OCCAR announced on 8 January, 2026, that the Italian FREMM EVO program has successfully completed its Critical Design Review (CDR) across all three domains: Platform, Combat System, and Whole Warship/Integrated Logistic Support.
OCCAR press release
The achievement of this High Level Objective (HLO) signifies that the design process of the FREMM EVO Programme has met all the necessary requirements and marks the formal transition to the production phase.
CDR completion, fully in line with the schedule, demonstrates that the Programme is on track to deliver two advanced naval units to the Italian Navy by June 2029 and June 2030, respectively. These units will provide enhanced capabilities to meet evolving operational needs and strengthen maritime security.
This success reflects the collaborative efforts and expertise of the OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation) HORIZON team and all involved stakeholders involved. It also highlights the strategic importance of cooperation at national and international level in delivering state-of-the-art naval vessels that safeguard shared interests and reinforce Europe’s role in global defence.
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Naval News comments:
Construction of the first unit is well already underway: Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri laid the keel of the first FREMM EVO for the Italian Navy in July 2025.
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:
