to Germany and Italy, its members include Belgium, France, Spain and the UK.

Text: mb; Photo: Marina Militare