Fincantieri press release
The contract for the lead frigate and 9 option ships, signed in 2020, has a cumulative value of 5.5 billion dollars, including post-delivery availability support and crew training.
Fincantieri succeeded in such a high-profile tender, distinguishing itself among several major U.S. shipyards thanks to a project considered as the most innovative and cutting-edge. The Group’s proposal is based on the FREMM frigate platform, globally recognized as the most technologically advanced, and the backbone of a 10-unit program for the Italian Navy which Fincantieri is currently completing.
Construction on the first Constellation-class frigate, the future USS Constellation, began in late August last year in Marinette, Wis., and FMM is scheduled to deliver it in 2026.
“Our commitment is to support the largest Navy in the world with a ship that represents the highest possible degree of innovation. We look specifically at the digital profile of the vessels, in terms of cybersecurity and data analytics, two fundamental fronts for the industrial competition of the future”.
Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO of Fincantieri
FMM is the spearhead of Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG), which controls two other shipyards also located in the Great Lakes (Wisconsin) – Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and Fincantieri Ace Marine. The company serves commercial and government customers in the US. FMM is committed to the Littoral Combat Ships program for the US Navy and the Multi-Mission Surface Combatants (MMSC) program for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as part of the US Foreign Military Sales plan.
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Naval News comments:
Fincantieri confirmed to Naval News during Sea Air Space 2023 that the keel laying ceremony for the future USS Constellation is “projected for August 2023”.
Three ships of the class have previously been awarded to Fincantieri: The Constellation (FFG 62) in 2020, the Congress (FFG 63) in 2021, and the Chesapeake (FFG 64) in 2022.