Italian Navy NFS Submarine Contract: Italy based defence and aerospace giant Leonardo has signed a contract with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri to provide combat management system for two U212 Near Future Submarines (NFS), the first of which is due to join the Italian Navy fleet in 2027, Leonardo said in a statement.
The contract, which is valued at approximately €150 million, entails providing strategic equipment that will enhance the surveillance and protection capabilities of the Italian Navy as they carry out operations beneath the waves in Italian and international waters.
The contract includes the design and development of a next-generation Combat Management System (CMS) as part of the Italian Navy’s Naval Law modernization programme.
Italian Navy U212 Class NFS Submarine
The supply forms part of a broader programme under which the Trieste based Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri is providing two U212 NFS submarines with the option for providing two more vessels, including providing technical and logistics support.
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In addition to the submarine combat management system, Leonardo will also provide a simulation and training laboratory at the Italian Navy’s Submarine Centre in Taranto and a package of logistic support including staff training and a set of spare parts.
This is the first time Leonardo is providing a combat management system for a submarine.
Combat Management System by Leonardo.
“Leonardo is continuously investing in its combat management system product line. Its surface vessel systems and submarine systems share common elements and so will both benefit from the resulting innovation,” the company said in a statement sent to Defence Star.
By adding this capability to its portfolio, Leonardo is improving its position in the naval sector and broadening its offer to domestic and international customer, said the company.
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The new U212 Near Future Submarines are built on the U212A (Todaro-class) design while featuring a range of technological advances.
Four U212A submarines joined the service with the Italian Navy in 2006.
This contract is a strategic development for Leonardo in the naval sector. By adding a submarine CMS to its portfolio, Leonardo is broadening its offer into the submarine market.
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With commonalities between the submarine CMS and Leonardo’s equivalent system for surface vessels, we are expecting to exploit synergies between the two systems, with investment in innovation benefitting both product lines, the company said.
According to a company statement, the strengthening of Leonardo’s core businesses, including by enhancing areas of expertise which cut across business lines, such as command and control, is one of the pillars of the “Be Tomorrow – Leonardo 2030” strategic plan.
Leonardo is developing pathways to sustainable growth through leadership in next generation technologies, it said.
Italian Navy Submarine (Image courtesy: Leonardo).
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Leonardo
Leonardo, a global high-technology company, is among the top ten world players in Aerospace, Defence and Security and Italy’s main industrial company.
Organized into five business divisions, Leonardo has a significant industrial presence in Italy, the United Kingdom, Poland and the USA, where it also operates through subsidiaries such as Leonardo DRS (de fense electronics), and joint ventures and partnerships: ATR, MBDA, Telespazio, Thales Alenia Space and Avio.
Leonardo competes in the most important international markets by leveraging its areas of technological and product leadership (Helicopters, Aircraft, Aerostructures, Electronics, Cyber Security and Space).
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Listed on the Milan Stock Exchange (LDO), in 2019 Leonardo recorded consolidated revenues of €13 .8 billion and invested €1.5 billion in Research and Development.
The Group has been part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) since 2010 and is named as sustainability global leader in the Aerospace & Defence sector for the second year in a row of DJSI in 2020.
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