The steel cutting ceremony for the first of the two new generation FREMM frigates in the “EVOLUTION” version, called “FREMM EVO”, took place today at the Fincantieri shipyard in Riva Trigoso (Genoa).
Fincantieri press release
The event was attended, among others, by Admiral Chief Inspector Giuseppe Abbamonte, Director of the Naval Armaments Directorate – NAVARM, Giovanni Sorrentino, CEO of Orizzonte Sistemi Navali, and Fulvio Palermo, Head of Project Management of the Naval Ships Division of Fincantieri.
The contract for the construction of the two new “FREMM EVO” was signed in July 2024 by Orizzonte Sistemi Navali (OSN), a joint venture between Fincantieri (51%) and Leonardo (49%), and OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’Armement), and is part of the multi-year “FREMM” program aimed at renewing the Navy’s fleet through the construction of new-generation frigates. The delivery of the first unit is scheduled for 2029, while the second will be delivered in 2030.
The new “FREMM EVO” will be positioned at the forefront of the military naval context both from a technological and performance point of view, capitalizing on the important technological developments already started within the recent programs of the so-called Naval Law, as well as the Mid Life Upgrade program of the Orizzonte Class Units. The Navy will thus be able to have two units that will guarantee high operational performance, with state-of-the-art technology and equipped with cutting-edge systems, as well as modern anti-drone capabilities, and more generally able to operationally manage unmanned systems in the three dimensions (above the surface, naval and below the surface).
More specifically, the main technological modernization/upgrading interventions that will concern the new generation FREMM Frigates will concern the Cyber-resilient Ship Management System, the air conditioning and electrical distribution system, the implementation of specific solutions in order to improve the green footprint of the unit for the Platform System part. The combat system will be updated with the modern SADOC 4 Cyber-resilient Combat Management System, the radar sensors (in particular with fixed-face Dual Band DBR-X-C radars) capable of supporting defense against TBM threats, Electronic Warfare, Artillery and Missile Systems, the Sonar Suite, the Communication System and tactical data links capable of ensuring the highest and most effective level of interoperability.
Finally, the new “FREMM EVO” will be equipped with highly reliable equipment, accompanied by adequate maintenance plans to guarantee the required readiness with high levels of operational availability.
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Naval News comments:
Based on the derisking activities, the FREMM EVO configuration matches the hull and propulsion of the current FREMMs with new superstructures capable to accommodate the same combat and platform systems installed on the latest generation vessels developed under the Naval Law, namely the Pattugliatori Polivalenti d’Altura (PPA) or the MultiPurpose Combat Ship (MPCS) – as it is currently designated internationally -, in the Full configuration and the LHD Trieste, in addition to new systems to deal with new missions and threats. The new FREMM EVO will accommodate, among others, the same Leonardo Kronos Dual-Band Radar (DBR) suite with the four AESA flat antennas of the C-band Kronos Quad and the same number of antennas for the X-band Kronos StarFire compared to the single rotating AESA Kronos Grand Naval radar of the current FREMMs, as we will later elaborate.
To learn more about FREMM EVO, check out our in-depth article at this link and our video coverage at Euronaval 2024:
