Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri delivered the ninth FREMM frigate, Spartaco Schergat (F 598), to the Italian Navy. This FREMM comes in a new configuration which combines Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW) and Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) capabilities.
Fincantieri press release
Genoa/Trieste, April 15, 2025 – Today, at Fincantieri‘s Muggiano (La Spezia) shipyard, Orizzonte Sistemi Navali (OSN), a joint venture owned by Fincantieri (51%) and Leonardo (49%), delivered the multi-role frigate ‘Spartaco Schergat’ to the Italian Navy, the ninth in a series of 10 FREMM (European Multi-Mission Frigates) commissioned to Orizzonte Sistemi Navali as Prime Contractor, Whole Warship and Combat System Design Autority under the Italian-French international cooperation agreement, and whose contract was signed with OCCAR, Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’Armement.
The ceremony was attended, among others, by Dario Deste, General Manager of Fincantieri’s Naval Vessels Division, Giovanni Sorrentino, CEO of OSN, OCCAR Director General Joachim Sucker, Admiral Vincenzo Montanaro, Commander of the Interregional Maritime Command South, Admiral Giuseppe Abbamonte, Director of Naval Armaments and General Francois Watteau, DGA representative.
The FREMM program, launched in 2005 with the first ship delivered in July 2012, envisages the supply of four General Purpose Units, four Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) units, and two Enhanced Anti-Submarine units. As part of this program, two next-generation FREMM frigates in the “EVOLUTION” version – known as “FREMM EVO” – are currently under construction at the Fincantieri Integrated Shipyard of Riva Trigoso and Muggiano, with deliveries scheduled for 2029 and 2030.
The new unit, built at the Fincantieri Integrated Shipyard of Riva Trigoso and Muggiano, is equipped with the most advanced systems produced by Fincantieri, Leonardo, MBDA, and Elettronica. As the other FREMM units, it offers high operational flexibility and is capable of operating in all tactical scenarios. The ship is 144 meters long, 19.7 meters wide, and has a full-load displacement of approximately 6,700 tons. It can reach a speed of over 27 knots and accommodate up to 200 people on board.
These ships’ innovative and cyber-resilient characteristics are the result of significant design, organizational, and management efforts. A high level of automation has been integrated into next-generation onboard systems, used for all onboard services. This approach contributes to ensuring high operational availability, supported by an optimized maintenance profile. Extensive Human Factors studies have guided the design to create more efficient and optimized workspaces tailored to various operational needs. The ship also features extended autonomy (approximately 6,000 nautical miles at 15 knots) and logistical standards suitable for prolonged operations, even outside the broader Mediterranean area.
Spartaco Schergat, the first of the two units in the Enhanced Anti-Submarine Warfare configuration, is optimized as a multi-role vessel, incorporating systems typical of both the General Purpose version – allowing a balanced contribution across all combat domains – and the ASW version, with enhanced anti-submarine capabilities for sea control operations, maritime communications line protection, and naval interdiction. It will also be able to serve as a complex command center, managing joint and combined operations.
The FREMM (European Multi-Mission Frigate) program is the most significant joint initiative developed among European industries in the naval sector and represents the cutting edge of Italian and European defense. It stems from the need to renew the Italian Navy’s fleet, particularly replacing the “Lupo” and “Maestrale” class frigates, built by Fincantieri in the 1970s and 1980s.
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Naval News comments:
The Spartaco Schergat (F 598) frigate is the first of two FREMMs in a new ASuW/ASW hybrid configuration which are under procurement by the Italian MoD’s Naval Armament Directorate (NAVARM) to replace the two FREMM GP (General Purpose) sold to Egypt by Fincantieri.
The two FREMMs come in a new configuration which combines the hull and superstructures design and mission suite of the GP (General Purpose) or ASuW (Anti-Surface Warfare) configured Italian Navy’s FREMMs with the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) suite and capabilities of the same service’s ASW-configured ones, together with the replacement and/or enhancements to onboard systems to keep them lasting the lifespan of new frigates.
To find out more about these two new FREMM vessels, check out our detailed article at this link.
