The European Patrol Corvette (EPC) project is now entering its second development phase - bringing Europe closer to the construction phase of the first two prototypes for the LRM (long-range multipurpose) and FCM (full combat multipurpose) variants. At Euronaval in Paris, the shipbuilding consortium comprising the Naviris cooperation company (Fincantieri/Italy, Naval Group/France) and Spanish Navantia signed an initial agreement on the start of phase 2 of the
joint Modular Multi-Purpose Patrol Corvette (MMPC) was signed. This follows the selection by the European Commission in May 2024 of the design submitted by Naviris at the end of 2023. The second phase of the MMPC project aims to finalise the concept and development of the platform and to integrate innovative technology blocks in order to achieve a common platform by incorporating different systems and technologies.
payloads to cover a wide range of tasks and applications for both variants. Phase 1 was subsidised by the EU with 60 million euros, while Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Norway and Spain shared the remaining 27 million. An agreement on the financing of phase 2 is currently still being negotiated between OCCAR-EA and the Commission. In order to receive the additional Brussels grant of almost 155 million euros, a commitment from a
financial contribution by the countries mentioned above. Somehow you can't shake off the feeling that you have heard all these or similar passages several times over the decades in EU and NATO projects on frigates, helicopters, fighter jets and armoured land systems, without anything coming of it.
A cost-effective, versatile and "truly common" solution would have been created. It's about time it worked! Even if it's just an inflated corvette (110 metres, 3,000 tonnes) developed at the Community's expense for Fincantieri and Naval Group, which can be used for everything, but nothing really. That's how you make an export model!